1

Please your honours, said he, I'm able,

By means of a secret charm, to draw

All creatures living beneath the sun,

That creep, or swim, or fly, or run,

After me so as you never saw!

And I chiefly use my charm

On creatures that do people harm.

 Version 1.2

Art, layout and game design by Tom Bloom/CHASM ©2025

Do not reproduce without permission, though you may print this game for personal
use only.

Fonts used are Acumin Pro, Cuasigothic, Apex Mk2, Fanzine, and Odachi
All fonts are free for commercial use. All photos used for collage, background, and
texture work are public use and were sourced from Wikimedia commons and several
other sites that use AI Slop now so I don’t recommend or feel the need to credit them..

Poem on the across page by Robert Downing. Sin Illustration on page 100 by the
excellent Francine Bridge/Witnesstheabsurd.

If you enjoyed this game consider kicking me a subscription at patreon.com/

killsixbilliondemons. I’ve love to hear what you think. You can e-mail me at
ksbdabbadon@gmail.com

WIPE OUT THE STAIN

I listened to the albums Frances the Mute by the Mars Volta and To Bathe From
the Throat of Cowardice by Vitriol quite often while making this album. I also
listened a lot to the discography of Barber Beats artists Mabisyo and Opal
Vessel, whose visual aesthetic inspired this game. Give them a listen!
© Tom Bloom 2025
 CONTENTS
AS ABOVE, SO BELOW 6 THE TWELVE BLASPHEMIES 29
The Game 10 Taking additional blasphemies 29
Materials 10 Category and Blasphemies 29
PLAY 10 SIN 29
Taking Action 11 Sin overflow 30
The Action Roll 11 Sin Marks 30
Hard 11 The Body 31
Risky 12 Stress 31
Straight rolls 12 Injuries 31
Admin Rolls 12 Instant Death 32
Fate Rolls 13 Dead Exorcists 32
Consequences 14 Afflictions 32
Upsides 15 Hooks 32
IMPROVING a Roll 15 Bargaining 33
Teamwork and Setup 15 Kit 33
Divine Agony 16 THE HUNT 34
Talismans 17 1. Briefing 35
Category 18 2. Arrival 36
Mundane vs supernatural 18 3. Tracking 36
Using Category 18 4a. Investigation 37
THE EXORCIST 20 Traumas 37
SKILLS 22 Countering 37
AGENDA 26 4b. Preparation 37
BLASPHEMIES 26 4c. Rest 38
PSYCHE 26 5a. Tension 39
PSYCHE BURST 27 5b. Pressure 39
BLAST 27 6. Execution 40
Conflict Scenes 42 The Shadow War 98
Making an Exorcist 44 The Legion 98
Increasing in power 45 CAIN 98
Experience 45 SINS 101
Advances 45 TYPE, FORM, and CATEGORY 102
Survival 45 Powers and abilities 104
AGENDAS 46 Domains 104
BLASPHEMIES 52 Palace 104
Tags 53 TENSION MOVES 105
Advancing blasphemies 53 TRAUMAS 106
TENSION 54 The Execution Talisman 107
ARDENCE 56 1. Attacks 107
FLUX 58 2. Complications 107
VECTOR 60 3. Threats 108
GATE 62 4. Severe Attacks 108
SMOTHER 64 Traces 108
WHISPER 66 Making a Sin 109
BIND 70 Fleshing out a sin 109
PALACE 72 Creating an investigation 109
JAUNT 74 I. OGRE 110
SYMPATHY 76 II. IDOL 116
Kit expansion 78 III. HOUND 122
WEAPONS 84 IV. CENTIPEDE 128
SIN MARKS 86 V. TOAD 134
Running 88 VI. LORD 140
CAIN 88 Other Opponents 146
Safety First 89 Writing an opponent 146
Principles and Tips 89 Mundane Opponents 146
Talismans 93 BINDERS 152
Creating Investigations 94
Structuring an investigation 95
 AS ABOVE, SO BELOW
There is a secret world, for those with the eyes to Occasionally, through the course of tragedy,
see it. trauma, stress, or extreme circumstances, this
psychic field can go wild. Ballooning like a
The vast majority of humanity blindly swims in a cancerous growth, it escapes the confines of the
potent psychic melange that suffuses us like a human body, and manifests as malevolent
roiling sea of emotion and memory. All humans presence, something that warps and controls
naturally produce this field, though some are more reality around it, and begins to feed on the flesh
sensitive to it than others. They may see ‘auras’, and minds of others. Invisible to the psychically
read emotions, or see supernatural phenomena: dull, these beings can either exist separately to a
ghosts, apparitions, or echoes of things that are human or possess them, warping them into a
not there. monster.

However, for a select few, their connection to this Collectively these beings are called Sins. Their
shadow presence goes deeper. It darkens, continued existence, once they are birthed, will
coalesces, and twists into something tangible and continue to twist and degrade the people and
powerful. These powers feed on the deep psyche, even physical location of an area, creating a
emotion, and mental state of humans, the sunless pocket dimension called a palace, and growing
and subconscious torrent that flows beneath the until they reach a catastrophic apotheosis known
surface of human thought. as a Sin Event. These typically result in mass
psychic veil rupture, an event that is instantly
traumatic and fatal to humans in a broad area.

6
You are a tool, a weapon of the the highly
secretive and supra-governmental organization
CAIN in an official capacity of an exorcist. You
have grace, the ability to perceive sins and
manifest powerful and highly honed psychic
techniques called blasphemies.

You have a single purpose in this world: to hunt

down all sins and execute them with
extreme prejudice.
Un ti l
he Sta i n
t n
has be e
i
W ype d
Aw a
7
 EXORCISTS
Exorcists are the tools of CAIN. All are offered a chance at
redemption through unrelenting violence.
Over and over again, the slaughter will not end until it is done.
8 Is your hand your hand? Do you remember the face of your mother?
SINS
Sins are the failures of mankind, made manifest.
Brook them no quarter, for they deserve none.
Don’t think too much, just go out and kill a few. It’ll
clear your head.
It’s what your kind does.

9
 ThE Game Materials
If playing in person, players will need character
This is an investigative role playing game focused sheets, some paper and pencils for tracking
on chasing rumors or traces of a supernatural information, and a number of 6 sided dice (d6s).
monster, a sin, then tracking down and They may also need small note cards or post it
confronting it in a climactic and violent scene. notes for note taking or tracking effects. The
Admin will need one or two d6s, post it notes or
Player characters, called exorcists, go on a hunt. notecards, and a hunt sheet. You can find these
sheets at the end of this book or in attached
• One player will be the the Administrator files.
(Admin), who will set up the story and location
of the hunts, play all the NPCs, decide the Sometimes this game will ask you to roll 1d3. This
location and set the scenes, and play the is just a d6 with the numbers halved and rounded
antagonist, the Sin. up (1-2: 1, 3-4: 2, 5-6: 3)
• Sins are extremely dangerous and violent
beings easily capable of pulverizing a human
with their numerous supernatural abilities.
PLAY
However, they are born out of human traumas CAIN is played, like many other role playing
and uncovering and unraveling the mysteries games, as a collaborative story told between the
surrounding their birth can help to weaken players: the exorcists and the Admin. The exorcists
them. play the main characters and choose their course
• Exorcists have limited time to locate and of action, while the admin plays and describes the
execute a sin before its growing power causes world, non-player characters (NPCs), and
the situation to spiral out of control adversaries.

• After a session is over, players reflect on the The basic flow of the game should go like this:
session and their characters may gain
experience and improve. • The Admin sets the scene and describes
• After a hunt is over, exorcists (if they survived) details. Then, they turn the action over to the
will get paid and have a chance to increase in players. What do the players do?
rank. • The players describe or role-play their course
of action, answering that question, and
So it goes. moving the story forward.

• The Admin responds to their course of action,

then turns things back over to the players.
What do you do?

10
 Taking Action Judging a Roll
When a character states their intention with an
To do most things in this game, just do it. Most action roll, the Admin must judge if that action is
actions in this game won’t require rolling dice hard or risky. This is up to the Admin and the
However, if the outcome of a character’s action is character is always able to ‘back out’ of a roll and
risky, contested, or unclear, a character states renegotiate based on the situation.
their intent and makes an action roll.

Hard
The Action Roll
Hard is very simple. If an action is judged to be
To make an action roll, a player rolls a number of hard, a character only scores successes on a 6.
d6s (six sided dice, also written as D, lke +2D),
assembled the following way: The Admin may judge a task to be hard if it the
approach is beyond a character’s typical
• Add up to 3d6 for a character’s skill in an capabilities, if they are under duress or in a bad
action. Skills describe how good a character is situation, or they don’t have the appropriate
in general at a type of activity, like physical resources (tools, information, etc) to tackle a task.
fitness or investigation. They go from 0-3, with
level 3 skills being exceptionally rare. Situations that might be hard:
• Add up to 3d6 for advantages. This could
• trying to fight blind
come from aid from an ally, situational
bonuses, or a character’s abilities • rushing someone with a gun and trying to
disarm them unarmed
• If a dice pool is 0 dice, you instead roll 2d6 and
pick the lowest result instead. Dice pools can’t • jumping an especially large gap between
go below 0 for any reason. buildings

Then roll all dice. Any die rolled of 4+ is a • trying to talk your way out of an active arrest
success. Action rolls with at least one success • sneaking past a security guard in broad
accomplish their goal. You may be able to cash in daylight
extra successes in certain circumstances.
• conducting research on a blood sample
If you don’t get at least one success, you fail, and without appropriate tools
suffer the consequences.
• trying to fight while hanging off the side of a
building
When to Roll ky,
ter’s action is ris Impossible
Only roll if a charac uld be
r. Rolls sho
contested, or unclea
ten se or dramatic moments in The Admin is always able to say a roll is
reserved for
action could take a
the game where the impossible given the circumstances. Players can
ormation could be
turn, important inf always change this by changing these
uation could change
revealed, or the sit of circumstances - using tools, abilities, or resources
come wouldn’t be any
suddenly. If the out mov e the they have available to them. Exorcist capabilities
it, jus t
these, don’t roll for
d. Ult ima tel y, the Admin always are about that of an average well trained human -
story forwar
is necessary. but their powers are not, and can push far
decides when a roll l
erally make one rol beyond what is possible for a person to
Characters should gen emp t the
can’t re- att accomplish.
for most tasks, and t
unl ess the situation or contex
same task
.
changes significantly

11
 Risky Straight rolls
An action is risky if the situation is tense and Not all action rolls are risky. If there is no clear
there is some significant and clear and present consequence or danger, there’s no
consequence, complication, or danger that risk involved and the roll is a straight roll without
could result from a character’s action. On a risky the risk die being rolled at all. A player might make
action, the Admin also makes a roll, called the straight rolls when:
risk roll.
• making general tests of ability, knowledge, or
This is a 1d6 roll, made at the same time as the skill
action roll. The Admin makes the risk roll then
checks the result of the risk die, using the result • investigating, surveying, or exploring
to determine the consequences or outcomes • persuading someone who has a receptive
for a character’s actions, with the lower the attitude
result, the worse the outcome, and vice versa.
• working on a project
• On a 4/5, the outcome or consequence is
• taking action where the result is unclear but
about as expected, success or failure, with no
the outcome isn’t necessarily dangerous, like
further complications.
trying to hotwire a car or pick a lock.
• On a 2/3, it’s worse than expected.
Consequences might be a little worse, actions Admin Rolls
a little less effective or more complicated, even
on a success. The Admin almost never rolls in this game -
• On a 6, it’s better than expected - the action is instead they respond to player rolls with
more effective, has lighter consequences, or straightforward outcomes in each situation based
reveals a sudden opportunity. on the players’ actions, approach, and the
situation of the story.
• On a 1, it’s much worse than expected - the
worst thing that could happen happens.
Initiative in CAIN is usually with the players, with
the Admin playing reactively and always turning
Here’s a simple table:
the story back to the players to ask them what
they do next.
• 1: Much Worse

• 2/3: Worse However, the Admin doesn’t always have to play

off of failures, and can move situations forward
• 4/5: Expected
even if players are rolling successes. They can
• 6: Better always present exorcists with a new opportunity
or situation, for example by:
This happens regardless of the action’s success or
failure, and means that on a 1-3, characters can • progressing a situation or moving time forward
take consequences or complications from a risky
roll even if their action is successful. • introducing a complication or changing up the
situation
This is generally the only time the Admin should • presenting exorcists with a choice
roll other than a fate roll (see the next page)/
• threatening exorcists with something

12
 Fate Rolls
If the Admin does want to leave something up to
chance, they can make a fate roll, rolling a 1d6.

• 1: Poorest result
• 2-3: Poor result
• 4-5: Good result
• 6: Best result

For example:

• Is this cultist armed?

• Is this person alive when the players reach the
scene?
• How much time is left before the fire collapses
the building supports?
• What’s this person’s attitude towards the
exorcists?
• Will the cultists’ morale break and will they
flee?

And so on.

Circumstances matter
Risk and difficulty, or whether a roll is even
possible, are mostly circumstantial. A roll
that might be hard or impossible might
become much easier, or not even be a roll at
all if characters have a tool, use an
ability, or use teamwork.

only the dead receive flowers

13
 Consequences • Separate an exorcist

• Force an exorcist to make a hard choice

When player characters fail a roll or take a risky (dropping their ally off a building or saving their
action and the risk die rolls low, the Admin can own skin).
impose consequences or complications. These
• Hinder an exorcist - make something harder
can never take away success (for example, rolling
for them until they can change the situation
low on the risk die if the action was a success), but
can add complications or costs to an otherwise • Give a hook: Give a hook to an exorcist (see
successful roll. Admins can: pg. 32)

• Force the the exorcists to pay a cost: • Start a ticking clock - Set out a talisman (see
pg. 17) with negative consequences, or slash
• in attention (an exorcist is preoccupied for an existing talisman this way.
a while, or misses something important)
• Look to the characters, the Sin, or the hunt.
• effectiveness (someone else needs to Many of them have existing abilities or details
follow up to finish the job, slash a talisman on their sheets that can be used as inspiration
(see pg. 17) one less time) to inflict consequences. Sins even have a
reaction list they can use in conflict scenes that
• gear (tools or weapons break or jam, give explicit outcomes (see Sins starting pg.
supplies or ammo are used up) 100).
• safety (the situation gets more risky)

• time (miss opportunities, degrade

situations)

• Threaten an exorcist with more severe

consequences unless further action is taken

• Cut off an opportunity: a door closes, an NPC

isn’t cooperative, someone gets away

14
 • Hurt the exorcists, as established: Inflict
stress, inflict a hook, see pg. 32. Harming the
IMPROVING a Roll
exorcists should always be established, ie
Generally the dice you roll come from skills.
exorcists should never take harm unless harm
However advantage dice are very useful as they
was already established as a clear and present
are ‘free’ and can most commonly be gained from
consequence. Generally exorcists are only hurt
the following sources:
when an activity is risky or there is clear
danger. The amount of stress an exorcist takes
depends on the situation and what is • Psyche burst: A character can spend a psyche
threatening them. burst, a limited resource, to use their powers
and grant +1D on any roll if they can explain
how they are using their powers in a creative
way to help the situation.

Pain, strain, tiredness, • Setup: A character may set up themselves or

suffering, minor injury 1 another character (see below) for +1D

• Abilities: Many character abilities give +1D in

Crippling or even fatal to most
certain circumstances.
humans, injury, gunshots, exhaustion, 2/3
bleeding, deprivation, poison, etc. • Circumstance: The Admin is free to give out
+1D for any circumstantial bonus they see fit.
Instantly and messily fatal 4+
to humans No matter how many dice a character gains from
a dj ust thi s up or down these sources, they can’t gain more than +3D in
The admin cans needed based on the advantages.
by +1 or -1 a the situation. For
risk roll and xorcist that would n
These same situations can also be used by the
example, an ee 2 stress but rolls a 6 o Admin to determine whether a roll is hard, risky, or
normally tak could take 1. even necessary, so it’s up to the Admin where to
apply these bonuses.
the risk die
Teamwork and Setup
Upsides Characters can work together in two main ways,
teamwork and setup.
Sometimes exorcists will roll a 6 on a risk roll,
giving them a small chance to swing the situation
back in their favor, even on a failure. This can be
Teamwork
as simple as:
When rolling, if multiple characters are able and
willing to work together, you can choose a leader,
• Their action is more effective, or has an effect then combine the highest of advantages, skills,
even if they fail. If it’s on a talisman (see pg 17), kit and abilities among those characters. The
slash it an extra time. leader then makes the roll, and the consequences
• They gain insight, an opening or a better and outcomes of the roll then apply to all
position with their action, making their next characters involved.
action less risky, less hard, or giving it +1
advantage die. is often a
g together
FACT: Workin sts to surv
ive a
r exorci
good way fo encourages
CAIN highly
mission, so fferences.
out your di
you to sort

1 of 11
C CASTLE

15
 For example: three characters are trying to climb
a wall. One character has 3 in conditioning, and
Divine Agony
another has only 1 in conditioning but owns a There is one final way to improve a roll. Exorcists
grappling hook. The combined dice pool would be naturally accrue pathos, powerful negative energy
3, and the grappling hook could help bring the roll that builds up from failure, regret, and physical
down from a hard roll to a regular roll, or perhaps suffering.
make it so there’s no roll at all!
In any scene, an exorcist gains 1 pathos
Teamwork allows characters to pool their whenever:
resources and make one roll or take one action to
move a large number of people through a situation • they make a roll with no successes
without having each individually roll. However,
• they take an injury or affliction
everyone takes the same consequences from an
action (including stress suffered) which could • they fill out a hook
make teamwork rolls a risky venture.
• another exorcist dies or suffers sin overflow

Setup Pathos can be stocked up to 3. More details on

hooks, injuries, death, and sin overflow can be
A character can always take action to set up
found in the section on pg. 30
another character, including themselves.
Examples of this:
Pathos can be spent to perform Divine Agony. This
• causing a distraction so another exorcist can can only be performed once per session by each
slip by a guard character, and only once per scene for the whole
group, so choose carefully who activates this
• giving a character a boost to get to a high power! An exorcist calling on this power when
vantage point making a roll burns away all pathos, gaining +1D
• carefully preparing a ritual site for your own use on that roll per pathos burned. This can exceed
and stack with any other bonuses, allowing a roll
• providing covering fire to push past the +3 advantage die limit.

Setup rolls can be hard or risky as normal. The Erase all pathos at the end of a session.
action must always be taken with the intent and
outcome of setting up another character, and has
no other effect by itself. Characters can still suffer
consequences from it.

On success, setup can give one of the following on

the target’s next action that follows the opening
made for them:

• +1D

• Decrease difficulty (hard > normal)

• Decrease risk (risky > straight)

A character can only benefit from setup once per

action.

16
 Talismans
Sometimes actions are more complicated and can’t be
solved in one roll. In this case, this game makes use of
talismans, simple trackers that represent these more
5 5
G
complex challenges.
SHUDDERORRINS
SHUDDERING HOR
When rolling on a talisman, make action rolls with the same HORRORS
parameters (dice pool, consequences, risky/hard), but then
cash in all successes, making 1 slash on the talisman for
each success.

• For example, a character rolls 2d6 for their action and

gets a 4, 6. They would get two slashes. If the action was
hard, they would only get one.

Talismans fill up and resolve when a certain number of

slashes are completed. The longer a talisman, the longer the
complexity of the task involved. You usually write this at the
top of the talisman.

• simple talismans are typically 1 or 2 segments

• medium are 3-5

• complex are 6-8 ack an

used to tr
re ’s a talisman in g sl ashed.
He after be
le , an d it will
When a talisman fills up, whatever it represents its obstac times,
en it ’s slashed 5 . Lo ok at
resolved. Rolls that don’t fill up a talisman represent partial Wh ed
le d up and resolv ch ma de
be fil hes. Ea
progress on a task. “You’ve taken out a few guards, but os e be au tiful slas
th
there’s a few left”. “You’ve decrypted half the files, but there’s with purp
ose.
still a lot left, and the self-destruct timer is ticking.”

• Not all talismans track tasks. Some talismans can fill up You can write talismans any
which way your heart
by rolling, some fill up on their own, some track success desires, even horizontally.
states, and some track failure states. There’s more on You can also write them like
talismans in the Running CAIN section starting on pg. 88 a simple tally, like this

• Talismans should typically be set out as needed - in other

words, when approaching a complicated task, don’t
make a talisman for it until the characters are able to
describe their actions and approach. Circumstances can
make talismans much shorter or longer!

• Talismans shouldn’t be proscriptive but descriptive. It’s

better to set out a talisman named ‘Shuddering Horrors’
You can use a plain
than ‘Evade the Shuddering Horrors’.
tracker, or a clock if you
come from other games. But
• Characters might make more or less slashes on on a
I think slashing the
talisman due to the situation. Slashes can be reduced to talisman sets the tone.
0.

17

SLASH AND SLASH AND SLASH! UNTIL IT IS DONE!

 Category Using Category
Category determines the general size, strength,
Sins are powerful supernatural forces, and and scale of things in fictional terms. For example:
Exorcists the weapons used to combat them. Sins
may easily surpass human limits. Unfortunately, • A car versus a 16 wheeler freight truck
exorcists are limited by the general limits of
human capabilities. • A couple humans versus a whole crowd of
humans
However their powers, Blasphemies, are not. • A shack versus a skyscraper

Much like natural disasters, both sins and • A handgun versus a bazooka
exorcists are rated by Category, generally
indicating their power, usually written as CAT. As The Admin can use the category of something to
each increase in category, the speed, scale, and figure out whether:
strength of their capabilities increase drastically.
• a roll is hard or risky for a character. A roll is
• Category goes from 0-7, with Category 0 being typically hard or risky if the target of a power is
general human capabilities. Anything higher category. Conversely, a roll can be less
mundane an exorcist does is usually at CAT 0. risky or hard if the target of a power is of a
lower category.
• Exorcists’ themselves are rated from category 1
to 5, but can sometimes push past CAT 5. This • a roll is impossible for a character given their
describes the capabilities of their powers. current capabilities. For example, a character
that can lift objects with their powers and is
Category 4 could easily lift a car (CAT 3), but
Fact: 40% of exorcists do not survive would probably find it impossible to lift a
long enough to be rated category 3. skyscraper (CAT 7). Generally tasks that are
three or more categories higher than an
actor are impossible for them

• A roll is even required for a task, typically if

it’s three or more categories lower. For
example, an exorcist throwing a building at a
single mundane human probably wouldn’t
have to roll at all to crush them like an insect.

• a character can do something beyond

Mundane vs supernatural human capabilities, and to what extent

Anything mundane an exorcist does to try and These capabilities are usually listed out in short
harm or subdue a supernatural force such as a sin form in each power entry.
is hard by default. Their capabilities and
equipment are the general capabilities of a (well
trained) human, usually rated at CAT 0.

However, their supernatural powers are able to You’ll note this means exorcist’s
surpass this limit: an exorcists’s blasphemies basic mundane abilities and gear
increase in category with them. become totally ineffective against
sins of CAT 3+. This can be bypassed
with better gear (an exorcists
weapons can be upgraded, see pg. 84)
or a little creativity. Hitting a
sin with a mundane force is always
hard, but still possible. You could
hit a CAT 4 sin with a train for
18 example, and it would still hurt.
 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Many
Thousands of
People One A few Small group Large group A Crowd A huge crowd thousands of
people
people

Heavy
SIZE Human Size Large animal Vehicle Large vehicle Building Large building Skyscraper
Furniture

A whole
AREA Personal A few people Entire Room A few rooms Whole building A city block A whole town
neighborhood

DISTANCE
(0-2 Short) Across the A few blocks Over the
Touch Same Room Down the Block Across town Visual range
(3-4 Long) Street away horizon
(5+ Extreme)

Speed Average human Fast human Fast animal Car Train Maglev Airliner Jet Fighter

Magnitude Small Noticeable Large Very Large Massive Destructive Overwhelming Cataclysmic

Use CAT 0 when describing general human or mundane capabilities.

Well trained humans can sometimes reach CAT 1.
Higher CAT effects vs lower CAT targets are more effective and may not even require a roll if they are 3 or more lower.
Lower CAT effects vs higher CAT targets are less effective, more risky, or harder, and may be impossible if they are 3 or more higher.

IS IT CRUEL TO DAMN THE RIVER

THAT FLOODS IN THE RAINY SEASON
AND DROWNS THOUSANDS? -ADMIN

XXX0955
8:21am
As above, so below
19
 THE EXORCIST
Your exorcist is someone who has been born with Untrained, you have the potential for these powers
a high concentration of grace, a mysterious to run wild and develop into a sin. Therefore,
phenomena that allows humans to manifest perhaps unwillingly, you have come to the
psychic powers, drawing primarily from the well of attention of the intelligence and boarding services
dark, subconscious thoughts and emotions buried of CAIN, who have determined your potential as a
deep in the human psyche. weapon offsets the risk of keeping you alive and
has offered you employment, of a sort.
All humans innately have a small amount of grace,
but in your body, it suffuses your flesh like a potent This is your story.
toxin. Your high levels of grace have given you the
ability to both see sins and manifest
blasphemies, powerful psychic phenomena.

20
 8
3

1 9 11

10

2
12
4

13
7

Getting Started

Here’s a quick overview of what’s on the exorcist sheet. 1. Exorcist ID and personal details
You can find a printable version of the sheet at the very
end of this book, so grab it and follow along - it will 2. Execution Talisman
help when going through the next section. 3. Skills

Agendas and blasphemies are kept on their own 4. Health tracker (Injuries, Hooks, Afflictions)
separate page. You can find it with the above sheet.
5. Skill assessment card
You can print and use this sheet during play and mark it 6. Divine Agony/Pathos
with pencil, or alternately use note cards or post-its to
track your powers, afflictions, etc. 7. Advancement tracker

8. Category tracker

9. PSYCHE skill

10. Kit and kit points

11. Psyche burst

12. Sin and Sin Overflow

13. Sin Marks

21
 Part by Part SKILLS
Your exorcist is made up of three parts: Your skills give you dice when taking actions that
fall under their purview. Skills are rated from 0-3.
• your skills Characters will have at most two skills at level 3.

• your agenda • There are ten basic skills: Force,

Conditioning, Coordination, Covert,
• your blasphemies.
Interfacing, Surveillance,
Investigation, Authority, Negotiation,
Your general capabilities are rated by category and Connection
and tightly monitored by CAIN. You also have the
things you bring with you on a mission - your • There is one special skill, PSYCHE. This skill
tools, your flesh, and your psyche. goes up on its own, and governs the use of
your psychic powers. You only roll it when
• Your body has stress, injuries, and psyche using these powers.
burst.
A player can decide which skill to use when taking
• You might also have hooks or afflictions that an action. However, the Admin is free to tell
you pick up during a hunt. them if using that skill would be risky or hard, or
• You also may gain sin. Do not let it build up. not effective given the circumstances.

Finally, you have a standard kit of things you can You can apply only one skill at a time to an action,
bring with you on missions that you can tweak or but you probably have the choice of multiple skills
modify. for the same situation. For example:

That’s all you get. Let’s discuss each in detail. • you could open a door by forcing it open or
using your coordination to shoot the lock off,
using covert to pick it, or interfacing if the
lock is electronic

• getting through a dangerous area could be

conditioning (it’s on fire) or covert (it’s
occupied) depending on your approach

• looking up information on someone could be

investigation using town records, but could
also be connection if you are looking by
knocking on doors.

Using different skills or approaches slightly

changes the context, consequences, and
outcome of the action and may change whether
something is risky, hard, or even requires rolling.

Skill Descriptions

Here’s a brief, further description of each skill.

Think about each as a flexible category describing
your exorcists’ general capabilities rather than a
series of proscribed activities.

22
 FORCE CONDITIONING
Apply direct and close force or violence. Smash, fight,
cut, grapple. Get around on foot. Sprint, climb, swim,
balance.
Force is used when deploying strength, not only
melee combat, but also when breaking or smashing Conditioning is used with movement on
something, like a door or someone’s skull. It can foot, when your exorcist is showing off their
describe both trained, controlled approaches, and athleticism or training. If your exorcist is fast,
wild or violent approaches. If your exorcist is notable athletic, or agile, they probably have good
for their strength or skill in hand to combat, they conditioning. You might use it when:
probably have good Force. It’s typically direct and to
the point. You might use it when: • jumping over an electric fence
• climbing the side of a building
• tipping over a burning car
• outrunning the police
• expertly wielding a sword
• carrying a body while sprinting (but force
• tackling a fleeing creature to the ground
could also apply here)
• violently intimidating someone (but authority
might be a better fit)

COORDINATION COVERT
Use your hand-eye coordination. Shoot, throw, Move with stealth and act with sleight of hand.
catch. Sneak, lock pick, steal

Coordination is for performing tasks of Covert is used when doing something

manual skill and accuracy. Its primary use is silently or unseen, or undertaking activities
for firearms, but could also be used for usually associated with covert action, like
throwing and catching. If your exorcist is a pick pocketing or breaking locks. It’s not
good shot or is good with their hands, they particularly fast and can’t be done in a hurry.
probably have good coordination. You might If your exorcist is quiet, stealthy, or light on
use it when: their feet, they probably have good covert.
You might use it when:
• shooting a gun or a bow
• catching or throwing a vial of forbidden • avoiding the attention of a flesh eating
substance monster

• flicking a cigarette • lifting the keys off a security guard

• playing sports (but conditioning might also • carefully avoiding alerting the web of
work) fibrous nerve matter on the floor
• hacking into a computer (but interfacing is
probably better)

23
 INTERFACING INVESTIGATION
Examine something in detail, or uncover
Use, understand, build, or fix technology, information about it. Research, study, sleuth.
vehicles, or devices. Drive, hack, repair.
Investigation is the counterpart to
Interfacing is used when using technology or surveillance, but rather than a broad sweep,
vehicles. You use it when driving a car or when it concerns itself with detail, research, and
fixing or hot-wiring electronics. If your exorcist decoding the information present. If your
has an affinity with machines or computers, exorcist is erudite, knowledgeable, or well
they probably have good interfacing. You might educated, you probably have good
use it when: Investigation. You might use it when:
• decoding psychically engraved occult
• turning off an execution chair and releasing symbols
the electronic clamps on its occupant • determine the origins and properties of a
• not flipping a car while performing a u-turn mysterious slimy substance
at 50 mph • Calculating the trajectory of a bullet fired
• modifying a firearm to shoot phosphorous as a murder weapon based on blood
bursts spatters and skull fragments
• Searching for information on a computer • Figuring out the speed and direction of a
subnet (but investigation might also work) fleeing vehicle based on its tire tracks
(surveillance might also be a good fit)

SURVEILLANCE NEGOTIATION

Use your power of observation. Survey, track, spot. Rely on your words to influence others. Sway,
lie, bargain.
Surveillance is the skill used when taking stock of a
situation, tracking or tailing a target, or looking for Negotiation is your ability to sway others
hidden clues. It doesn’t necessarily provide additional based on your force of personality and charm
information about its target - for example you could alone, by making appeals to someone
find a file in a cluttered office with Surveillance, but receptive. It’s never forceful and not always
would likely need to use another skill to decode it. If applicable if someone isn’t already at least
your exorcist is observant, sharp, or artistic, you partly on your side. If your exorcist is
probably have good Surveillance. You might use it charming, sociable, or diplomatic, they
when: probably have good negotiation. You might use
it when:
• tracking a sin host through the freezing cold forest • talking down a hostage situation

• looking for safe exits from a burning building • bribing the chief of police with the smallest bribe
possible
• finding the location of a buried femur bone in the
rain-wet earth • convincingly posing as private security at a
secret society gala event
• tailing a man with a suspicious briefcase through
midday traffic (though covert might also apply • talking up a club host to get some juicy
here) information (though connection works too)

24
 AUTHORITY

Wield your leadership and force of will. Lead,

organize, order, intimidate.

Authority is the ability to both lead and

enforce your will on others. This could be
through professional demeanor, rank or force
of will. If your exorcist is professional,
composed, or intimidating, they probably have
good authority. You might use it when
PSYCHE
• leading a squad of cleanup troopers to Wield your supernatural powers.
clean out a tunnel of sin remnants
Psyche is a special skill that only increases with
• ordering humans to avert their gaze
your exorcist’s CAT (1/2 CAT, rounded up).
• intimidating a fleeing suspect into turning
around You use it when called for by your blasphemies, or
• talking someone down with a gun barrel for any creative use of your powers not covered by
pressed to your forehead (though the rules.
negotiation might also apply)
You can always use psyche for minor effects such
as:

• producing a faint light or aura around something

or someone
• producing minor force at a distance (like a gust of
CONNECTION wind)
• making electrical lights or appliances flicker
• warm or cool the surface of your body
Connect to others, and draw on those
connections. Intuit, empathize, network.

Connection is the understanding and use of the

ties that bring people together. It is used both
when calling on your own connections to other
people to call in favors and information, and
when understanding the connections and
emotions of others. If your exorcist is
empathetic, well connected, or good at figuring
people out, they probably have good
connection. You might it use when:

• intuiting someone’s, schedule, sleeping habits, or

emotional state from just a glance
• calling on someone to bail you out of jail
• figuring out how someone feels about a topic or
person
• looking up or locating someone’s contacts or
family (but investigation might also be a good fit)

25
 AGENDA BLASPHEMIES
Your agenda describes your character’s Your blasphemies are the psychic phenomena
motivations, role in the group, and way they that you have been blessed with (or cursed with,
approach the world. It has a couple roles: depending on your point of view).

• Your agenda allows you to gain experience. At Blasphemy manifestation is spontaneous and
the end of a session, you will check if you follows no real pattern other than tending to
followed the regular agenda items or any appear in late adolescence, but the phenomena
bolded agenda items, which are harder to that manifest can be broadly classified into a
fulfill, then gain experience based on the number of types. They are extremely powerful
answer. supernatural abilities that allow their users to
surpass human limits.
• Your agenda gives you a suite of abilities. You
can gain more abilities from your agenda by
spending experience These powers are created by a high concentration
of grace, an unknown force that causes a sinseed,
• Your agenda may give you a few ways to regain a tiny tumor like growth in the shape of a tiny
resources angel or devil like figure to manifest in the brain
(or rarely, the heart), theorized to be the source of
Between missions you can actually swap these powers.
agendas if you feel like a new agenda would fit
your character. This could be due an experience PSYCHE
within the mission, another character moment, or
just because you feel like your current agenda isn’t An exorcist’s general skill with their psychic
fitting your character. powers is rated by the special PSYCHE skill. This
is a special skill equal to half your total category,
• You can carry over abilities or bolded agenda rounded up (so a CAT 4 exorcist would have 2
items from your old agenda to your new PSYCHE). It does not increase any other way,
agenda. though you can still gain advantage dice on it
through aid, setup, etc.
• If you swap agendas again, you can keep
carrying over abilities gained from any source, Whenever you would do something that requires
though you can’t have more than five agenda rolling with your blasphemies, you roll PSYCHE.
abilities at any given time, and must choose This includes any creative use of your powers that
which to keep and which to discard. are not included in the rules text. The Admin is
free to adjudicate these uses as normal (deeming
Your agenda can also be modified mid hunt, them hard, risky, impossible, effective or
depending on mission parameters. The main way ineffective, etc).
for this to happen is through fighting sins, which
may add agenda items. The Admin is also free to
write new agenda elements and offer them as
rewards or for completing certain story beats.

Any modified or bolded part of your agenda

travels with you, even if you swap agendas in the
future.
AND
E B L ESSED R:
AY B MBE
YOU M W IT. REME
N O S
NOT K Y IS ALWAY OF
I T N S
TEMER T FOR SIG
A N A FE.
VIGIL YOU ARE S
.
GRACE
1. tm09
26
 PSYCHE BURST
Using blasphemies builds up residual energy in All exorcists have the following basic blasphemy:
your internal psychic sea, built of raw and
powerful emotion. Without outlets, this energy will
overflow and cause your power to grow wild.
Fortunately, you are a trained exorcist and can
control this power into a form called Psyche Burst. BLAST
Using any blasphemy power requires a psyche Spend a psyche burst and roll PSYCHE to
burst. Some can spend multiple for extra benefit. produce a weaponized form of concentrated
psychic energy in melee or short range. The
specific look and feel of this basic exorcist skill
• You can always spend a psyche burst to add
varies between exorcists. The strength of this
+1 advantage die to any roll (yours or an ally’s)
blast scales with CAT.
by using your blasphemies in a creative way.

• You always start a mission with three psyche When your exorcist produces a blast, they
bursts might:
• You can recover them by resting during a hunt
• Imbue a slash of a blade or a shot with a
(see pg. 38) or through the uses of abilities.
ranged weapon with psychic energy
• Shoot an invisible ball of force from their
fingers
• Fire scathing lightning
• Shoot a bead of ghostly, frigid fire.

Unlike your mundane service weapons, blast is a

supernatural weapon and therefore scales with
CAT and doesn’t become hard by default when
used against sins.

27
 EVERY TOOL A WEAPON, EVERY WEAPON A PROMISE

28
 THE TWELVE Category and Blasphemies
BLASPHEMIES Your exorcist is rated by category (1-5) and will
improve in category rating by simply surviving
When you create an exorcist, you’ll pick from one missions.
of the twelve blasphemies available, pick two
powers from that blasphemy and decide how you Category broadly represents your skill in both
first manifested your powers. You can see a list dealing and avoiding harm as well as increasing
of these on pg. 52. the speed, reach, and scale of your blasphemies.
When comparing an exorcist to an opponent, use
• Blasphemies all grant a passive ability and a their category when generally measuring the
number of other abilities that can be trained strength of their powers.
with experience.
There’s broad examples of category scaling on pg.
• When using your blasphemy to take action, you 18.
usually spend a psyche burst, then
immediately gain the blasphemy’s effects.
Sometimes you will roll and only spend a
psyche burst on success, and sometimes you
can spend multiple at once.
SIN
• Blasphemies often grant you advantage dice An exorcist is a limited being. The targets of their
hunts are not. An exorcist’s reserves of power are
Unlike your regular, human abilities, your limited unless they take time to recover their
blasphemy’s abilities also scale up with your strength - a luxury they may not have.
exorcist’s category, allowing you to perform
unbelievable feats of supernatural force. The There are ways to push beyond your limits.
specific way they scale up is listed in each Doing so is not sanctioned by CAIN but is
blasphemy. sometimes necessary during the course of a
mission.
Taking additional blasphemies
Instead of spending a psyche burst, you can gain
1d3 sin. This includes any use of psyche burst,
You start with one primary blasphemy, but can
such as spending psyche burst for +1D on rolls or
acquire extra blasphemies through training. Doing
using a psyche blast. If you’d spend multiple
so is extremely stressful and manifests additional
psyche bursts, roll all these d3s at the same time.
sinseeds, so it is closely monitored by CAIN.

Exceeding 10 sin at any point during a mission

You can spend an advance to gain a new
will put you into sin overflow - but only at the end
blasphemy instead of gaining a new blasphemy
of a scene. This means an exorcist can gain
power. You gain that blasphemy’s passive ability,
limitless sin and tap an incredible source of
gain one power from it and can gain additional
power if they are already over 10.
powers in that blasphemy moving forward.
However:
Sin is not reset per hunt, but is instead halved,
rounding up, after a mission is over (providing you
• reduce your cap for sin overflow by 1 per extra
survived).
blasphemy taken. You do this by crossing out a
sin box on your sheet

• Your xp cap for advances increases by +1 per

extra blasphemy taken

29
 Resist
Sin overflow A character that makes this choice must make a
If an exorcist would exceed their sin overflow resistance check.
limit, which is normally 10, they go into sin
overflow at the end of the scene. They lose • They must roll a d6, adding their number of sin
control of the psychic energies in their body, marks (see below). If they have no sin marks,
which start to run wild and begin their they automatically pass this test.
transformation into a new sin. A character in Sin
• If a character has no sin boxes left, they fail this
Overflow has two choices: give up or resist.
test.

Give Up • on a total result of 6 or less, they pass and can

keep control
A character that gives up effectively ceases to be a
• on a total result of 7 or higher, they fail and
player character and may work with the Admin to
must give up.
determine the Sin they become. They become an
antagonist and control is handed over to the • a result of ‘1’ on the die always passes.
Admin.
A character that keeps control clears all sin,
They make one final choice, which is to flee or permanently ticks off two sin boxes, and gains a
fight. Fighting immediately forces a conflict scene sin mark.
with an Imago (see page 148). The new Sin may
become a target of a later hunt, or a greater
antagonist.
Sin Marks
A sin mark is a physical manifestation of wild
If the group feels like it is a good time to break and
power overflow on your body, evidence of your
reassess the situation, CAIN may also call the
partial transformation into a sin. You can find a list
mission, ending it early. An emergence of a new
of sin marks, their effects, and their table, on pg.
Sin is a disaster that drastically changes the
86. A sin mark is a new, permanent part of your
parameters of the mission.
character. It grants new, beneficial power, and
grants you new abilities.
FACT: Exorcists with sin marks
have limited lifespans. They are
indelibly stained.

C CASTLE 3 of 4
30
 The Body 6 EXECUTION
You have a few more things that are (very)
be in a lot of pain.
important to track. An exorcist about to
slashes and take an
They will clear these
injury.
Fact: Taking care of your body is correlated with
high levels of mission success. Therefore CASTLE
encourages you to take advantage of facility If your talisman fills up, clear all slashes and take
health, recrea�on, and rehabilita�on services.
an injury. Any remaining stress ‘rolls over’ and fills
the talisman again.

Some stress is nonlethal. Nonlethal stress can

never fill your talisman up (it always leaves 1
Stress slash open, and you ignore any access).

It is inevitable that exorcists put themselves in Taking stress represents avoiding or mitigating
harm’s way during a mission - not only physical incoming harm. Taking injuries does not.
injury, but also exhaustion, fatigue, illness, or
mental strain. These kinds of challenges usually
would massively impair or incapacitate a regular
Injuries
human.
Injuries represent direct physical or mental harm
to your being, such as:
Fortunately, you are an exorcist and always take
harm by taking stress. When you would take
• a twisted ankle
mental or physical harm, you slash your
exorcists’s execution talisman with stress • a bleeding gunshot
instead.
• poison taking hold of your body
• 1 slash: Pain, strain, tiredness, suffering, minor • deep mental distress
injury
• exhaustion
• 2/3 slashes: Crippling or even fatal to most
humans, injury, exhaustion, bleeding,
Exorcists can fight and act normally through
deprivation, poison, etc.
taking an injury. Taking an injury clears all stress,
• 4+ slashes: Instantly and messily fatal to but then reduces your maximum stress by 1
humans while you have it. This stacks for each injury you
have.

Injuries have the following additional rules:

• You heal all injuries after a mission is over, and

always start missions with no injuries.
Your talisman starts with capacity for 6 slashes.
You always start every hunt without any slashes • You also heal one injury if you defy your fate
on the talisman, fresh and ready to go. instead of dying instantly (see below)

• If you gain 3 injuries, remaining stress does not

roll over and you are on the brink of death. If
you would mark any more stress, you will
suffer instant death.

31
 Instant Death Afflictions
An exorcist that marks any stress when on the Fighting a sin is mentally and physically taxing,
brink of death is killed instantly and can and often supernaturally corrupting. Many sin
describe in what manner to the Admin. abilities, including those that inflict hooks (see
below), inflict afflictions. An affliction is an
• Other abilities (from sins, etc) may also inflict ongoing, usually negative effect on your exorcist,
instant death. such as an infection or something more
supernatural, such as psychic trauma, corruption,
• If an exorcist would take 7 or more slashes on
or influence. Afflictions are permanent for the
stress from a single event, after reductions,
duration of the hunt once acquired, but can be
they also suffer instant death.
cleared after the mission is over.
• An exorcist that suffers instant death may defy
their fate and suffer sin overflow instead of Each sin has a list of unique afflictions it can
dying. Doing so heals one injury. inflict, or the admin can improvise based on
simple parameters.
Dead Exorcists
CAIN pays out for the cremation of dead exorcists
Hooks
and allows for a grievance period. Recovering the During your missions you will be forced to make
(even partial) remains of a dead exorcist grants hard choices or trade offs, or be exposed to
everyone 1 xp and 1 scrip per recovery after the situations or harm that will come back to bite you
mission is over. later (sometimes literally).

As complications or consequences of your

CASTLE

Fact: Instant death is quick and actions, the Admin can choose to give you a hook
preferable to most other forms of instead of immediately applying consequences. A
C expiration. hook is a very simple 3 slash talisman that starts
empty. You track them on your sheet.

You slash a hook under the following situations:

GRIEVANCE PERIOD NOT TO EXCEED
PERMISSABLE STANDARDS - ADMIN.
• the tension talisman fills out during a hunt
XXX0934 • When you roll a ‘1’ on the risk die.
10:34am
As above, so below • If you would gain that hook again

32
Whenever you would slash a hook a 3rd time They can only try for these bargains when they or
and fill it up, the Admin may ‘cash it in’ at any one of their allies is taking action, and it’s up to the
time to erase it and apply its consequences, which Admin whether to take them or not, and whether
are always worse than they would be up front. to modify the consequences or severity of the
hook. Either way, the terms of the bargain must be
When you create a hook, write it as its clear before rolling.
consequences, for example:

• an exorcist is fighting a sin, and takes a nasty

Kit
hit. The Admin decides to give them a hook
Exorcists are equipped with a standard issue
instead of filling up their stress, giving them a
CAIN-issued kit to bring on a mission. You deploy
‘festering wound’ hook.
with 5 kit points, which represent your capacity
• an exorcist decides to steal a key from a hotel and inventory of items. This is an abstract and you
owner, but rolls badly on the risk die. Rather don’t have to decide what you are bringing with
than apply consequences right away, the you when you embark on a mission - you can pull
Admin writes ‘wanted by police’ as a hook. something out from your listed kit items when it’s
needed, as long as you have points left.
• an exorcist decides to push themselves while
performing a seance. The Admin writes ‘pass You can spend the listed number of points to pull
out from exhaustion’ as a hook. out any of the following choices, at any time (each
choice gives you all items listed).
Additionally:
• 0: Standard issue uniform, collar, shoes, button
• a character’s own abilities can also give them pin.
hooks. • 1: Notebook and pen.
• hooks always inflict more severe • 1: Matchbook (20 matches). Clean
consequences than the alternative handkerchief.
• 2: Your service weapons: A CAT 0 firearm,
To deal with hooks, abide by the following rules: ammunition, and melee weapon. This can be
upgraded (see pg. 84)
• hooks reset after each mission, so a
character should start a mission with no hooks That’s all you get. However, you can expand what
is available to you in your kit by spending scrip,
• when an exorcist rests during a hunt, they can which you get from completing missions. Scrip
remove slashes on a hook (see pg. 38) must be spent between missions, and you can see
a list of items on pg. 78. These items are always
Bargaining available for you. Many of them are useful during a
mission. Many of them are not.
Characters are always free to suggest hooks to
the Admin as consequences for their own or Picking up items
another’s actions. They are even able to suggest
hooks as a payment or tradeoff for the following: You can pick up anything you can find during a
mission and use it with no issues (mark KP as
• +1D advantage usual). However, you cannot keep it between
missions.
• make an action less hard or risky

• use a free psyche burst as part of the action

MOVING ON
• Slash a talisman an extra time ake an
ahead and m
You can skip n g on pg.
now, starti
exorcist right e w orth first
ow ev er, it might b
44. H les in the
in g th ro u g h the hunt ru
read u can
ion so that yo
following sect u r choices.
e m o re co n text for yo
hav
is up to you. 33
The decision
 to rest to recover their strength.
THE HUNT 5. While exorcists are investigating and
tracking the sin, the situation continues to
This game is played as a series of hunts. Each evolve. This is tracked by the Admin with the
hunt may take one or more sessions. tension talisman and a pressure talisman.
The tension talisman ticks up as exorcists take
Activities pursued during a hunt might require a action and introduces new complications or
single roll or might require a talisman to track consequences. The pressure talisman ticks up
progress. they might take a single scene or roll or whenever the tension talisman fills up and
might take a couple scenes - it’s up to the represents the overall degrading situation. If
approach the exorcists take and the judgement of the pressure talisman fills up completely, the
the Admin. situation goes out of control and things get
much worse, so the exorcists are on a timer.
Hunts have the following basic format: 6. During a hunt, the players might get into
conflict scenes when the stakes get high. If
1. Exorcists have a briefing about the they fight a sin outside its palace, it may always
upcoming hunt. retreat there to recuperate. Once inside a sin’s
palace, the exorcists can summon it back there
2. Exorcists arrive on the scene. They always
to cause an execution scene where the sin
arrive in good shape: full stress, no injuries,
may be permanently destroyed or dealt with.
no hooks, 3 psyche bursts, max kit points.
Essentially, each mission is a ‘reset’ for them. 7. Exfiltration: The exorcists leave the scene. If
The only thing that carries over for them is the exorcists survive, they are paid in scrip and
agendas, sin level, sin marks, and their own mark a mission survived. They then halve all
abilities, experience, and scrip. sin.
3. The goal of every hunt is to track down a
sin’s refuge - it’s palace - where it can be At the end of every session, exorcists will get
permanently destroyed. experience based on their activities and agendas.

4. However, exorcists may want to reach their

goal with all the advantages they can get. By
investigating the circumstances of the sin’s
birth - it’s traumas, they may be able to
weaken it. They may want to prepare to give
themselves advantages. Lastly, they may need
34
 1. Briefing • Second, CAIN is a clandestine organization. It
never starts with the cooperation of local
authorities, who exorcists must work around,
The hunt always starts with a briefing. These suppress, control, or avoid, lest they reveal the
nominally should take place in some kind of true nature of their activities.
comfortable or formal location. CAIN has
• Third, and finally, the exorcists deploy only
sanctioned office facilities all over the world but
with what is in their kit .
exorcists are encouraged to improvise for the sake
of expediency and exorcists have been known to
take briefings in train cars, private cafe booths, or
even fast food restaurants. A briefiing scene never
increases tension (see pg. 38)

The person giving the briefing goes over the broad

details of the case, the location, and the points of
interest. This person doesn’t necessarily have to
be an NPC but could be a player character going
over materials received from CAIN. Due to the Points of Interest
rapid, secretive, and extremely time sensitive
nature of their activities, exorcists are faced with The Admin should lay out all the points of
multiple problems: interest for the investigation area. These are
locations, details, and people involved in the
• First, the only thing exorcists know about the investigation. The Admin may choose to keep
sin is its basic type and its trauma questions, some of these secret but should present at least 2-
(the first page of each sin entry). They also 3 to the exorcists at the start. These are typically
know basic information about the inciting things that kicked off the investigation in the first
incident that prompted their appearance, such place - hooks like a murder scene, a sighting of
as clues or characters involved. The rest of the something supernatural, a suspicious individual, or
Sin sheet, including its powers, history, and a mysterious disappearance. For more details on
abilities, is unrevealed. this see running CAIN on pg. 94.

35
 2. Arrival there when injured there to heal and recuperate -
it is impossible to slay it permanently outside. If
slain outside, the Sin retreats into its palace and
After the briefing, the exorcists arrive on the regenerates, and is trapped there until pressure
scene. It is traditional for them to arrive in CAIN increases.
black helicopters or armored cars but public
transit can also make an appearance. If a Sin is fought inside of its palace, however, it
can be fully destroyed and has nowhere to retreat
Exorcists that arrive have a ‘full refresh’ of sorts. to. This forces an execution scene.
They always start with full stress, no injuries, no
hooks, 3 psyche bursts, and all their kit points Exorcists that enter a sin’s palace can forcibly
summon it there if it is outside. All exorcists are
The only burden an exorcist carries from mission able to use the Nail of Abel, a psychic pulse that
to mission is their current level of sin (after halving forces a Sin back into its palace. To use it,
at mission end). however, they need one of the following:

• The physical presence of the Sin’s host

3. Tracking • An object or person precious to the Sin’s host

All sins create a warped pocket reality called a • A part of the Sin’s hosts’ body, even deceased.
palace, a kind of lair where the world has twisted
to accommodate it. Tracking the Sin down to its
palace, and tracking down the sin’s host, is one of Otherwise, brave exorcists can confront and fight
the main purposes of the exorcists’ mission. A a sin outside of its palace and force it there.
palace is always nearby where the Sin is most Exorcists that successfully track down a sin’s
active, and is always inside the investigation palace may not want to rush off to fight it however,
area. as unprepared exorcists are usually dead
exorcists.
Exorcists that track a sin might:

• use their supernatural abilities to sniff out its

traces and taint

• try to search for evidence of its palace in the

environment

• follow clues based on its victims

• pull on social connections that its host has

• track down its host, and whatever state they

are in

A palace is a parasitic extra-dimensional space

and its inside may not conform to the rules of
mundane reality. Its entrance can be invisible to
mundane humans, and is often hidden in plain
sight. Its appearance inside often reflects the
psyche of the sin and its host.

Tracking a sin’s palace down is important, since if

fought outside of its palace, a Sin may slip away

36
 4a. Then, roll 1d3. Reduce any stress sufffered by all
targets by the amount on the die, and the sin
immediately takes that many slashes on its
Investigation execution clock from the psychic trauma, which
cannot reduce it below 1.
Aside from tracking the sin, exorcists may want to
Exorcists that counter a sin’s reaction may:
take time to gather information. The main purpose
of this is to investigate the sin’s capabilities or its
traumas. • Make appeals to its humanity

• Throw it off guard with sensitive information

Investigating may take only a few rolls to make
progress, but depending on the exorcist’s • Enrage or distract it
approach, the goal of the exorcist’s activities, and
• Reveal a weakness
the complexity of gathering information, the
Admin can set out a talisman to roll on.
Each question can only be used once!
Exorcists that investigate might

• examine the sin’s victims 4b.

Preparation
• observe or attempt to communicate with the
sin
• examine crime scenes or traces of the sin
• gather information from witnesses or contacts Exorcists may want to make preparations to
confront the sin or constructing defenses against
• perform occult rituals or research its domains.

Traumas Exorcists can either prepare countermeasures

against sin’s powers, work on assets to help them
All Sins have traumas, events that have fight or track down the sin, or they can work on
precipitated their birth from their host. When any other projects that will take time to prepare.
making a Sin, the Admin answers the sin’s trauma
questions and establishes traumas based on the For example:
answers. In essence, traumas are at the center of
the human tragedy that forms the core of hunts. • writing talismans to counteract against a Sin’s
power
Exorcists start a hunt knowing the sin’s type, and
therefore its trauma questions (but not the • preparing a trap
answers).
• crafting improvised explosives

Countering • trying to convince civilians to leave the area

• drawing a protective circle around a character

If they are able to investigate and uncover traumas
by discovering their answers, when exorcists fight • locating a working car
the sin in an execution scene and the sin reacts to
their actions, they can use each answer to In some cases, preparing may only take a single
counter a sin’s reaction. action roll, but for more lengthy or ambitious
projects, the Admin should set out a talisman to
Exorcists can use a counter after seeing the result roll on.
of the risk die but before the GM announces a
reaction.

37
 4c. Rest
Exorcists that rest are recovering and letting time
pass.

The exorcists must decide to rest as a group. If

they do, pressure always increases by 1.

Each exorcist rolls 2d3, then takes each die and

assigns it to an item from the following list. They
are able to make the same choice twice.

• Regain that many psyche bursts

• Recover stress equal to the d3

• Erase slashes on a hook equal to the d3

Resting also ends the effects of some powers and C CASTLE

abilities, or resets others.

38
 5a. Tension 5b. Pressure
At the start of the hunt, the Admin will set out a Each sin has a unique way that it affects or warps
tension talisman, visible to everyone. Tension the world around it. This effect gets worse and
increases when: worse the longer time goes on.

• A scene passes At the start of a hunt, the Admin will set out a
pressure talisman, visible to everyone, with a
• A 1 result is rolled on a risk die, but no more capacity of 6. As the talisman fills up, the
than once a scene. situation degrades, in a way unique to each sin.

Not all exorcist activities can take a scene - some Pressure increases by 1 when exorcists rest, and
can be rolled in the background of other scenes, when the tension talisman fills up.
like preparation activities. If a scene is especially
short, the Admin might not count it.
The sin’s execution talisman increass by 1 for
each tick on pressure. Additionally, if the
However, the general rule is whenever a scene pressure talisman fills up completely and would
passes, tension is ticked up. Each time the be notched further, the situation gets out of
tension talisman goes to 3 slashes, empty it. control. The effects of this are noted in each sin’s
Then the Admin increases the pressure talisman pressure description.
(see below) by 1 and picks a tension move to
activate.
3 TENSION
Tension moves often improve a Sin’s position,
impede or harm the exorcists, or have some other
deleterious effect on the world (see pg 104 for a
list of them).
6 PRESSURE
Tension never increases during a conflict scene
(see pg 42) or a briefing scene (see pg 36).

the early bird gets the worm

the late worm gets the bird 39
 6. Execution
Each sin has an execution talisman. Broadly
speaking, the execution talisman determines how
the Sin functions in a conflict scene. It also gives
the exorcists a talisman to roll against when going
up against the Sin in a conflict situation. It’s the
lifeblood of the sin - when exorcists attack or
otherwise attempt to take action to harm or
defeat the Sin, it’s this talisman that fills up. The
talisman is equal to 6 + pressure + its category

The following rules apply when fighting a Sin:

• Fighting a sin in a conflict scene is always

risky by default.

• Sins react differently to the exorcist’s actions

based on the risk roll. They may lash out,
create a threat or obstacle, or initiate a
dangerous attack. There is a list of reactions for
the Admin to improvise on each sin sheet.

• Exorcists can invoke one of the sin’s traumas to

counter a reaction, reducing the stress it
inflicts and directly dealing damage to a sin

• If fought outside its palace, a Sin is shunted

back to its palace when it takes 4 slashes or
it’s reduced to 0, and cannot leave until
pressure increases. It heals either when
confronted, or when pressure increases,
regaining 1d3 notches on its talisman, or 2d3 if
it has 0 slashes remaining.

• If a sin is fought inside its palace, it cannot

flee, and must fight in an execution scene until
its defeat.

When the talisman is filled up completely in an

execution scene, the Sin is at the mercy of the
exorcists. They have a choice: to Execute or Fail.

Though sins usually dissipate

instantly on execution, some do

! not and may plead for mercy,

shelter, or abeyance.

40
 EXECUTE When this happens, the host may (bit by bit, part
by part) regain control.
The execution is complete; divine judgement has
been passed, the world was returned to an inert In such a case, the execution is still deemed a
state. failure, but since there is no Sin detected by Cain
in the area, there is no reason to order
Executing a sin makes the mission a success and expurgation. The exorcists are recalled and paid 3
pays out 5 scrip to each exorcist. Executing a sin scrip for hazard pay. They are then debriefed,
is usually not immediately fatal for a living host, questioned, then sent to their next assignment.
but is extremely traumatic, and the host is nearly
always taken under custody of CAIN for Sparing a sin is a judgement call. Can you afford to
monitoring, rehabilitation, or possible recruitment. risk the spread of the stain? Is the mercy in your
heart a weakness?

Fact: In around 20% of cases, those that

THE GOOD HUNTER LOVES NOTHING.
have hosted a sin are executed anyway due
to manifesting sin marks and losing control.
XXX0357
The rest, if not recruited, usually live in
11:52am
CAIN custody for long periods, sometimes the
As above, so below
rest of their lives*.

C Ref manual 0098 pg 67

FAIL
7. Exfiltration
The execution was a failure; the stain was not
wiped away. Hunters are exfiltrated from the area, usually in
CAIN black helicopters, then brought back to the
Failing an execution by perishing as a group, nearest CAIN post or carrier vessel for debriefing.
fleeing the investigation, or refusing to execute a
vulnerable sin, immediately ends the hunt. CAIN • If the execution was successful they are each
will call in total expurgation of the area via orbital paid 5 scrip. If the execution was a failure they
rail drop to prevent a sin event, and advise the are docked 1 scrip. If the sin was spared, they
exorcists to exfiltrate (if they are alive). Surviving gain 3 scrip
exorcists will be appropriately disciplined and also
• They gain 1 xp and 1 scrip for each dead
docked 1 scrip. Necessary coverup, casualties,
exorcist they recover.
and cleanup will be extensive.
• They halve all sin.
Unless.
• They can mark a mission survived and
potentially rank up in category
If at least one trauma question has been
answered and unveiled to the Sin…
They are then allowed a period of rest before they
proceed to their next mission.
SPARE

it is rumored (in hushed whispers) a Sin may be

spared and brought back from the brink, crushed Until n
under the weight of its own contradictions, and
forced to recede back into the psyche.
he
t pedsta i
is w i .
away
41
 Pain will define their death
Hunt those who run

Conflict • Tension never increases during a conflict

scene, and tension doesn’t increase due to a
conflict scene passing.
Scenes 1. Establish stakes
The rules so far have been about freeform play. If
the group feels like a situation calls for even more At the start of a conflict scene, both sides
structured play, they can use the conflict rules. establish what they want out of the conflict.
These rules are for playing out scenes that are Sometime this is very simple (I want to escape, I
exactly as they sound - a conflict scene, usually want you to listen to me, I want you dead). These
with two or more sides, such as a battle. are the stakes of the scene. If the opposite side is
willing to budge on the stakes, then there probably
isn't a conflict - or find out new stakes. You can
Conflicts are usually violent, but don’t necessarily
use them as a good guide to how each side should
have to be rely on violence - depending on context
act, and also as to when the scene should end or
they could also be used to play out a chase, a
one side should give up.
stealth sequence, a friendly contest, or a trial.

Conflict scenes have slightly different rules to 2. Establish the scene and set out
regular, freeform play: talismans.

• A conflict scene can be started when the Where are the characters? Where are their
stakes of the scene are high and there are opponents? What is the location and what
two or more sides in opposition. resources are available?

• Conflict scenes are always risky by default. Also set out any talismans you expect to use
Otherwise, they wouldn’t be conflict scenes! during the scene.

42
These talismans should represent important tasks, • Flee: Get out of the conflict scene. The Admin
goals, or parameters for the scene. For a fight with might require a talisman for this if it’s hard to
a Sin, you usually use the Execution talisman, for leave. Once out, a character is out for the rest
example. If you’re just trying to escape it, however, of the scene but is considered safe.
you might use an ‘escape’ talisman representing
your ability to get away. You might set out 4. Characters Act
talismans representing obstacles, opponents, or
time limits.
Characters can act one at a time, in any order.
Characters that are performing teamwork or
3. Players choose actions defending another character don’t trigger a risk
roll from an opponent. Any other action does,
The player characters (the exorcists) always act including those that don’t normally make that roll,
first in a conflict scene. When a player acts, they unless someone has specifically set up that action
can choose one of the following courses of action. to be less risky. When all player characters have
The actions are descriptive, not proscriptive. taken their action, a round passes.
Characters should generally think about what they
want to do in a scene, then try and think about Some effects from abilities rely on rounds and the
what action their activities fall under. Admin might set a round time limit in order to
keep things concise.
• Act: Take direct action against one of the
goals, talismans, or obstacles in a fight. In very
simple terms, this could just be fighting your 5. Opponents React
opponent. It could also be driving a car,
launching a verbal assault, neutralizing poison, Instead of taking their own actions, NPCs or
healing a dying person, or sneaking in through obstacles the Admin controls in the scene will use
a vent. the risk die to inform their reactions. Each time a
player takes an action, such as attack, analyze, or
• Defend: Prepare to defend an ally. Choose an
set up, the Admin uses the risk die and reacts.
ally. The next time that ally takes
These reactions can often be found as a list of
consequences while you are defending them,
roll 1d6. On a 1-3, you reduce stress suffered by suggestions, such as on a sin’s sheet. The Admin
them by 1, but also take 1 stress. On a 4/5 you can only take one reaction at once it they have
don’t take stress, and on a 6 reduce stress multiple to choose from or multiple opponents are
suffered by your target by 2 instead. This effect present.
does not stack from multiple defenders.
These reactions often inflict stress on the
• Set Up or Teamwork: Perform teamwork with
exorcists, change the stakes of the situation with a
an ally in another action, or take a set up
action. These are identical to the activities complication, or threaten them with worse
described on pg. 15-16. consequences. The Admin is always free to not
use a proscribed reaction, but instead to improvise
• Analyze: Gather information during the scene. an outcome as normal based on the die result,
This can progress a talisman, create a new fiction, and circumstances.
talisman, or reveal the capabilities of
opponents. Analyze can be used to change the
parameters of the scene or create an opening Concluding a conflict scene
or opportunity, like a new route in a chase, or a
gap in an opponent’s fighting style. This is a Play continues until one side has accomplished
more permanent change than a set up action their goals or settled the stakes, or other
and is typically more powerful. Talismans parameters such as a time limit have been
created by Analyze can grant advantage dice, reached.
make a situation less hard, or make it less risky.

43
 Making an You can share the answers to these questions with
the group if you like.

Exorcist Name your exorcist now or later if you like and

decide on a look for them. Write down your
exorcist’s internal id number and fill out details.
To make an exorcist, grab an exorcist sheet and a
piece of paper. Answer the following questions,
then write them on the paper and give them to the Then, in order:
Admin (or via message, if playing digitally):
• Set all your skills at 1. Then, increase two
• How did you first manifest your powers? skills to 2, and reduce three skills to 0.

• Is your sin-seed in your brain or in your heart? • Pick an agenda and one ability from that
agenda.
• What do you hide in the deepest parts of you?
• Pick a blasphemy and two powers from that
• Is your hand your hand? blasphemy
• Do you remember the face of your mother?
You’re done and ready to embark on your first
hunt.

44
 Increasing in power Survival

Your exorcist increases in power two ways: by If you survive enough missions, you qualify for an
gaining and spending experience, and by advance in category rating. You only needed to
surviving missions. have participated in a mission and survived - the
experience and training from fieldwork is usually
enough to hone your powers. Each category rating
Experience requires a number of total missions survived.

You earn experience at the end of a session by • Category 2: 1 mission survived.

answering the checklist questions on your sheet.
At the end of a session, exorcists gain experience. • Category 3: 2 total missions survived.
Go down the checklist and for every ‘yes’ answer,
gain 1 xp. • Category 4: 4 total missions survived.

• Category 5: 7 total missions survived.

• Did you survive?

• Did you follow your first agenda item? Increasing in category ups the general capabilities
of your powers.
• Did you follow at least one bolded agenda
item?

• Did you take an injury or affliction?

When an exorcists’s experience bar is full (4

segments) they can empty it and cash it out for an
advance.

Some hunts may take more or less sessions -

meaning exorcists may have more or less
opportunities to earn experience during each hunt.

Advances
Any time your experience bar is full (4 segments),
you cash it out for an advance. You can bank
these advances and spend an advance after a
session in the following ways:

• Gain a new agenda ability

• Gain a new blasphemy power or a new

blasphemy.

• Evolve a sin mark and roll for a new ability for

that sin mark. On duplicate, choose.

• Gain 3 scrip

• Improve a skill by 1. You can do this six times,

total, and have only two skills at 3 maximum.

45
 AGENDAS You are able to swap agendas between missions
if you feel like your old agenda no longer fits your
character. Swapping agendas carries over any
Pick an agenda when creating your exorcist, then bolded agenda items and abilities, though doesn’t
pick an ability from that agenda. You can gain a automatically grant you a new ability. You can then
new ability from your active agenda by spending take abilities from your new agenda as normal -
an advance. although you can’t have more than five abilities
total from any agenda (you can swap them out if
Agendas have two agenda items, normal and you feel like replacing one when you spend an
bolded. If you fulfill your normal agenda item, at
advance to gain a new ability).
the end of a session, you get 1 xp. If you fulfill at
least one of your bolded items, you also get 1 xp.
Often these require a different approach than your Agendas broadly describe your character’s
agenda would otherwise encourage. approach to problems rather than being
descriptive of your character as a whole.

BE AS T DOOME D
► Demonstrate your humanity
► Get into a fight
► Demonstrate your distance from humanity
► Hold Back

► Xenoflesh: Discard ‘1’s rolled for

► Insects!!!: You have +1D when inflicting
gaining Sin.
harm or violence against human opponents.
► Humanity’s Last Breath: Pick a sin mark
► I’ll take you down with me: Regain 1d3
you have. Evolve that Sin mark. It no
psyche burst when you take an injury, fill
longer modifies resistance rolls.
out a hook, or take affliction.
► Quickening: When you gain 2 or more Sin
► Rule of Nature: When you inflict violence
as part of an action, your action also
with an action, if you roll two or more 6s,
gains +1D
the action inflicts 1 more slash on any
► Sympathetic Mutation: You may take 1d3
talismans and you regain 1 psyche burst.
sin to grant an ally the benefits of any sin
► Red Muscle: You can take 2 nonlethal
mark ability you have for one scene. Their
stress to gain +1D on any violent or
body is infected by a lesser version of it
forceful roll.
that dissipates when the scene is over.
► Bare Teeth: While you have two or more
► Metamorphosis: Between missions or when
injuries or afflictions, it is not longer
resting, you can gain 1 sin to re-roll the
hard to use mundane capabilities against
ability of one of your sin marks. If you
supernatural forces and your human physical
roll an ability you already have, choose
abilities are at 1/2 CAT instead of CAT 0.
one instead.

agenda if you
You may only pick this
your first
have a sin mark. If it's
with a sin mark of
agenda, you may start
1d6 for
your choice (still roll
ability).

46
 FIRE B UG
► Solve Problems Creatively
► Take the simple solution

► Jack!: At the start of a mission, choose a skill

you have at 0. You can improve it to 1 for the
duration of this mission only.
► Always a way: If there isn’t an entrance or exit
into a place, you can find one. You can always get LON E R
through, but (Admin picks one): it’s dangerous or
risky, it’ll only fit one person, you’ll have to
leave something or someone behind. ► Demonstrate your superior skill

► Oilfinger: You start a mission with 1d3+1 extra ► Let the mask slip

Kit Points.
► Extra Parts: You can mark 1 KP for +1D on any
roll that involves fixing, crafting, breaking, or ► Dust to Dust: Stress no longer rolls
modifying devices or machines. over when you take an injury (excess is
► Weak Spot: When an ally performs violent or lost).
forceful action, you can grant them +1D on their ► Silent Strike: Gain +1D on forceful
action, and +1 slash on any talismans on success. actions taken against targets who are
You have one use of this ability, which resets when unaware of your presence.
you rest, and a roll can only benefit from this once. ► I’ll do it myself: Once a scene,
when someone fails a roll, you can step
in to help them, as long as you are
able. You gain 1d3+1 nonlethal stress,
but roll 1D and add it to the total

GUARDIAN
roll, which could cause it to succeed.
► Rook: When you successfully set up
an ally, you can take 1 nonlethal
stress to set up another ally of your
choice with the same action.
► Protect your people ► It’s Nothing: You can ignore taking
► Leave nobody behind an injury by saying ‘It’s Nothing’.
Gain a hook ‘It’s Nothing’. This hook
► Iron Wall: When you defend someone close to fills up any time you say ‘It’s Nothing’
you in a conflict scene, you can choose to as well as the normal ways (taking this
divert any consequences taken by your target hook again, time passing, rolling a
on to you instead of its usual effects. The ‘1’). Segments on the hook can’t be
second time or more you use this in the same erased in any way. When the hook fills
scene, you take 1d3 nonlethal stress first. out, you collapse and suffer instant
► The Excessive Agony of Moving Forward: death, which you cannot ignore. If you
Erase 1 stress when the hour passes if you end a mission with this hook, you gain
have more than 3. a permanent cosmetic scar.
► Castle: When any ally takes an injury, you
erase 1 stress and gain +1D on your next
action.
► Centerweight: When resting, allies that
spend resting dice can set the results of
their dice to yours instead.
分
► Painkiller: Your maximum stress is no 解
longer reduced by taking injuries.

47
 HARDLINE

► Follow Orders
MACHINE
► Disobey Orders

► Black Suit: Gain +1D on actions to lead, ► Put the work before your own needs
intimidate, or give orders to mundane ► Take a break
humans.
► Mea Culpa: The first time in a hunt you
take an injury or an affliction, relieve
1d3+1 sin. ► The Work: You can choose to gain +1D
► Eliminate the Stain: Gain +1D on all on any roll. If you do, take 1 stress for
actions against sins that have half or less each time you’ve used this ability this
of their execution clock remaining. mission (including this one). You can’t
► Single Minded: You can only be affected use this ability for the remainder of the
by one affliction maximum (you can choose hunt if you rest.
which to discard and keep). ► Brain Burst: When investigating or
► By the Book: Once a hunt, when you researching something, you can take 1
witness or find evidence of a sin’s Domain, nonlethal stress to re-roll one die on
you can force the Admin to show you the your action roll. The re-roll is final.
exact rules text of that Domain. ► Second Wind: The first time pressure
fills up over half, relieve all stress.
► Overtime: You can gain +1D on all
actions to investigate, analyze, or
gather information for the duration of a
scene, but you lose the use of this
ability and all other activities are hard
until you rest.
► Neat Little Universe: Twice a hunt,
you can tick any talisman on your sheet
or an ally’s up or down by 1.

an only
A c h a racter c
◄ if
s agenda
take thi n d truly
e y a r e well a
t h s
u get it
dead. Yo e .
for fre
ability

48
 ► Uncover hidden or uncomfortable
truths about the world.

E
► Uncover hidden or uncomfortable
truths about yourself.

RAN C
► Psyche Jewel: When you or an ally answers
a Sin’s trauma question, regain 1 psyche
TEMPE
burst, recover 1 sin, and erase 1 stress.
► Alienation: Your sin overflow cap increases ► Put people before the mission

by +3 ► Harm someone intentionally

► Rapture: You erase 1 stress when you gain

an affliction, injury, or hook.
► Larval: If you end a mission at 7 or ► Healer: When you rest, gain an extra
higher sin, gain 1 xp. If you suffer sin resting die. This die can only be spent
overflow, gain 1 xp by an ally.
► Unveil: You can ask the Admin about a ► Focused: You can use a blasphemy that
character present ‘What is this person affects only you or your allies without
afraid of?’. Gain +1D when you act on the spending psyche burst, and it gains +1
answers for the rest of the scene, then lose CAT. Then lose the use of this ability
the use of this ability until you rest. until you rest.
► Savior Complex: Gain +1D on actions to
directly prevent or avoid harm to humans

H
► Care: Twice a hunt, you can roll and

T ORC apply a resting die to yourself or

another nearby ally without resting.
► Gentleness: For one scene, you may
take 1 less stress when you take stress.
This ability breaks if you take any
forceful or harmful action. Then lose the
use of this ability until you rest.
e front
► Lead from th
take the lead
► Let another
0d for
Th ro we r: When you roll
Wi nd
They are us
► Joy Luck rd.
ti on , it’s never ha conflict
an y ac
Yo ur fir st action in a
d: slash on
► Hot Bloode cts +1 more
en e ga in s +1D and infli
sc
s. y gain
any talisman hunt, you ma
Fo nt of Po wer: Once a t yo u over
► could pu
3 ps yc he bu rsts, which u ca n no
1d st, yo
ma xi mu m. Until you re li es can
yo ur , but al
ng er sp en d psyche bursts r ow n.
lo as thei
yche bursts u can
spend your ps en d of a session, yo
At th e
► Recollect: r did that
th in g an ot her characte
describe some session, and
give
pr es se d yo u during that ca n on ly gain
im . Characters
te r 1 xp
that charac by this abil
ity
is xp on ce if targeted
th
s.
multiple time can make a
ri ve : On ce a hunt, you or an ally
► St y action you
ol l of an
complete re -r as final.
ta ki ng th e second result 49
just took,
 S HADOW e r e r
► Outshine your rival
Sorc
► Let your rival outshine you

► Demonstrate flashy displays of power

► Catch Up: If your rival has less stress
► Invite catastrophe
than you when pressure increases, erase 1
stress. If they have more psyche bursts,
regain 1 psyche burst. ► Perfect Technique: Pick a blasphemy.
► Synchronize: When you set up your rival, Once a hunt, you can increase the CAT of
you take 1 nonlethal stress and +1D on on the that blasphemy by +1 temporarily for an
action to set up. entire scene, or for two rounds if it’s a
► You Can’t Die Now: If your rival would conflict scene.
take an injury or suffer instant death, you ► Cantrip: Pick a blasphemy ability. You
can take 2d3 stress to allow them to ignore can use it three times a hunt without
it (if at max stress, they go to 1 stress spending a psyche burst, but all parameters
under maximum) Then, lose the use of this are at a max of CAT 0 if used this way.
ability until you rest. ► Finishing Move: Pick a blasphemy power.
► Shadow Seed: Choose a blasphemy power your You can increase the dice and CAT of that
rival has. You can use that power this hunt, power by +1 the next time you use it, but
but only at max CAT 0. you then cannot use any blasphemies again
► Pincer Technique: When you participate in and all actions are hard. Both these effects
teamwork with your rival, you take 1 end when you rest.
nonlethal stress, but can also re-roll one of ► Mimic technique: Pick a power from any
the dice once, taking the second result as Blasphemy, without having taken that
final. blasphemy. It doesn’t change your xp or sin
pick
enda, overflow caps.
k t h is ag rival
ic your
you p to be ► Weave: When you use a blasphemy, you may
When r
ara c t e to be
er ch have increase the CAT of the next blasphemy used
anoth o esn’t n.
n g d issio
feeli f a m by an ally by +1, and grant it +1D on any
(the e s t art o l
th iva
l) at ave r rolls. Then lose the use of this ability
mutua you h ou
l o n g as a g e n da, y
As
m this . until you rest.
ties
f r o al s
i
abili r riv
e w h o you
choos
must

taken, a
◄ Once ly swap
r can on
characte da by
► Survive his agen
out of t nces.
two adva
: +1 spending for
► Will to Live ability
. 1 in 6 Get its
max stre ss
ig no ri ng free.
chance of
oll
instant death (r
1d6)

50
 B I RD
SONG
MY
► Get someone to do your bidding
► Do something selfless

► Codependency: When someone sets you up,

you can trade 1 stress around (from you to
them, or vice versa).
► Spiral: You can always tell if someone
is lying to you, though not the nature of
the lie.
► Strings: When you rest with a consenting
partner, you can spend quality time with
them (the nature of which is up to them).
If they choose to do so, you both add +1 to
all your resting results. However, until
you next rest, you can force them to
participate in teamwork with you or set you
up once.
► White Fiber: You can take 2 nonlethal
stress to gain +1D on any roll to lie or
manipulate someone. This stress cannot
inflict an injury on you.
► Fascination: You can declare your
fascination with another character in the
group at the start of any hunt. When that
character rolls a 6 on risk, you lose 1
stress. When they roll a 1, you gain 1
nonlethal stress.

51
 BLASPHEMIES BLAST
Blasphemies are the psychic manifestations of a Spend a psyche burst and roll PSYCHE to
person’s inner turmoil, honed to a razor’s edge. produce a weaponized form of concentrated
Only those with sinseeds, blessed by grace, are psychic energy in melee or short range. The
capable of manifesting them. They draw on a specific look and feel of this basic exorcist skill
wielder’s subconscious, the roiling emotional sea varies between exorcists. The strength of this
underneath the facade of humanity. Therefore, blast scales with CAT.
only those touched by darkness or turmoil are able
to truly wield their full potential. • When your exorcist produces a blast, they
might:
When making your exorcist, pick a blasphemy,
• Imbue a slash of a blade or a shot with a
then pick two powers.
ranged weapon with psychic energy
Your blasphemy can be used in the following • Shoot an invisible ball of force from their
ways: fingers
• Fire scathing lightning
• You gain a passive benefit from (most) • Shoot a bead of ghostly, frigid fire.
blasphemies simply for having them
Unlike your mundane service weapons, blast is a
• You can use your blasphemy creatively any
supernatural weapon and therefore doesn’t
time by activating a psyche burst to give +1D
become hard by default when used against sins.
on a roll, as long as your blasphemy power
would help that roll.

• You can spend a psyche burst to activate a

specific power you have acquired from a
blasphemy
The Twelve
• Some powers require you to roll PSYCHE. You
can also roll PSYCHE when you want to use a Blasphemies have been categorized into twelve
power in a creative way but are unsure of the typical types by TEMERITY researchers. The look
outcome. Roll dice equal to half your CAT, and feel of each blasphemy might vary widely
rounded up (so 1 die for CAT 1/2, 2 for cat 3/4, between user. A flux user (one that manipulates
and 3 for CAT 5). You can gain advantage dice time), might use simple motions hands to perform
on this like normal. their rituals, or might rely on a physical implement
like a knife or an hourglass.
• All powers have tags that describe how they
function.
The blasphemies are the following:
• Blasphemies sometimes specify that they can
target humans, sins, or exorcists. Each are a I. Tension: Project powerful fields of force to
different category. Exorcists are not humans. block, cut, or entrap.

II. Ardence: Manipulate potential energy into

All exorcists start with the BLAST blasphemy. furious destruction

III. Flux: Tap into the ebb and flow of time.

IV. Vector: Imbue anything you touch with a

strong burst of velocity.

52
 V. Gate: Manipulate space as a sculptor works Effect type tags describe advanced effect or
with clay powers you can create with a blasphemy. Effects
with the same tag do not stack with each other -
VI. Smother: Suppress innate properties of the most recently used power replaces the last
things, like friction, sound, or light. one. Not all powers have effect tags.
VII. Whisper: Your shadow talks to you. It knows
the future. • Curse: A power affecting another person,
usually negatively
VIII. Edit: Change yourself , the world, or others
by pulling from different possible realities • Charm: A power affecting yourself or another
person, usually positively
IX. Bind: Bind weak sins to your service and use
them as servants or weapons. • Transmute: An effect that affects or alters the
physical world in some way
X. Jaunt: Separate body and soul, perception
and flesh • Summon: An effect that creates a psychic
construction or entity
XI. Palace: The contents of your mind are a
tangible place you can visit
Advancing blasphemies
XII. Sympathy: Pull on the innate connections to
human tools or objects You may spend an advance to gain an extra
power inside your own blasphemies.
Tags
You can take additional blasphemies outside of
Duration tags describe how long a power lasts the first one chosen. Each one reduces your cap
before its effects expire. for sin overflow by 1 and increases your xp
advancement cap by +1.
• Instant: Lasts only a few moments, then
expires You can only have five powers from any
blasphemies at once, in any combination. You can
• Until rest: Lasts until rest replace a power when taking a new one.
• 1 scene: Lasts until the scene passes.
• All mission: Lasts all hunt
CATEGORY

Blasphemies advance in CAT with your exorcist.

Powers can always be willingly dismissed unless Effects that draw on CAT therefore scale up with
specified otherwise. your exorcist - only those effects listed. You can
find a list of Category effects on page 18.
Range tags describe how close a target must be
for the power to be effective. This is a narrative
range, so the tags are kept loose for a reason.

• Self: Yourself
• Adjacent: Right next to you
• Short: Across the street
• Long: A few blocks away
• Extreme: Half a mile away or more

53
 TENSION
Project a spot psychic field of incredible density and
durability. This often takes the form of a metallic
shimmering surface, visible only to the psychically
sensitive.

Fact: Tension users are highly likely to

experience ‘locked in’ syndrome episodes at
least semi-regularly until they are able to
master their powers. See field manual.

IRON SOUL
Passive: When you would fill up your
execution talisman and gain an injury, roll
1d6. On a 4+, go to 1 stress under maximum
instead and ignore any excess, then lose the
use of this passive until you rest.

AEGIS STASIS
Instant, Short Curse, 1 scene, Short

Once a scene, when you or a visible ally in With a gesture, you can lock yourself or a CAT
short range of you would mark stress from sized group of humans or exorcists in a tension
external harm, you can intervene by answering cage that covers them like a second skin,
the following questions: paralyzing them. If a human is hostile or unwilling,
roll PSYCHE, and only spend the burst on success.
• Can you reach your target in time?
• Is there any part of the environment you can Once trapped, your target is locked in, unable to
use to shield your target? move or act for the scene, and is immune to all
harm and effects from the outside. The effect only
• Is your heart in this? ends once the scene passes and you cannot end it
earlier. They can be moved around like a (very stiff)
You create a flash tension force of incredible object and are fully sensate while inside, though
strength, blocking damage. For each ‘yes’ they can see as though looking through a thick
answer, roll 1d6. For every 2+ rolled reduce pane of glass and don’t need to breathe.
stress suffered by 1, and for every 6 rolled
reduce it by 2. This could reduce stress suffered
to 0.

If an ally gains an injury in the same scene,

regain the use of this power.

54
 SEVERANCE MALLEATE
Transmute, Until rest, Adjacent
Instant, Short
You can invert and infuse a tension field to make
You can project a tension force of incredible an area of nonliving matter incredibly pliable and
strength over any edge, as obvious as a soft. The size of this block of matter you can
blade and as subtle as a fingernail, and use it affect is affected by CAT. Choose one of the
as a cutting implement. Roll PSYCHE to cut following effects, then you may gain or grant +1D
an object or opponent up to CAT size with a when you or any ally next acts to take advantage
clean and decisive blow, only spending a of this power:
psyche burst on success.
• Rubber: The matter becomes bouncy and
• Gain +1D if you are striking to protect springy
another person
• Mud: The matter melts into a thick mud. It
• Gain +1D against immobile objects or becomes pliable and sticky and difficult to
opponents move through

• Liquid: The matter melts into liquid

This power may easily effect the parameters of

rolls, such as difficulty and risk. When the effect
expires, the matter slowly reverts to its original
state and form.

FORTRESS
Summon, Until rest, Short

Once a scene, you can create a spot tension field

with a size determined by up to CAT that appears
as a large plane of shimmering force, invisible to
humans. It can only exist as a flat plane (no bends
or curves), and intersect or overlap any nonliving
material, but otherwise is as hard as a solid object
and prevents all living and nonliving matter and
energy from crossing it. It has a 2+CAT talisman
for its durability, which can take damage and be
ticked up like an execution talisman by opponents.
The field lasts until destroyed, until used again, or
until rest.

55
 ARDENCE
Manipulate potential energy to create flashes of extreme
heat or cold. The most potent, and most dangerous of
blasphemies - to others and its user.

Fact: Ardence use would be considered

inhumane against human soldiers.

INNER FURNACE
Passive: You can take an Unstable Power hook as part of
using any Ardence power to increase the CAT of the power
up to +2. When the hook fills up, you burn up from the
inside, gaining an injury and ending the hook. If this injury
would kill you, you explode in an area equal to your CAT,
annihilating yourself and everything inside in a massive
explosion. Nothing can survive this.

FURY VOID
Instant, Short
Instant, Long
You create a flash vacuum by burning the air away.
You can create a fierce blast of destructive The void creates a loud thunderclap, affecting an
energy at a location in range with a blast area up to CAT. It affects everyone in the area
area up to CAT. When you use this power, except you. Choose one of the following effects,
roll PSYCHE and answer the following then you may gain or grant +1D when you or any
questions, gaining +1D for each ‘yes’ answer, ally next acts to take advantage of this power:
only spending a Psyche Burst on success.
• Weak: Sucks in loose objects not held, worn, or
• Are you willing to cause indiscriminate bolted down.
harm, not caring what you destroy, burn,
• Medium: All humans and exorcists in the area
or incinerate?
are thrown off their feet and pulled in, excluding
• Are you willing to let your anger control you.
the outcome?
• Strong: Sins and vehicles up to CAT size are
thrown off balance or pulled depending on their
Whatever question you answer ‘yes’ on, it size. Glass is shattered. The thunderclap is
affects the outcome of the action - no matter momentarily deafening.
the roll. In addition, if you answered at least
one ‘yes’, the area is ALWAYS equal to max
This power may effect the parameters of rolls, such
CAT, and allies in the area or in short
as difficulty and risk.
distance to you take 1 stress, which cannot
be ignored.

56
 HELL
Transmute, Adjacent, Until Rest
SABRE
Instant , CAT range
You may dump energy into the ground and anything
touching the ground in an area determined by
Release a blast of energy in a highly destructive
CAT+2, choosing hot or cold. Choose one of the
beam. The beam goes in a straight line a range
following effects, which lasts until you rest. You may
equal to CAT, piercing through walls, doors, and
gain or grant +1D when you or any ally next acts to
obstructions effortlessly. It is extremely loud and
take advantage of this power:
bright. Roll PSYCHE for its effects, only spending
a psyche burst on success.
• Simmer: Discomfort for humans, lowered or
raised temperature, hot or cold surfaces, etc.
For every ‘6’ result you roll when using ability, this
• Poach: Major discomfort for humans, who ability inflicts 1 extra slash on a talisman, but you
cannot remain in the area, and discomfort for also take 1 stress, which could kill you or cause
sins and exorcists. Freeze or boil water, pipes, you an injury. This stress cannot be reduced or
crack glass, etc. ignored in any way.
• Boil: Deadly to humans, sins and exorcists take
2 stress if they remain in the area for longer than
a scene. Light fires or freeze the air in rooms,
melt windows or burn doors, or freeze objects.

This power may effect the parameters of rolls, such

as difficulty and risk.

STORM
Transmute, Extreme, Whole Mission

You can spend any number of psyche bursts to send potential

energy into the atmosphere, affecting the a microclimate in an
area equal to CAT+2, with a maximum of CAT 7. Choose one of
the below, plus one more per psyche burst spent. The chosen
effects last for the whole mission or until dismissed. You may
gain or grant +1D when you or any ally next acts to take
advantage of this power:

• Clear: Clear the skies in the area, canceling any weather

(including the below).
• Rain: Rain drenches the area for the duration of an intensity
you choose (drizzle, pouring, torrential).
• Cold: The air freezes, freezing water and icing over roads
and paths. Any precipitation becomes snow.
• Fog: Thick fog rolls in, limiting visibility.
• Gale: Whipping wind rolls through the area, blowing away
fog, smoke, or dust, and making it hard to hear or be outside.

This power may easily effect the parameters of rolls, such as

difficulty and risk.

57
 FLUX
Manipulate the direction and flow of time itself.

Fact: This power is relatively new and, as it

stands, is barely understood. Fortunately
temporal events are tightly regulated by
TEMERITY through a captive Sin called the
Spindle.

STEAL TIME
Passive: Once a mission, you can re-
roll all your resting dice for yourself or
an ally, taking the second result as
final.

Temporal Instability: Many of your powers give REVERSAL

you this hook. When the hook resolves, roll 1d6:
Adjacent, Instant
1. Permanently add to your agenda ‘Prove that
you are the real you.” If you gain this result again, By touching an object up to CAT size, you can
you immediately suffer sin overflow. reverse its passage through time for the last hour.
2. Mysterious injuries open up. You go
unconscious from pain, putting you out of the
• This could physically move the object, revert
current scene, and take an injury.
damage on an object, etc.

3. You disappear until rest. You return if there’s a

• It can still affect the physical world, so anything
conflict scene. You have no memory of where you
in a reversing object’s way would get hit, and
were. When you return, you take 2 stress.
anything placed on it will move with it.

4. You find you are wearing someone else’s

• If it would cause damage or impact, roll
clothes. Erase your entire kit this mission, but
PSYCHE for it
regain any spent kit points. • It cannot reverse life on non-living matter, such
5. Your body is different. For the remainder of this
as corpses, but can temporarily move them and
mission, pick a skill you have 1 or more dice in. It
revert damage as if they were alive.
now rolls 0d. After the mission, you have time to
train and get used to this, reverting this effect, You can stop this effect by willing it, but to resume
though keeping any physical changes. it requires using this power again.
6. Your face looks a little different. The changes
are permanent.

58
 STOP QUICKENING
Transmute, Instant, Self Instant, Adjacent

You spend up to three psyche bursts to stop You can accelerate the natural healing of your
local time in an area around you equal to CAT. body or those of others, giving you the following
Roll 1d6 per psyche burst spent and add them benefits:
together - that is how many seconds you have.
Anything that enters this area is immediately
• Immediately heal 1d3 stress on yourself or
affected (including anything put into or out of
another target.
the area), but time flows normally outside the
area. In this stopped time, you are unaffected • You may heal a CAT sized group of dying or
and: injured humans in short range. Dying humans
are stabilized and no longer in danger of
• you cannot use psychic powers, but neither expiring, but fall unconscious. Otherwise,
can you be affected by them. Any power badly injured humans are healed to the point
currently active from you or affecting you of being able to (slowly) move by themselves.
other than this one dissipates. Minor injuries are fully healed.
• you can perform one activity or course of
Then, gain temporal instability
action that fits in the duration. After you
would make an action roll for anything, the
effect ends no matter what.

Then, gain temporal instability.

SCHISM
Transmute, Instant, 1 scene
STUTTER
You can create a bubble of altered time equal to CAT
area. Inside the bubble, you open a window into one Instant, Short
day in the past or future from the moment the bubble
was created. Gain or grant +1D when you or any ally You can briefly reverse time in order to alter
next acts to take advantage of this power: causality for any event that happened as a
result of an action roll made by you or an ally in
• The state of the area inside the bubble is confined CAT range, instantly after you see the result. Re-
only to the bubble and includes objects or people roll the action roll completely, taking the second
inside. You and allies can enter or exit the bubble at result as final.
will.
• Supernatural beings, including exorcists, in the When you use this power, gain temporal
present timeline caught in the bubble when it is instability. If you use it again before you rest,
created are unaffected. Humans and the ‘present’ gain 1d3 temporal instability instead.
timeline world caught in the bubble are ‘paused’,
cease existing for its duration, and have no memory
of the incident.
• Things removed from the bubble from the past or
future timeline, including living beings, simply
disappear until they move back into the bubble.

The bubble represents an ‘alternate’ timeline, so

anything altered inside of it will not show up in the
present or future timeline (ie leaving an object in a past
timeline will not have it show up in the present).
59
 VECTOR
Imbue objects or living beings with sudden and sharp
burst of velocity.

Fact: Has the high

est fatality rate of
users, who usually untrained
die from falling.

BRAKE
Passive: Automatically remove velocity from all
projectiles that would hit you, taking -1 stress from
them.

FLING LIFT
Adjacent, Instant Charm, Self, 1 scene

With a touch, you can imbue velocity into You reverse gravity’s effect on yourself and a CAT
yourself or another object or living being and sized group of other exorcists or humans with a
send it flying. The combined size of the object low but constant Vector effect. For this scene, any
or being and the range you send them must affected gain the following benefits:
equal your CAT+2 or less. Once sent flying, the
direction of your target cannot be changed. • you can run, walk, or climb up vertical surfaces.
• you can slow your fall at will, and you cannot
You can alternately remove all velocity by take harm from falling
touching an object or person of CAT+2 size,
bringing it to a complete stop. • you can glide a distance equal to CAT range.
you must start at height to gain this benefit
Roll PSYCHE for this power’s effects, including
any harm inflicted, and only spend a psyche This power may easily effect the parameters of
burst on at least one success. rolls, such as difficulty and risk.

60
 CURRENT BULLET
Transmute, Until rest, CAT+2 range
Instant, CAT+1 range
You create a weaker, but persistent Vector
force in an area that lasts until you rest. It You can imbue strong bursts of velocity into the
creates a line that goes about CAT+2 range air at your fingertips, creating pressurized air
in length and covers about the width of a bullets that hit with extreme force. Roll PSYCHE
street. It pushes constantly in one direction for its effects, only spending a psyche burst on
(including up or down) like a strong wind. success.
Allies moving in that direction gain +1D on
actions to move with the current. Anything • Gain +1D when making shots from a elevated
moving against that direction struggles, and position
anything falling falls slowly. It becomes hard
• Gain +1D when making shots to disarm,
for allies to move against the current, and
distract, or disable
actions taken against anyone trying to
struggle against the current gain +1D. You
can dismiss this effect at will.

FINESSE
Instant, CAT range

You may use this power to finely manipulate

threads of force to perform fine motor skills you
could perform with your hands at CAT range, such
as opening doors, picking up objects, or even
skills like typing on a keyboard, etc. Roll PSYCHE
OR a relevant skill such as interfacing for this, only
spending a psyche burst on success, and gain
+1D on the action.

• You have to be able to see your target, even if

it’s far away. However, you can perform this
manipulation even if your path to the target is
blocked, such as if you could see it through a
window, etc.
• You can pick up objects and move them around
through the air but they cannot be any bigger
or heavier than a laptop or a full briefcase.

61
 GATE
Manipulate space as a sculptor works with clay.

ALERT: Abuse can lead to extreme

! personnel loss. Use with caution.

POCKET
Passive: You can fit a compressed tear in space into a
piece of clothing that you are wearing.

• You gain +1 KP
• You can stow or retrieve items inside your pocket, which
can hold a combined total of items worth up to 3 KP.
Once inside, the items are stored in an extra
dimensional space and hidden and safe, no matter their
size. The pocket is attached to your clothes and if they
are destroyed, items inside pop out.

PINCH
TEAR Instant, special range

Summon, Until rest You can choose a single living being or object you
can see. The combined size of the object or being
You create a point in CAT range, and another and the distance you attempt to move them must
point within the same range, though you have be CAT+2 or less. Roll PSYCHE if your target is
to be able to see both points when you use this unwilling, only spending a psyche burst on
ability. The two points are connected by a slash success. As long as you can see your target, on at
in the fabric of reality, a portal that can be least one success, you can pinch space between
moved through and connects the two points as the two of you to move your target right next to
though they were right next to each other. you. From the targets perspective, they don’t
Objects, beings, and forces up to ½ CAT in size appear to move at all, but the world smears around
can freely move through the tear for the them. They ignore all physical obstructions
duration, and momentum is preserved. between them and you - as long as you can see
your target, they simply appear next to you.

You may gain or grant +1D when you or any ally

next acts to take advantage of this power.

62
 BLOOM MAZE
Summon, Short, 1 scene Transmute, Self, CAT area

By splitting space in creative ways, you create a You rearrange an area equal to CAT around you,
number of controllable duplicates of any of your causing the rearrangement of human built structures
limbs or hands equal to CAT+1 on any surfaces in in the area. Pick any of the following, then gain or
short range from you, emerging from a tear in grant +1D when you or any ally next acts to take
space. They are stuck in place and cannot move. advantage of this power:
Gain or grant +1D when you or any ally next acts
to take advantage of this power: • Create or remove doors and windows, or change
the existing arrangement of doors and windows
• You can control them like your normal limbs, • Add corridors, or rearrange the floor plan of
making action rolls through them and you have rooms
normal sensation with them.
• Change the direction of gravity inside of a room.
• They can be placed on any surface, including For example, you could make a wall the ‘floor’
moving surfaces or living beings.
• make a room larger or smaller
• You take any stress they would take from your
• Arrange or remove the furniture inside a room any
actions made through them.
way you like

You cannot remove rooms entirely, make any room

smaller than a closet or larger than a ballroom, or
add anything that does not already exist in a building
other than corridors. This could cause a structure to
be bigger on the inside than outside.

For each choice, the Admin rolls 1d6. If they roll at

least one ‘1’ the Admin gains one use of this power
TRANSMISSION against you at your current CAT and can activate it
any time they like.
Instant, CAT+2 range

Instantly move to any other area in CAT+2 range.

However, the Admin asks you the following
questions and rolls 1d6 per ‘no’ answer.

• Are you familiar with your destination?

• Can you see where you are going?
• Are you calm and concentrated?

On at least one ‘1’, you end up in a different

location nearby your destination, but the Admin
chooses where. On a double 1, you end up
somewhere else briefly before arriving at your
final destination. Not only are you off target, but
you also take 2d3 stress.

63
 SMOTHER
Surpress the innate properties of the universe. Lie to God.

long term survival prospects are poor but are

outweighed by u�lity, therefore users of this
blasphemy are good candidates for organ
transplanta�on (see TM ref 4456).

ABSENTIA
Passive: You can improve the CAT of any of
your Smother powers by +2 when you use
them, to a max CAT of 7. However, when you
do, gain the Absentia Hook.

Absentia: You can gain this hook with your

passive. If this hook fills up, you take an injury
and black out for a few moments. When you
HOLLOW
wake up, you are missing a body part (roll Charm, Adjacent, Until rest
1d6). It simply disappears (cleanly) as though
it had never existed, leaving a stump or hole. You temporarily remove weight from a single
It doesnt come back, even if you heal the object, human, or exorcist, giving them the total
injury If you have no body part left to lose weight of 1 lb if heavier. The size of the object
(when you roll), reduce the result by 1. If the must be CAT or lower, and you can end this
result is 0, you lose your head and suffer modification any time, though you must use this
(gruesome) instant death instead. Missing power again to regain its effects. Roll PSYCHE
body parts might make some rolls hard or for any creative uses of this power.
risky, dependent on the situation. You adjust
to any disability after the mission, and it has • Gain or grant +1D when you or any ally next
no further effect. acts to take advantage of this power
• This power ends on its previous target if used
1. Eye
again.
2. Nose
3. Ear This power may easily effect the parameters of
4. Finger rolls, such as difficulty and risk.
5. Toe
6. Nothing

64
 ABSTRACT SMOOTH
Transmute, Short, 1 scene Transmute, Short, 1 scene

With a gesture, you remove recognizable You temporarily remove almost all friction from a
properties of CAT+1 number of distinct tools, CAT sized group of human or exorcists, or an area up
vehicles, windows, doors, or any other objects to CAT. The area or target(s) become incredibly
that can be held or worn. The chosen objects slippery. If targeting an area, it becomes hard for
can no longer be used for their intended anyone to stand, climb, or move normally in the area,
purpose and no human, sin, or exorcist though people are able to slide around.
(including you!) can recognize them - staring at
them for too long causes extreme discomfort, • Roll PSYCHE to affect hostile targets with this
even for exorcists. For example, weapons can power, only spending a psyche burst on success.
no longer fire, doors can no longer open, or
• You can sculpt this area if you wish to affect just
windows can no longer be looked through.
part of it, or sculpt a path.

Gain or grant +1D when you or any ally next

Gain or grant +1D when you or any ally next acts to
acts to take advantage of this power. It may also
take advantage of this power. This power may also
affect the parameters of rolls while active.
easily effect the parameters of rolls, such as difficulty
and risk.

DARK AGE BLIND

Charm, Self, Until Rest Transmute, Adjacent, 1 scene.

You produce a strong field from your body disabling An number of objects or living beings equal to CAT, or
even the simplest human advancements from location of a size up to CAT you touch up ceases
working in CAT area. The effect moves with you. You producing sound, reflecting light, or both for the
can choose up to three of the following to suppress, scene. Gain or grant +1D when you or any ally next
ceasing their operation, then gain or grant +1D when acts to take advantage of this power:
you or any ally next acts to take advantage of this
power: • Targeting a persona allows the effect to move with
them for the scene
• Electricity
• Targeting a location affects an area, removing all
• Internet sound and/or light. You can ‘filter’ this effect by
• Combustion engines allowing light or sound inside the location to
• Running Water operate normally, but not enter or exit the area.

• Door handles, window latches, zippers, catches

This power may easily effect the parameters of rolls,
• Open fires such as difficulty and risk.

These things stop working even if it would not make

sense, ie suppressing running water would mean
water pressure simply stops working. You can end
this effect willingly, but must end all effects at once.

65
 WHISPER
Your shadow is animate and hungry. It knows the future.

This alter self usually manifests in puberty and only you

can see it, remaining invisible even to other exorcists.
Common belief holds the ‘shadow’ seen is a component of
your own future death.

SHADOW
You harbor a separate being that follows you everywhere,
even when you sleep. The rules for it are in the bottom left of
this sheet.

THE SHADOW is intangible and invisible to

everyone, even the psychically sensitive. It
OMEN
can only weakly interact with the physical Instant, Self
world and has its own mind and senses. It
can range in about short range from you. It
Ask your shadow ‘What will happen if I X’, where
can pass through walls and surfaces easily
X is a simple course of activity you plan to take
but retreats into your body in bright light,
in the next hour or so (open this door, attend the
preventing it from doing anything.
meeting, attack this person, go down this street).
The shadow gives you a brief impression of the
You can talk to it telepathically, but talking to future:
it is dangerous and causes 1 stress after any
interaction ends. It has no obligation to tell
• Gain +1D when you or an ally next acts on
you the truth unless you use your powers.
the answer.

You may talk to it safely using your abilities, • Pre-roll the risk die before you take the
and it knows the future. The Admin will action. You can decide to back out of the
answer for it. action if you like, but if you follow the same
course of activity in the future, use the pre-
rolled risk die.

66
 SHIVER DISSECT
Charm, Self, 1 scene Instant, CAT range

When you are looking for a human, sin, Examine a human or exorcist you can see in
exorcist, location, or object, you can declare ‘I CAT range, roll PSYCHE, and ask your shadow
feel a shiver’. You send a psychic pulse out to one of the following questions, plus one more
CAT range in a radius around you, which per success. They answer truthfully, but can
remains active for this scene. While your target use a maximum of three words to answer
is close enough to be in range, you feel a each.
strong sense of cold and discomfort. You can
home in on this feeling easily. It’s never hard to • Is this person lying?
track your target while this power is active. If
• What is the main emotion this person is
your target is in short range of you, you also
feeling?
gain +1D on any rolls to track or locate them.
• Where has this person just come from?
• Where are they planning to go next?

Gain or grant +1D when you or any ally next

acts to take advantage of each answer.

OMNIPRESENCE
PRECOGNITION Instant, CAT+2 range

When an ally is in a scene, you are not present in that

Instant, Self scene, and your ally is in CAT+2 range, you can use
this power to walk in on the scene, having already
When the Admin is describing a scene or you are predicted that this course of events would happen.
about to take a course of action, you can ‘flash back’. Roll PSYCHE, and choose one of the following per
Make an action roll or play a scene out in the past, success:
where you had a vision of the present moment. This
cannot completely alter the established facts of the • Nobody is following you
present (you can’t have knocked someone out in the
• You are hidden
past if you just finished having a conversation with
them in the present, for example), but could change • You are able to enter your ally’s location without
the situation or alter present details, or it could set distraction or harm
up yourself or any ally. For example you could have • You have a useful tool or object on you for the
made preparations for the current moment (locked present situation (a key, a weapon, a wrench, etc)
or unlocked a door, stowed some gear, made a
phone call, etc). If you use this power for gear, mark You may gain or grant +1D when you or any ally next
KP for it as normal. acts to take advantage of this power.

If the situation is complicated, also take 1 stress. If

it’s convoluted or far fetched, take 3 stress.

67
 EDIT
The way things are is not the way they had to be. You can
choose, filtering the threads of possibilities and inviting them
to meld with the real world.

Fact: CAIN doctrine clearly states

the existence of ‘alternate’
realities is currently unproven.

MIMIC
Passive: You can alter minor things about your appearance. You
can change any of the following about yourself when resting,
within a variation of your original body:
• body features such as height and weight
• aesthetics such as facial features, skin color, hair, gender
presentation
• age, down to 13 and up to 88

You always look faintly similar, like a distant relative of yourself.

Your clothes always change to fit you, though you cannot alter
them. This doesn’t change anything about your skills or general
ability, and also cannot restore missing body parts or hide sin

UNIFORM marks or scars.

Charm, Self, Until Rest

You make a brief edit of yourself. You can’t do

this
ABSURD
in public (you need privacy, no matt er how Curse , Short, 1
of scene
tenuous). This power makes you officially part
any profession or group with more than 5 You swap CAT
, amount of hum
members, with any necessary uniform, equipment different versio ans or exorcist
s with a
alters realit y to n of themselves
id cards, memberships, etc, and timeline. You m from an altern
ate
ust roll PSYCH
make it so. take effect on E for this power
hostile targets, to
psyche burst on only spending
success. This a
Even if people don’t particularly remember you can change:
e
being part of a group, they may get a vague sens • what the targ
et is wearing,
that you were a member. anything held but not holdin
g (so
in hand remains
• physical appe the same)
any
You don’t actually gain any particular skills and MIMIC power.
arances of the
targets, as your
your own perso n
changes you may have to be to
in
and must include things you could wear or carry Targets retain
one or both hands. their memorie
reality to acco s, and this does
mmodate the not alter
disorient unpr change, so it ca
to epared human n easily
Gain or grant +1D when you or any ally next acts otherwise perf s. The change
ect. is
take advantage of this power.
Gain or grant
+1D when you
take advantag or any ally next
e of this power acts to
68 :
 UTILITY
Until Rest, short

When you need any

mundane object, tool,
vehicle that could fit or
in a small room, you
cause it to appear on can
a surface in range as
it was always there, though
without spending KP
However, the admin .
chooses one, or two
item is dangerous or if the
rare:

• The item is used, de

quality
• The item is a real ite
nted, scuffed, or poor

m that someone near

COPY
owned and has now by
1 scene
come looking for it
disappeared, and th
ey will Summon, Adjacent,
man, or
• The item is ‘off ’ some y, exact copy of a hu
cheap knockoff made
how and appears as
a You create a temporar
of odd materials that exorcist.
spongey or organic. feel
edient
• The item is missing elgänger: a simple, ob
some parts and does • This creates a dopp ilit y to
work as well as it co n’t intelligence or ab
uld with them clone, without much
speak.
e or two
The item cannot be ple instructions of on
a unique item, etc yo • You may give it sim
create a particular ca u cannot lows to the best its
of
a generic representati
r, key, book , etc, but
is rather sentences, which it fol
ve of a category. It ability.
disappears after a re ene
st. le sludge when the sc
• It dissolves into a pa yo u, or if it
by anyone except
ends, when touched
takes any harm.
its present
ate s a copy of the target in

FILTER
Th is ab ilit y cre n is
ing mundane a perso
state, including anyth ge r ca nn ot gain,
A doppelgän
carrying or wearing. rs an d ro lls just 1d6
psychic powe
ne use, or benefit from
Transmute , Adjacent, 1 sce to do anything.
an
ld affecting all matter in
You produce a strong fie m, wh ich mu st
small roo
area about the size of a
this are a you gain +1D to examine
contain you. In
its contents and:

tter to become
• you can cause any ma
transparent or opaq ue
hting in the room as
• you can change the lig
light source, or snuff
though lit by an invisible
the room
out any light sources in
any objects in the area
• you can move around
and ‘pin’ them to any
without touching them
a, causing them to float
point in space in the are
any loose inanimate
• you can safely dissect
constituent parts or
object or furniture into its
object, providing any
reassemble any broken
parts are present
u
the scene ends, or if yo
This effect expires when 69
son.
leave the area for any rea
 BIND
With the will of a wielder, even Sins can be controlled, bound
to specially prepared talismans in spirit form.

SIN BINDING
Passive: You have the forbidden ability to bind Sins. You
have the obedient essence of a minor sin bound to you,
under your control. The rules for it are on the bottom left
of this sheet.

Your Bound Sin is animalistic in form and

ability - you can determine what form it
takes. It can understand language but cannot
HORDE SPIRIT
speak, and is invisible to humans. Self, 1 scene

It can follow you around at short distance, You can spend a psyche burst to empower your sin
follow simple orders, and uses your skills to for one scene. The next time it takes action for
do anything. Its general capabilities are CAT traversal or movement, it gains +1D. As part of this
0. action:

If it takes any stress, it is banished for the • You can transform it into the form of a vehicle
remainder of the scene, however you can or rideable creature of up to CAT size for one
psychically absorb all stress taken for it scene. It can go about CAT speed, becomes
instead to prevent this effect. partly visible to humans and has room for ½
CAT number of human or exorcist passengers.
In a conflict scene, you may sacrifice your
ability to act on your turn to allow your sin to • It can glide a short distance while in vehicle
act instead, giving it commands. Otherwise it form, with or without passengers
doesn’t act independently in these scenes.

70
 FORBIDDEN SURRENDER
SPIRIT Charm, Self, until rest

Self, Instant You can temporarily fuse your sin to your body. Your
body mutates slightly to accommodate this change,
You can spend a psyche burst to empower your and you lose the use of your bound sin for the
sin for one action. As part of this action: duration. Immediately manifest a temporary sin mark
and roll for the ability, which you gain until you end
• Once this scene, it can ignore any stress this ability early or rest. You may gain 1 sin to re-roll
taken. This effect stacks if this power is used the mark ability, any number of times, any time while
again. this power is active.

• You lift limiters on your spirit. The action

If you hit sin overflow while this effect is active and
gains +1D and causes it to undergo a
successfully resist, you manifest the chosen sin mark
monstrous transformation similar to its
permanently instead of rolling for it.
original form. It becomes a size equal to
CAT+1 and can easily move, lift, strike, or
throw objects or beings of an equal size. Roll
PSYCHE for its effects. After the action, it
reverts to its normal size.

PRISON
HUNTER SPIRIT Summon, adjacent, Until Rest

Self, 1 scene You create an area drawn as a large circle, up to CAT

area, choosing either to draw a regular prison or
You can spend a psyche burst to empower your sin inverse prison. The prison takes a few minutes to
for one scene. The next time it takes action for activate and lasts until you rest
tracking or observation, it gains +1D. As part of this
action: • A regular prison makes it impossible for Sins to
leave while active. An inverted prison prevents
• It can now separate from you up to extreme sins from entering while active.
range when released • Humans and exorcists can freely enter.
• It gains the ability to fly and see and smell
extremely well - it can also see in the dark and in The prison can be broken by a determined sin, but
the thermal spectrum, and clearly up to long has a 3+CAT talisman for durability, taking stress like
range. an execution talisman.
• You can concentrate, dissociating from your body,
and becoming extremely vulnerable. While
concentrating this way, however, you can use
your sin’s senses instead of your own. You can
engage and disengage this effect at will for the
scene.

71
 PALACE
The contents of your mind are as solid to you as plain reality.

SANCTUM
Passive: You and allies you rest with can enter your psychic
palace while resting. This improves the resting rolls of
yourself and up to one ally of your choice resting with you
by +1.
• The palace is a mental projection, a dream space that takes the
form of a large home, residence, or mansion in a locale of your
choosing. Walking off the premises merely returns to you the
locale, and as a purely psychic phenomena, you can control its
appearance and decor.
• Taking harm in a palace instantly shunts a person out of it,
waking them up, instead of dealing them real harm. Visitors
can leave any time.
• Entering the palace mentally requires only closing your eyes
and concentrating, leaving your outside body defenseless and
insensate. It can be done by you any time, and by your allies
by resting with you, or with your powers

lace
r p o r eal pa by

LIBRARY
C o n
statio
manife s is still
st n
exorci vestigatio
i n
under
ERITY. Instant, Self
by TEM
This power does not take a psyche burst. Your
palace has a library of information from the psychic
gestalt. When you wish to gather information on or
CELLAR investigate any subject, you can gain +1D on the
roll by accessing this library. However, afterwards
the Admin rolls 1d6 for each of the following:
Charm, Infinite range, Instant
• Is the information rare?
You can simulate situations inside your palace
• Is the information forbidden in some way?
before putting them into practice in reality. You
can use this power and roll to set up a number • Is the information pertinent to a powerful
of allies equal to ½ CAT even if you are not group?
physically present. However, you may only set
up a target if you can describe the way in which For each ‘1’, you take 1 nonlethal stress as you read
you trained or prepared with them, or a psychic something disturbing in the library.
copy of them, for the current situation. This
setup can never be risky, but cannot lower risk.
If you fail the setup roll, you may take 1d3
nonlethal stress to re-roll it, taking the second
result as final.

72
 FOYER
Summon

Your palace has a tulpa, a psychic being that

takes the form of a servant or butler. They are
PARLOR
loyal to you, you can determine their personality 1 scene, Investigation area
and appearance. Though they are casually around
the palace whenever you wish even without the
Choose one person or up to a CAT sized group of
use of this power, you can summon them with this
people in the investigation area and speak their
power, choosing one:
(real) name aloud. You can bring yourself and their
psychic shadow inside your palace, no matter
• Have your tulpa aid you on a task related to where they are.
research, crafting, or investigation, granting
+1D on your next roll and making an extra
Ifyour target(s) are willing, you can choose to
slash on a talisman for each ‘6’ you roll.
bring their actual psychic consciousness inside
• Briefly manifest your tulpa outside your palace your palace, making them aware and remember
in short range as a real person, a mirror of what is going on while inside, as though in a
their appearance inside your palace but dream. Their real body becomes unconscious and
dressed any way you like. They have roughly vulnerable. They can leave willingly.
the capabilities of an average person (cat 0)
and roll 2d for activities that a typical servant You can instead bring a psychic double of a
or butler could do and 0d for everything else. willing or unwilling person into your palace. They
Any harm taken by them banishes them back are not affected, but the double is a copy of their
to the palace. mind at the time of summoning. Any memories
formed by the double will not transfer over. The
double cannot leave until the scene ends.

BAR A person or double summoned this way is not

obligated in any way to behave differently than
their original.
Self, 1/scene
Gain or grant +1D on the next roll by yourself or
This power does not take a psyche burst. an ally taking advantage of this power.

You can open any closed door and open it to your

(actual, physical) bar instead of the room you would
expect. It is a well stocked, typical small bar, including
snacks, a couple hot plates, and non-alcoholic drinks.
It restocks between missions. The bar only exists while
you are inside or hold the door, and outside items or
people inside are pushed out before it disappears.

When you rest in your bar, you can roll 1d3+1, and do
one of the following, spending charges of the die you
have just rolled per option:

• 1 charge: Erase 1 stress on one person

• 2 charges: Untick 1 tick on all hooks for a person
• 3 charges: Remove an injury

For each, describe a drink, snack, meal, or other form

of relaxation or healing you are preparing for your
guest.
73
 JAUNT
Slice the body and soul with a carving knife.

Jaunt users are the most likely of all exorcists to

!
‘hollow’ during sleep and leave an empty shell.
This occurrence is very rare but its cause is
unknown and it is 100% fatal.

GHOSTWIRE
Passive: You can join your mind telepathically with a
number of other willing people you touch equal to
CAT. While within long distance of each other, you can
talk telepathically, and sense each other’s ambient
emotional state. This effect lasts until you use it again,
until someone becomes unconscious, or until you or
another person closes the connection.

GEIST
POSSESSION Self, 1 scene

You can shunt your perception out of your body

Curse, Short, 1 scene and roam for CAT+2 range, becoming a being
made of purely psychic energy.
You can shunt your perception out of your body to
possess a human, animal, or corpse (in good • While practicing this power, your real body is
condition) you can see in range for a scene. insensate and defenseless
Supernatural beings are immune this effect. • You can fly at CAT speed, are invisible to
Unwilling humans might require a rolling PSYCHE those not psychically sensitive, and may pass
to possess successfully. through walls, floors, and objects easily while
in this form.
• While possessing another your real body is • You cannot interact with or be affected by the
insensate and defenseless physical world. You cannot use or benefit
• For humans and animals, you cannot force a from your own psychic powers, but psychic
target to harm itself or take action that would powers or effects from others can still affect
indirectly cause it to come to harm you.
• Actions that the target takes use your skills, but
the target’s body or equipment, which might If your form is destroyed somehow (by a
change the circumstances supernatural force), you take 1 stress, this power
ends, and you can’t use this power again until
You are kicked out of the body if it takes stress the scene passes.

This power may easily effect the parameters of

rolls, such as difficulty and risk.
 THREADS
Charm, Self, Until rest

You can sense the unseen world of traces of

grace. Upon using this power, you close your eyes
and can see through your eyelids the patterns the
soul leaves in the environment.

• You gain the ability to see living beings, even

DESECRATE
through walls, for CAT range Summon, Adjacent, Instant
• You can see the traces a sin or someone strong
in grace such an exorcist leaves, like a faint You can force a semblance of life into the corpses of
trail of light through the air. up to CAT humans or exorcists by touching them on
• You gain +1D on actions to track or locate the eyes. You may ask the corpse(s) three questions
living beings or traces of sins in the area. total (no matter how many you animate), after which
However, you cannot see any non-living matter the effect ends and they become dead again. It also
(you are effectively blind) while maintaining expires if the hour passes.
this power, and find actions that rely on sight
hard • You can’t use this power on the same corpse
more than once
This power ends when you open your eyes or • The power does not return life to the body, but
when you rest. accesses the body’s memories. If the head or
brain is missing, or the body lacks a tongue, etc,
this power will not work as well.
• A corpse is obligated to answer truthfully, but can
only speak to the realm of its knowledge and
memories before it died. It may have only partial
knowledge of a situation or may speak according

PASSENGER to its own viewpoint.

Gain or grant +1D when you or an ally next acts on

Curse, extreme range, 1 scene the answers

You choose a number of willing people equal to ½

CAT in extreme range, who must be able to either
hear you (even telepathically) or see you. You pull
their psychic presence into your body for the
duration. Their bodies become limp, vulnerable
and insensate. However:

• they now share control of your body with you,

including all senses.
• You can surrender control of your body to them
to allow them to make action rolls using their
skills or abilities, but your body (gear, access,
etc).
• You can set them up as normal or aid them on
these skills.

They cannot use psychic powers while possessing

you this way, and you suffer any harm or
consequences from their actions.
 SYMPATHY
Humans leave impressions on everything they touch.
You can do more than touch.

PSYCHOMETRY IS BANNED ON
CAMPUS - CASTLE REF 0094

RESONANCE
Passive: At the start of the mission, roll on the
resonance table. When you make this roll, 1d3, then
1d6, then check the resonance tables after this
blasphemy entry. When you are making an action roll
and you are using an item you are resonant with, you
gain a +1D bonus. You can spend a psyche burst any
time to roll an additional resonance. You can keep up
to three at a time, and only benefit from one at a time.

Amplify
Resonances Summon, Adjacent, 1 scene
Roll 1d3, then 1d6
You can expand the mundane properties of a
11 Phones 21 Balls 31 Ropes regular non-weapon item to extreme levels. You
touch a mundane object up to CAT size. For the
12 Lights 22 Guns 32 Hammers scene, you automatically have resonance with it,
and its properties are enhanced to extreme levels,
13 Knives 23 Mugs 33 Cars as if they were up to your CAT in scale. For
example:
14 Keys 24 Computers 34 Doors
• A car’s speed, handling, and resilience
15 Books 25 Shoes 35 Bags • A light’s brightness and intensity, and the area
it illuminates
16 Baseball Bats 26 Power Tools 36 Gloves • A door’s ability to lock and withstand force

This can easily affect the difficulty and risk of rolls.

The object is still mundane.

76
 Bond Psychometry
Self, 1 scene Instant, Adjacent

For the scene, you can bond incredibly tightly You can touch objects to remotely view their
with an item you are holding in one or both hands. memories. You can view back a number of days
equal to your CAT. Roll PSYCHE, then ask a question
• You are now resonant with that item. It is still plus an additional question per success. Gain +1D
mundane. when next acting on the answers.
• You can now use it as a mundane cutting or
• Where has this object been?
bludgeoning weapon even if it wouldn’t
normally be a weapon. It has about the power • Who has touched this object?
of a CAT 0 bat or sword. • What has this object been used for?
• The item becomes virtually indestructible. • What else is this object connected to?
• You can cause the item to recall to your hand,
flying through the air, from within short Memories of an object are impressionist and and
distance imprecise, and they are only usually ‘aware’ of their
• You can discharge this power to make a strike very immediate surroundings.
with the object, granting it supernatural
destructive power equal to CAT (it gains +1D
on the roll as normal due to resonance). Then
end this effect and destroy the item.

Alliance
Diplomacy Summon, Short, 1 scene

Instant, Short An object up to CAT size in short range can now

take action to set up an ally, rolling 1d6, or PSYCHE
You make a simple request of an object as if it was if you are resonant with that object. The object can
a person, or ask it a simple yes or no question. take or cause consequences as normal from these
actions.
For example, you can ask a door to open or hold
shut (even if it couldn’t normally lock, or you don’t Allies have to be able to interact with it or use the
have the key), a computer to turn off or find object to gain its benefits. The object doesn’t gain
information for you, or a car to turn on without a the ability to actually move or animate in any way,
key or drive by itself. but fortune simply bends around it.

If you need to make a roll for this, roll PSYCHE or

use a social action, such as negotiation or
authority.

You can affect objects up to CAT size with this.

Objects asked questions can answer only with yes
or no answers and can’t actually vocalize.

77
 Kit expansion
The following section contains items all
• 0: Very small items or personal
Items also have tags:
exorcists are licensed to purchase with
CAIN scrip (S). effects that could fit in a coat
• Consumable: Once used, this item
pocket, like a pen or wallet
is gone forever. Multiple copies of it
Purchased items are permanently • 1: Small item that could fit in a can be bought.
available for an exorcist’s kit during hand
deployment on a mission, and can be • Conspicuous: This item is obvious
pulled out by spending kit points. • 2: Item that requires storage or
• Focus: Using these items requires
both hands, such as a firearm,
focus to use. It can’t be used while
Scrip can only be spent between melee weapon, etc
performing any other activity or if
missions. Unless an item is • 3: Very large item that is heavy, under duress.
consumable, it can only be purchased has to be carried, etc, such as a
once at a time. • Items may also have range tags
full backpack, two handed
(adjacent, short, long, extreme). An
weapon (rifle, sledgehammer, etc),
You can use the following guide when item can only be used within the
portable generator, medical bag,
estimating or improvising the kit cost of listed range.
etc
items or objects:
• 5: Human body

78
79
 Availability may affect choices.

80
C CASTLE
See manual for codes. Page 1

81
 Page 2
C CASTLE See manual for codes.

82
 ED
AL REQUIR
!!APPROV MAY BE
OBJECTS
CURSED!!

Ref 0994
As above, so below

83
 WEAPONS
Arsenal of weaponry machined and maintained by CASTLE armory services.
Some improvised in the field.
You may choose the aesthetic of your service weapon. They start at CAT 0. You may upgrade
both of them by +1 CAT by spending 3 scrip, to a max of CAT 3.
All these weapons have been lovingly used to kill sins.

THE HUNTER LOVES NOTHING

84
 85

SLASH AND SLASH AND SLASH! UNTIL IT IS DONE!

 Roll 1d6 for mark, then 1d6 on that mark for ability. If
you gain a mark from a source other than sin overflow,
you must still randomly roll for the ability.

S I N MARKS • If you have a mark already and roll it again, the mark
evolves, granting it a new ability (re-roll duplicates).
• If you roll a ‘6’ for a mark, you can choose which
one, then roll for the ability as normal
• You increase your resistance rolls and lower your sin
overflow cap by 1 for each sin mark you have.
• Sin marks can affect whether rolls are hard or risky,
and some grant bonus die or special abilities

2. JAW
Typical Appearance or Manifestation: Split or
extended jaw, pharyngeal jaw, fangs, black tongue,
viscous saliva.

1. You can spit black venom up to short distance.

It’s a mundane ranged weapon with about the
same effectiveness as a pistol.

2. You can gain 1d3 sin to re-roll any roll

requiring speech, taking the second result as
final.

3. You can whisper short messages into the

wind of 6 words or less that a target of your
choice can hear in their ear within long distance.
The target cannot reply.
1. EYES 4. You gain +1D when negotiating with,
Typical Appearance or Manifestation: Black or commanding, or convincing humans
altered sclera, white iris, split, slit, or duplicate
pupil. 5. Once a mission, you can give a short, one
word command to a human, who then
immediately attempts to follow it to the best of
1. You can see clearly up to extreme distance,
their ability. Humans will not obey obviously
as if you could ‘zoom in’ your vision
harmful commands.
2. You can see through walls and nonliving
6. Gain +1D to Authority. This could put you up
matter in short distance
to 4D.
3. When closed, you can sense the ambient
emotional state of nearby humans or
exorcists. Once a mission, gain +1D or power
when acting on this.

4. Once a mission, you can momentarily

paralyze a human by merely looking at them.
The effect lasts until you break eye contact, a
minute passes, or either of you suffer stress.

5. You can see clearly in the dark and are

unaffected by darkness, weather, or
obscurement.

6. Gain +1D to Surveillance. This could put you

up to 4D.
86
3. BACK OR CHEST
Appearance or Manifestation: Spines, lesions, skin
discoloration or warping, rapid regeneration,
hardened or loose skin or scales, vestigial wings,
extra ribs.

1. You can roll an extra resting die while resting. If

you do, gain the same amount of sin.
4. ARMS OR HANDS
2. You no longer need to breathe. You are no Appearance or Manifestation: Claws, split hand or
longer affected by mundane toxin or poison. You harm, extra arm, twisting skin or muscles,
cannot become intoxicated by alcohol. discoloration, extra fingers.

3. Gain +1 max KP.

1. You can gain 1d3 sin when performing a feat of
4. You have a chance of ignoring any injury (roll a mundane physical strength to increase the CAT
d6, ignore on a 6) up that feat up to CAT 3.

5. Automatically erase 1 stress when pressure 2. Once a mission, you may merge any single
increases. mundane weapon or item you could hold into
your flesh, able to conceal or produce it at will.
6. Gain +1D to Conditioning. This could put you
up to 4D. 3. Once a mission, you can dissolve all non-living
matter in a cube about the size of a room into a
black sludge with a touch of your third (ring)
finger.

4. Once a mission, you can gain 1d3+1 sin to

morph your arm or hand into a melee weapon for
a scene. It is a supernatural melee weapon of
CAT force and has normal effectiveness against
sins.

5. You can re-roll any force or interfacing roll,

5. SKIN, HAIR, OR LEGS taking the second result as final. If you do, gain
1d3 sin.
Appearance or Manifestation: Major discoloration or
bleaching, transparent skin, warping of gait, 6. Gain +1D to Force. This could put you up to 4D.
digitigrade or multiple legs, patchiness, change in hair
color.

1. You can gain 1d3 sin to leap up to an object CAT

size in height without rolling. You can do this as
part of an action roll.

2. While touching them with your bare flesh, you

can can climb or walk on walls as though they
were flat surfaces

3. You have +1D when running or sprinting on

open ground, such as a road
6. CHOOSE
4. You can gain 1 sin during an action roll to glide
a short distance through the air as part of the
action. You have to start at height to gain this
benefit.

5. You can gain 1d3 sin to go completely invisible

to mundane perception for the duration of an
action roll.

6. Gain +1D to Covert. This could put you up to

87
4D.
 Running This section is mostly for the player acting as
Admin who will be running the story of the game,
the investigation, the Sin, and all the NPCs.
Players who are not planning to act as Admin may

CAIN
also wish to skim through it, but should avoid the
Sins section if they want to keep certain
information a surprise.

88
 Safety First Principles and Tips
CAIN contains numerous references to and Here are some basic principles I think the Admin
implications of abuse, self-harm, trauma, and should try to follow when running a game of CAIN
mental health crises. By default the game is about that will help the game run smoother.
untangling the traumatic events that have led to a
sin’s birth, which requires engagement with that 1. Put the fiction first: CAIN is a story-forward
history. For this reason, CAIN might not be a game. The fiction (do you have a gun or bare,
good fit for your table, you, or your players. broken knuckles? Are you standing in the dark
waiting for an ambush or out in the open?) is
It is critical if you are the Admin and are planning an important part of playing the game and
in including any of these topics in an investigation helps determine the circumstances around
that you handle this with care and specifically rolls. The Admin uses these cues to adjudicate
discuss your intentions with your players rolls, making them hard, risky, or giving them
beforehand, and respect any boundaries or extra dice. Small details like whether you are
requests that your players make of you. There are tired or how you feel about a situation can
numerous safety toolkits available online that can become important!
be helpful for running games like this, but for a
simple start I recommend the following 2. Only roll when necessary: Roll when the
situation is tense, unclear, or contested, and let
• Without discussing specifics, ask your players, the game flow otherwise
based on their comfort level (this can be done
in private), topics that should be omitted from 3. Be a fan of the players: The Admin should
the game. Then respect that boundary. be a fan of the player characters and try to
view the playing of this game as a collaborative
• If a player ever is experiencing discomfort for storytelling experience - not as a competitive
any reason during a game, pull back and one. The players are the main characters of the
pause. Ask the table, without discussing story, and they should get the spotlight and a
specifics, whether they’d like to continue or chance to shine. If a player failed a roll, it’s not
whether they would like to skip past the because they were incompetent -
current sequence of events, no questions circumstances just weren’t on their side. Take
asked. Then respect that boundary. opportunities to let characters shine and show
off.
• Have a tone discussion with your players
before even starting a game. Ask what players 4. Make information available: Make
want out of the game, what topics they are information available to the player characters
interesting in exploring, and what topics they wherever possible, unless hiding it would
are interested in avoiding - these don’t even create interesting tension. If a character hunts
have to be potentially objectionable topics. for certain information that will progress the
story, just give it to them. This is especially
important in an investigative game, where the
References to these topics in game are kept vague
tension comes from connecting the dots and
for a reason. You are free to adjust their
not finding every little piece of the puzzle.
importance and representation here as you like.
Don’t bog down the investigation by hiding
information behind rolls - reward player
curiosity!

5. Respect player initiative: Don’t be afraid to

push things along if the story is slogging, but
never do this without giving your players an
opportunity to do so first. Offer them chances
to change a situation, take action, or reach a
desired outcome.

89
 6. Don’t be afraid to pull things back: Pull If players are still at odds and both still want to
back from in character conversations and have resolve a conflict, they can make a roll off.
them out of character if things feel like they are Importantly, they both must agree to a contest.
getting stuck or a conflict is arising between
players or players and the Admin that needs • Each party names what they want out of the
mediating. Feel out the situation and ask the situation. Then they each roll 1d6, describing
players (and characters) what they want before their characters actions. Exorcists of the same
diving back in. Letting mediation take place category are generally regarded as equally
directly between players can be a more matched in skill. This roll cannot be modified in
comfortable place for a conversation. Often any way.
times things can be done quickly ‘off screen’ or
out of character that aren’t important to play • The winner of the die roll gets what they want
out in game. Don’t feel the need to do out of the situation, the loser must cede it. If
everything in character - there’s no audience there’s a tie, the exorcists clash and pull back
watching! and there is no winner or loser. They must
decide whether to roll again or concede to
7. Put player safety first: Always respect each other.
player safety and never cross a boundary that • Exorcists can never physically harm another
a player has asked to be respected. Set in game terms. An exorcist that gets into a
enforceable and consistent safety rules for fight with another may inflict pain or injury in
your game and make sure they are clear to all the narrative, but it has no effect on an
players. exorcists in game terms, such as stress,
afflictions, or injuries.
Inter-character conflict
Setting, Tone, and Intention
Characters might sometimes get at odds with
each other, especially if their worldviews or belief CAIN was written mostly because I wanted a
systems clash. In such a case, it’s important to first ‘monster of the week’ style investigation game
make sure the conflict is between characters, married with the tone, styling, and pacing of
and not players. Then, pause the game and pull supernatural battle shonen anime and manga.
back, then do the following negotiation:
Here are some of its influences
• Out of character, ask each player what their
character wants out of the situation, and if they
• Anime/Manga: Chainsaw Man, Jujutsu Kaisen,
are willing to compromise once they’ve heard
Bleach, D Gray Man, Akira, Neon Genesis
the other party’s desires. Sometimes hearing
Evangelion, Hellsing, Mob Psycho 100
this can help players realize their characters
are willing to concede or don’t want something • Video Games: The Persona series, XCOM,
as badly as they thought. Silent Hill, Resident Evil
• Take suggestions for offers that would help • Music: Vaporwave/Barber Beats, the music
resolve the situation. videos of Norbert Crowfield
• Then, bring it back in character and play it out. • Movies: Nearly any horror movie

If characters are truly at odds, it can be helpful to

remind players that the tone of the story is one
where characters have to work together -
perhaps by necessity more than desire, and
whether it’s worth continuing a character whose
basic desires and needs are so out of line with
their group. It might not be an enjoyable
experience moving forward!

90
And here’s some of its quirks: Tone

• CAIN is very investigation/episodic focused - The tone of the game by default is pretty brutal
what can go on between investigations might and oppressive and can be fairly lethal. The Admin
as well (and probably should) be freeform role- by all means doesn’t have to stick to what’s in the
play book. CAIN operates by the following basic tonal
rules:
• I foresee a ‘campaign’ of CAIN lasting probably
ten or less sessions, at least to see a few sins • The exorcists are treated as weapons, not
or uncover some larger plot. People that people. They are as much prisoners as they are
develop a good game might want to push their valuable assets.
exorcists all the way to category 5. It’s certainly • The exorcists all have some kind of internal
not something I see people playing for years. strife that drives them forward
• You will notice that base level exorcists deploy • Agendas will clash with each other, not
in uncomfortable shoes and a cassock, missing everyone will agree on the path forward
even basic necessities such as money or cell
phones. This is by design. • Bodies and minds mutate, change, are twisted
and affected in the course of the work
• By default Exorcists don’t have many uses of
• Confronting trauma in its most literal sense is
their powers, psyche burst being a fairly
the main work of the exorcists
precious resource, and fighting sins hard using
mundane means. They are therefore
You can change these at your table as needed.
incentivized to dip into sin, an uncomfortable
tension that I hope will create drama. If the
Admin finds this tension too much, they can
Filling in the details
increase psyche burst to 4, or adjust sin
Here’s a few useful questions The Admin can ask
overflow cap higher, or make it so sin is fully themselves and players to fill details in in your
cleared after a mission. version of CAIN:
• Exorcists can choose to confront a sin right
away if they find it, without uncovering the sin’s • Who is in charge of handling the exorcists?
What does their deployment look like? Who are
traumas. However, finding traumas both does
their points of contact?
damage to the sin and makes the fight much
easier, so my intention is both investigation and • What is CAIN potentially hiding from the
combat are weighed fairly equally. exorcists?

• How does CAIN style itself? What do the

corridors of a CAIN facility look like?

• What does it look like when someone manifests

a sin? What do sins look like in your version of
CAIN?

• Who are the exorcists? How were they

recruited? What is their history with each
other?

• What is each exorcists’s biggest fear? Their

biggest desire?

91
 Calling for rolls Using Category

CAIN is intended to be played, like many other CAT is a shorthand for the narrative scale of
narrative games, in a style where rolls are only powers and supernatural forces. It serves two
made when the game is in moments of purposes:
uncertainty, elevated stakes, or elevated
tension. • It can be easily referred to when an exorcist
wants an answer to the question ‘Can I do
that?’.
A good rule of thumb is to only roll if you want to
find out what happens next - and don’t roll at all • It can also be a good reference for whether a
if the outcome is already clear. This includes roll should be hard, risky, impossible, or even
things that might normally be tense, like getting required at all. To restate: tasks are usually
into a fight. You can always refer to CAT or the hard if they are higher category, or impossible
exorcists’ abilities to judge this. For example, a if they are three categories higher. The same
CAT 5 exorcist with the Vector power can probably goes for lower (easier if lower category,
probably not a roll at all if three or more).
throw an 18 wheeler truck or a small building
around. You can imagine all kinds of situations that
General mundane capabilities of exorcists are
would not be an issue for someone with that kind
usually CAT 0. CAT is not so strict and has some
of power.
leeway for interpretation. Generally I view it as the
following scale:
When calling for a roll, the Admin doesn’t call for a
specific skill to be used (though they are free to 0: Small/human scale
suggest one). Players choose the skill they are
using and assemble the advantages they want on 1: Above average/exceptional human
the roll. The Admin can adjudicate:
2: Large/room or small group scale
• whether a roll is hard, risky, or impossible
3: Very large/vehicle scale
• whether advantages can apply to a roll

• the consequences of a roll on a failure or mixed 4: Massive/building scale

success
5: Overwhelming/block scale
Rolls should be creatively assembled when
possible, improvising based on the situation. 6: Epic/neighborhood scale
Players may often gain more advantage dice
than they have dice from skills. This is by design, 7: Cataclysmic/Town scale
as it allows players to change their approach and
use their abilities and creativity to get through Powers from blasphemies scale up in specific
situations. Always allow players to negotiate or ways with CAT, and the powers and abilities of
even back out of rolls so rolling feels fair and on Sins can refer to CAT as a shorthand. When in
good terms. doubt, bend these categories if it suits the tone of
your game.

92
 Talismans The most common talismans are execution
talismans, which track the physical health and
Talismans are this game’s versions of task condition of both the exorcists and their
trackers. You may have seen them in other similar opponents. There is also the tension and pressure
narrative games in the form of clocks. They’re only talismans. Here’s some other ways to use
talismans here because it fits the tone better. talismans:

The general rule is to set out talismans if you want • Set racing talismans out for a degrading
to track a complex task, if you want to track a situation, maybe as a complication in a fight. In
project, or if you want to track the progress of this situation, exorcists are trying to fill up one
something. As a shorthand, set out a talisman if talisman before another one fills up, slashing
you think a task or activity is going to take more the bad one each time they take an action, or
than one roll to accomplish. extra as a consequence for failure. For
example:
Talismans are useful generally because they • the house is falling apart and crumbling off
provide a clear goal and end point of an activity. of the cliff, in a few more minutes it will fall
Exorcists know that when they roll on a talisman, completely into the lake. Can you finish the
they are making concrete progress towards fight in time?
something, therefore talismans should always be
public knowledge, and what they represent should • the survivors are under attack and being
always be resolved by filling up the talisman massacred one by one. Can you rescue
(positive or negative). them in time?

• reinforcements from the paramilitary group

Here’s a few tips about them:
are about to arrive. Can you unlock the vault
in time?
• Exorcists will usually score somewhere in the
neighborhood of 0-2 successes on them. • The same works for a chase scene or a stealth
Therefore you can expect short talisman (2 scene: set a talisman out for the pursuer and
segments) to take one or two rolls. Use this as the pursued, or one for an alert level and a
a shorthand for how much rolling you expect stealth goal. Fill one out when the players take
on a task. action, and the other (negative one)
automatically when rolls are made, or extra on
• Always write talismans as descriptive, not failure.
proscriptive - let exorcists figure out how they
want to make progress on them • You can set out a talisman to represent
someone’s attitude towards the exorcists, with
• Rolls on talismans that don’t fill them out all the adjustments made based on their actions
way represent partial progress on a task, and (higher values, better attitude and vice versa).
can be narrated as such. ‘You get partway up
the wall, but you’re out of handholds. You’ll • Talismans can be used to represent supplies,
need an extra push or a new approach to medicine, reinforcements, or some kind of
continue climbing the wall’. ‘You catch up with limited resource, adjusting slashes when this
the fleeing man and corner him, but he still has resource is used up.
a small chance to dart away.”
• Talismans can be used to represent long form
• You shouldn’t put out talismans for every task, projects or investigations, maybe those that
just the ones that look like they are going to be would last from hunt to hunt, or something that
a little more complex. Most things should just tracks a meta narrative. For example, a
be done in one roll. talisman could be used to track the exorcists’
status within CAIN, or their investigation into a
secret organization, or their work on a hideout.

93
 Getting a feel for using progress trackers like Starting hooks
talismans can really help control the flow and
pacing of a game like CAIN. You can use them at To start writing an investigation, the Admin can
both the very small scale of gameplay (the look to the following:
moment to moment action, like a fight) and the
very large scale (long term projects). First, look to the sins themselves. Since each
investigation centers around the emergence of a
Creating sin, looking at their abilities, themes, behavior, and
origins can help spark an idea. Reading through
Investigations the sin sheet can also provide inspiration for
inciting incidents. Look at the sin’s trauma
CAIN is centered around investigations, where questions and see if they create a story for you, as
the exorcists are dispatched to look into the you’ll have to answer them anyway.
emergence of a sin, unraveling the mystery of its
birth along the way. Each investigation culminates Second, think about something terrible that
in a climactic fight in a warped, extra-dimensional could happen to someone. Sins are always born
space against the sin itself: a supernatural entity from trauma, and can manifest post mortem.
made of rampant psychic power and human Here’s a quick list of easy hooks, and some follow
trauma. up questions:

Writing an investigation is primarily the work of the • The host was murdered (why? by whom?)
Admin. An investigation can be tricky to run, unlike
other role playing games, since they are typically • The host lost someone close to them (through
more open rather than linear, and players are sickness, accident, or something worse?)
chasing clues and information that must be spread • The host has been suffering at the hands of
out and kept secret to maintain tension, but also another (a boss? a classmate? a partner?)
has to be relatively available to players to move
the story forward. • The host experienced a crushing loss (failing
out of school, losing a home, getting fired,
Here are some basic tools for writing your own being romantically rejected, all the above?)
investigation that will help keep things moving at a
• The host suffered a catastrophe (illness or
core level, and let you structure investigations in a
accident, and what?)
way that is clear and productive.
• The host was forced to give up on a dream
(who or what?)

Third, the Admin can look to media for

inspiration. CAIN was written with the pacing of
battle manga and horror movies in mind, where
tension slowly builds into a climax. Check out the
inspiration media or nearly any horror movie and
think about how they build a story.

94
Here’s some more specific example hooks for you was sleeping.
to use or modify as a starting point using the
above: • The host dreamed of becoming a DJ and music
producer, but never made much money. When
their overbearing and controlling partner
• The sin host was a boring but doting father
landed a prestigious and well paying job, they
who had just bought concert tickets for his
were forced to stay home and become a
daughter. He missed a train from the city and
homemaker instead of ‘wasting’ time and
decided to walk to the next station, was robbed
money at auditions. They manifested and fused
and shot when he refused to give up his wallet
with an Idol sin that allowed them to slip away
with the tickets. The perpetrators panicked and
at night, become a legend of the local
dumped his corpse in a drainage canal, where
nightclub scene, and gaining a cult.
it manifested a Hound sin, hellbent on hunting
its killers (and random passers by).
Structuring an investigation
• The sin host, a successful financier, lost his
wife to cancer when she was only 30 years old. Here’s a quick and simple way to structure an
She wanted children with him but he wanted to investigation. You’ll need a sheet of paper or a set
wait on his career, and feels immense guilt at of note cards and something to write with.
delaying her decision. His grief manifested a
Lord that created a kingdom at his workplace,
First, assemble your critical information. This is
transforming a 30 story skyscraper into a
the following:
palatial tower where his many figment-children
are overseen by a cadre of monstrous and
overbearing nursemaids. • The basic hook or inciting incident. What drew
CAIN’s attention? Who or what called the
• The host is an animator at an indie video game exorcists here?
studio who is suffering from crushing amounts
of work, regularly working 100+ hour work • The sin’s host, their status and identity
weeks and sleeping at the office. She began to • The sin itself
dream about an accident so terrible it would
save her from her brutal workload, and • The answers to the sin’s three trauma
manifested a Centipede sin that caused an questions
outbreak of monsters, causing a catastrophe
that immediately killed dozens of people and • Where the sin’s palace is located
created a five block quarantine zone in a
downtown shopping district. Then, assemble your secondary information. This
is any person, place, or thing that is connected to
• The host went to a prestigious college, but a piece of critical information. You don’t have to go
failed mid-way through the first year as she in great detail here, just write out the basic
was distracted by partying. Unable to bring this connections or details. Write in people, locations,
news back to her distant, strict, and wealthy evidence, objects, recent events, interlopers or
parents, she remained in her friend’s college foes, potential obstacles, etc.
dorm feigning attendance, spiraling into a deep
depression, and manifesting an Ogre. Then, you can connect any of these pieces of
• The host was in a random car accident that left information as you see fit. Draw in the direction
them paralyzed below the waist, in a of information. You can draw this out with note
wheelchair, and in a long and painful process cards or on a piece of paper if it helps and draw
of recovery. Their only refuge during this long actual physical connections between them. I like
ordeal was online window shopping - looking to visualize it like a map. You can even make an
at things they could not afford due to the heavy actual map of the investigation area, drawing in
medical bills. They manifested a Toad sin locations as you go.
masquerading as a delivery driver who began
to gather the things they desired while the host

95
 Track the path of information that exorcists would abandoned rail car a the edge of town and has
have to follow to find the sin’s host, find the been marked as a missing person. Giving them
palace, find all three trauma question answers, this critical information immediately might defuse
and confront the sin. This is the critical path the tension, so instead the Admin looks at their
exorcists will always follow if they’re trying to secondary information and decides to tell the
complete the investigation, so following it now will exorcists (through an NPC or an info packet) the
make sure it is obvious where players should go location of the host’s best friend, who knows
when they collect any piece of information. where the host is. When the exorcists arrive, the
Admin decides the police have also arrived at the
Sustaining tension comes from putting obstacles best friend’s apartment to interrogate them as a
or challenges in the path of the exorcists and suspect about their friend’s disappearance. This
not from hiding the information away. Exorcists creates a tense scene where the parameters and
should always know where they need to go or goals are clear.
who they need to talk to. If exorcists fail to make
an uncooperative person talk, dig through some The exorcists, in this case, fail to stop the friend
important files, or sneak into the police station from being arrested. The Admin can either offer a
morgue, then make sure to always offer them new challenge to break into the police station and
another path forward. rescue them, or give another piece of secondary
information to move the story forward.
For example: exorcists are trying to track down an
Ogre sin’s host, who has hidden themselves in an

96
 start THE HOOK
ie
fin
g

br
The desert gambling city of Las THE WITNESS THE OTHER WITNESS
Peligras has had numerous
disappearances centered around the
Silver Star Casino. CAIN has picked A late night partygoer Two sewer workers have
up SIN readings of an Ogre. saw the Ogre and passed gone missing. One sewer
out, finding herself in the worker has quit from
cistern. She’s being held stress - he’s seen things
by the mob at an offsite he’d rather not describe.
briefing briefing garage for questioning.

g saw
in he
at ar Heard frequently
r og d and investigated.
er
nt saw Friends lost their

g
i

in
THE MOB lives because of

at
him

ig
THE JAILOR

st
(OGRE) THE HOST
ve
Large, powerful In
criminal enterprise, Have seen, and Huge, hulking, bound
runs the casino. Has a want it gone.
in iron chains. Frank Matsuda is a wife guy, a latent
large force of enforcers Bloated flesh. Sees psychic, and gambling addict who bit
and security systems, its duty to keep off more than he can chew, hiding his
including in the tunnels Frank imprisoned. debts from his wife and frequently
pro
underneath the city tec visting the mob-run Silver Star Casino.
where they often move tin
g His debts caught up with him, and
illicit goods. THE PALACE e nd unable to return home, his shame
catalyzed into an Ogre that manifested
The Ogre’s palace has manifested and trapped him in the tunnels under
in an old storm cistern in the the casino. Now he’s stuck there,
T
ex ry sewers once used by the mob to barely surviving, and trying to escape,
Mob bribes
police, t in dump bodies. The mob keeps it while the Ogre’s miasma filters up
ki ort g through the casino and the city.
police dn a to under lock and key.
pressure ap nd
mob
Can tell all -
providing he is alive.
THE POLICE Unwilling without
TRAUMAS assurances
ing,
tigat
Beleaguered. Under funded. Inves eartedly
h a l f h
Corrupt. Maybe one cop here What pushed you in this hole? My gambling addiction.
who actually wants to solve What’s keeping you from going over the edge? I love
the case and will point the my wife too much, even though I’ve been bad to her.
exorcists in the right direction in What are you most ashamed of? I never owned up to
ve
st my wife about my behavior, and hid it from her. I think
ig
at she knows.
in
g
FRANK’S WIFE

Estranged. Exhausted. Hounded know each

other and THE DRINKING BUDDY
by police and the mob. Knew
frank
about Frank’s gambling
addiction and may be able to Good natured. Had heard about
answer traumas. disappearances. Secretly a mob
informant, but likes Frank and
wants to help locate him. May be
able to answer traumas.

Informant for both

police and mob

It can be very helpful to try to have more than one Moving Forward
connection between pieces of information so that
d the rest of the
exorcists feel like there isn’t just one path forward. The following section (an
and the Sins
When you draw out connections between pieces book) deals with CAIN
sheets and the
of information at the start, try and make as many themselves. Use the sin
a tool during
as possible. Draw in relationships, locations, references provided as
s along. When in
objects - things that all these clues have in gameplay to speed thing
a cue or
common that connect them. Imagine it like a doubt, look to a sheet for
simple maze that exorcists must navigate, from the inspiration!
edge to the center.

97
 CAIN
CAIN is the global supranational organization for
the execution and disposal of supernatural
Officially, the organization’s goal is to eradicate all
sins. Unofficially, it has many of its own goals and
phenomena. Buried in a dozen massive agendas, which often clash internally. Astute
subterranean facilities worldwide, it’s behemoth observers might note that its goal is not a long
machinery exists for one purpose: to wipe out the term solution, something the organization is aware
stain of humanity’s sins. Without the of, but dogmatically denies.
organization, humanity would eventually collapse
under the weight of its own evil.
The Legion
Exorcists are the tools of CAIN, high potential CAIN’s human staff number in the tens of
psychic individuals who can exercise the thousands and are highly trained and inducted
necessary self-control to use their powers as a under oath. The entire organization is broadly split
weapon. CAIN is responsible for their recruitment into four sub-organizations, each of which
and monitoring, as well as their training, upkeep, sometimes finds itself at odds with the other.
and education, and takes this as its secondary
driving purpose.

The organization is extremely well resourced and

has access to many global facilities and
deployment sites, including the SERAPH orbital
rail and surveillance network. Despite this, it
remains a relatively small organization, by
necessity due to the nature of its activities.

The Shadow War

The governing body of CAIN, responsible for the
CAIN officially does not exist and operates on a clandestine nature of the organization and
clandestine basis. Its operating charter has its covering up most Sin activity, which is often
basis in the old hermetic orders and was explained by ‘unexplained’ disappearances, gas
established by the Covenant of Worms in 1684. It’s leaks, industrial accidents, chemical spills, or
headquarter building is in XXX in the XXX ocean natural disasters. CAIN has roots in most major
and has extensive boarding, research, and training governments, but is not subservient to any of
facilities. them.

World elites and leaders are typically aware of its The board is made up of eight elders chosen by
existence, but may scramble to grasp the true succession and a secret vote. Their real identities
meaning of its activities. CAIN tightly regulates its are kept a secret even to the organization itself
research into the phenomena of grace, and and they are only referred to by their titles. They
therefore mundane governments are always one rarely meet in person, and in practice while there
step behind CAIN, which has not only its is a ranking (upper four and lower four), none of
technological edge, but a trained cadre of high them are in charge. The lower four are rumored to
level psychics at its disposal. all be extremely powerful exorcists of Category 5-7
but this is unsubstantiated.

98
Cain’s intelligence service, responsible for tracking Cain’s boarding organization, responsible for the
sin emergences, exorcist recruitment, and the upkeep, education, maintenance, and well being of
monitoring of rogue psychics. Utilizing CAIN’s exorcists, as well as their deployment to the field.
orbital surveillance platform SERAPH and the Many psychics manifest powers in adolescence,
Heaven Eyes, a group of specialized precognitive therefore there is an extensive schooling, exercise,
exorcists, they are able to not only track sin and nutrition program to keep them in good
activity across the globe but also predict future mental and physical shape. Exorcists are the
activity with a small degree of variance. organization’s highest value assets - they are well
taken care of, providing they prove their worth.
They are also responsible for, in extreme
circumstances, deploying ‘veil’ blanket memory In a sense, CASTLE is both father and mother to
modification, as well as the defrosting and launch the exorcists and is their closest point of contact
of extremely powerful reserve exorcists (deemed: to the organization. Most people they interact with
Virtues) to critical situations. in their day to day will be CASTLE staff. Exorcists
are not allowed to reside outside of approved
facilities though allowances can be made for
outside trips or excursions for well being and
leisure. During such trips they are tightly
monitored.

CASTLE maintains CAIN’s mundane security wing

and military forces, including heavily armed and
well trained ‘scramble’ teams of mundane humans
with special anti-psychic training, dubbed
‘untouchables'. They are typically recruited from a
pool of international convicts and deployed in
tight circumstances against sins where exorcists
cannot be allocated in time. These teams have a
Cain’s research division, responsible for counter- high expected fatality rate and cultivate a certain
measure production, weapon development, pride in their activities.
exorcist research, and sin or anomaly
imprisonment. It is also responsible for the training
of exorcists and the honing of their abilities,
running the monthly category assessment tests.

TEMERITY has, unfortunately, cultivated a poor

reputation within CAIN for ruthlessness, mostly
due to their hard training regimen and their
secretive nature, even within the organization.

99
100
SINS
Sins are the failures of mankind made
manifest. They typically appear when
someone with naturally high levels of
grace suffers a traumatic event, the
influx of emotion rapidly expanding their
psychic potential to levels that their
body and mind cannot handle, as their
powers warp or even rip free of their
body.

In essence, sins manifest when CAIN

cannot locate a potential exorcist in
time. It is CAIN’s duty to shepherd these
individuals and each sin is a failure of its
purpose. The manifestation of sins is
very rare in society in general, though
troublingly this rate, and the percent of
humans affected by grace in general, is
increasing slowly but inexorably over
time.

Most people cannot see sins, though

some sins are partly visible to graceless
humans, who find the information hard
to process. Humans can always sense
the presence of sins without sight of
them, though they may describe them as
ghosts, evil spirits, or malevolent
presences.

101
 Manifestation Type

The appearance of a sin is only predictable insofar Sins each have a type. As exorcists are defined by
as they appear after trauma, emotional intensity, their agendas and blasphemies, sins are defined
or great suffering. Otherwise, it is highly random. by their type. CAIN assigns and names these types
They can appear even in individuals with no based on broad criteria. A Sin’s type determines
previous apparent psychic potential, or even post not only the kind of opponent exorcists will be
mortem after the death of their host (a common facing and its various abilities and details but also
sin manifestation event is after someone is the tone of the story that the hunt tells.
murdered).
The six types of sins are:
Sins feed off the intense psychic experiences of
their hosts and grow stronger the more intense • Ogre: A massive sin that feeds off despair and
these feelings are, whether pain, joy or pleasure. summons a choking miasma to cloak and
Over time they catalyze and begin to metabolize smother the area
this energy faster and faster, eventually leading to
a sin event. • Idol: A charismatic sin that manipulates and
pulls strings from behind the scenes, forming a
Sin Events cult around itself.

Sin Events always cause traumatic psychic veil • Hound: The embodiment of rage, a hound
rupture in a broad spectrum radius, which is usually manifests post-mortem - forming a
instantly fatal to all humans and nearly all grudge against a specific group of people and
exorcists, and may be antithetical to reality as we hunting them down violently.
understand it. The sin at the center will undergo
apotheosis, and typically undergo an evolution of • Centipede: A vile sin drawing its power from
some kind, prompting this cycle to repeat, with hatred and escapism that is widely feared for
stronger and stronger sin events each time. its ability to infect and transform hordes of
mundane humans.

• Toad: Unusually intelligent sins that delight in

material wealth, they covet what their host
could not have, and steal to form a massive
hoard from which they draw their power

TYPE, FORM, and CATEGORY • Lord: Appearing after their host suffers a
calamity or tragedy, a lord appeals to their
Sins have a broad range of appearances, from the sense of nostalgia and loss, restoring them to
monstrous, to the animalistic, to the their former glory and creating a parasitic
incomprehensible. Some even appear human, or pocket reality called a kingdom that slowly
can inhabit or fuse with the bodies of their hosts,
consumes the real world.
passing for human in some circumstances.
There are other beings that can also be classified
Sins are classified with the following: type, form,
as sins such as imagos, nascent sins formed from
and category.
exorcists that have suffered sin overflow, or traces,
weaker monsters that are are product of a major
sin’s manifestation and infest an area after its
appearance.

102
 Form Category

Sins take one of three forms. The form of a Sin has Like exorcists, sins are rated on a category system,
no impact on its in-game capabilities. from 0-7. Category 0 sins are weak comparatively,
but still as strong as an average human. Category
• Form I/Severed: The most common type, a 1 and 2 sins are easily capable of overwhelming
severed sin is free acting to its host, a psychic and killing a human.
being made manifest and acting with its own
needs and desires. This form still has an innate Fighting a higher category sin may be hard,
risky, or impossible depending on the category
connection to its host. It may not necessarily
differences.
require its host to be alive (especially if it
manifested post mortem), and may be either
Category determines the scale and power of a
malicious or helpful to its host.
sin’s abilities. A CAT 2 sin can produce an effect
• Form II/Fused: A fused sin has fused to its that can suffuse an entire room. A CAT 5 sin can
human hosts’ body or corpse, forming an produce an effect that suffuses an entire building.
amalgam being. The sin is typically but not
always the dominant being in this Mundane Weaponry
arrangement. Form II sins vary in appearance,
and can look very humanlike. Humans may Fighting a sin with mundane abilities or tools, such
sense something ‘off’ about the person even if as human capabilities or the swords and sidearms
of exorcists, is always hard. It may even be even
they look normal.
completely ineffective if the sin is many categories
higher. To have a good shot at harming a sin,
PERCEIVING A FORM II SIN THAT is
exorcists will need to use their blasphemies,
not humanlike will cause
upgrade their service weapons, or get creative.

! unconsciousness or rapid
onset cranial hemmorrhage in
graceless humans
DO NOT MAINTAIN EYE CONTACT
• Form III/Bound: A rare form that occurs when
a human or exorcist is able to control and
command a type I or II sin. This sin may
! WITH A SIN FOR LONGER THAN
THREE SECONDS

originate from their own body and mind, or

may be bound separately.

Fact: Binders do not have any

‘official organization’. Any rumors
to the contrary are
unsubstantiated. Binding is
punishable by expedited execution.
Fortunately, exorcists that
practice this discipline are
granted an indefinite stay by CAIN
as long as they are employed.

103
 Powers and abilities
Sins are formed of pure psychic energy, a
coalesced knot of dark emotions made flesh. Their
existence is anathema to established reality, and
their powers can warp and bend it at will. Their
very presence degrades and eats away at the
world for as long as they exist. It is therefore
important that exorcists proceed with haste.

• Sins each have three domains. A domain is a

core strength of the sin, granting them many
powers.

• Sins have tension moves that they can use

each time the tension talisman fills up - things
like attacking the exorcists or making the
situation worse for them.

• Sins have a pressure talisman. This talisman

represents the degrading situation and fills up
over time.

• Sins have an execution talisman. This talisman

informs how the Sin acts in a combat or
confrontation situation, as well as directly Palace
tracking its harm and physical state.
A sin’s palace is a pocket dimension, a lair of sorts
• Finally, sins have traumas. These are the tragic,
where it is able to retreat and take refuge.
intense, or painful circumstances of their birth.
Investigating and unveiling these traumas can
drastically weaken the sin. • If a sin takes 4 slashes on its execution
talisman outside of its palace, it retreats there
until pressure increases. It slips away, skulks
Domains off, or blinks out of existence. Then it heals 1d3,
or 2d3 if the talisman is full. It can never be
A domain is a broad description of a power that a executed outside.
sin has, and the abilities that it grants. When the
Admin creates a sin for a hunt, they will choose • Fighting a sin inside its palace forces an
three domains for that sin. Each Sin is therefore execution scene where it cannot flee.
slightly different from another.
• Exorcists can always summon a sin into its
palace if they are inside and it is outside using
Domains grant several explicit powers, but can the Nail of Abel (pg. 36)
also be referred to when an Admin decides the
theming of a sin’s attacks and abilities. A sin that
Details as to the look and feel of each sin’s palace
relies on a domain of darkness to hide itself, such
are include in each sin’s description, but the
as an ogre, may therefore attack more with
Admin can improvise. A palace should represent
ambush attacks or shadow constructs than an
a sin to some degree, or the things significant to
ogre that relies on manipulating rot and mud.
their host. Since it draws on the human psyche, it
can often resembles a mundane location, like a
hotel or abandoned hospital.

104
 TENSION MOVES 3. Involve authorities

The Admin tracks the general passage of time and CAIN is a clandestine organization that must
the tension of the hunt with the tension talisman. operate below official notice. Whether through the
It fills up at 3 slashes. actions of the exorcists themselves attracting
attention or through intervention by the Sin or its
Tension increases when: forces, get the authorities involved - alert police or
security, or even the military (if the scale is high
• A scene passes enough).

• A 1 result is rolled on a risk die, but no more 4. Separate someone

than once a scene
Send an exorcist or important NPC somewhere
When the talisman fills, the Admin can empty the dangerous or separated - like the Sin’s palace,
talisman, then pick one of the following tension enemy territory, have them fall through a floor in a
moves to activate, or improvise based on the ones ruined building - force the exorcists to split up or
provided. Tension moves add complications or sidetrack.
twists to the narrative and keep the exorcists on
their toes. Domains will often add new tension
moves to the list or provide hints as to what kind
5. Force a difficult choice
of actions the Admin should take. Don’t regard
Make the exorcists choose between two things
these lists as proscriptive - rather as a guideline
they want or need, and take the other thing away
or spread of easily available choices.
once they have made their choice. For example,
kill all the civilians trapped in the subway if they
The basic moves are: choose to chase after the sin’s host now, or let the
sin’s host get away if they choose to save the
Send minions/Ambush the exorcists/Involve civilians.
authorities/Separate someone/Force a difficult
choice/Escalate the situation/Start or progress a
ticking clock/Use a domain/Threaten or twist an
6. Escalate the situation
NPC/Introduce a new obstacle
Very simply, punch up the tension of the situation.
If it’s a calm conversation with local authorities, it
1. Send minions becomes a potential arrest. If it’s a simple car ride,
the exorcists are suddenly being tailed (by who?).
Self explanatory - send minions after the exorcists. Show the exorcists they are not alone in the
Sins often have traces - lesser sins, or humans abandoned building. Start asking hard questions.
that follow their command, listed in each sin Light a fire.
description. The Admin can use this tension move
to have them show up in a scene unexpectedly -
even when the exorcists are otherwise
7. Afflict the exorcists
preoccupied!
Give an exorcist a random afflliction from the sin
sheet, or give them a hook with bad
2. Ambush the exorcists consequences attached such as harm, corruption,
attention, or attrition.
The sin attacks the exorcists directly, often with
the element of surprise. If fought this way, it is
banished back to its palace if it takes 4 slashes on
its talisman or is reduced to 0. It must remain there
until pressure increases.

105
 11. Introduce a new obstacle

4 CIVILIAN DEATHS Put something in the path of the exorcists - an

unexpected police presence, a security system, a
locked door, a broken bridge, a bevy of teeth
gnashing monsters. Then let them figure it out.

O N
DETONATI
PRESSURE
2 Pressure is the counterpart to tension. It
represents the overall degrading situation, in a
way unique to each sin. The nature of each sin’s
pressure mechanic informs the tone of the game,
8. Start or progress a ticking clock and makes it so that exorcists must choose how to
spend their time wisely.
Write a talisman for what it represents: air left in
the room, time until the poison takes hold, number
Pressure increases when the tension talisman is
of innocents left alive, time until the bomb goes
full and is slashed again.. It goes from 0-6. Sins
off. Write a talisman with 2/3 segments for short,
automatically add ticks on the pressure
4+ for long, the shorter the harder. Then fill it up,
talisman to their execution talisman.
slashing it ether each time pressure increases (for
Additionally, at 6+, pressure goes out of control.
a bigger situation) or each time a scene passes
The sin gains +1 CAT, increasing its power and
(for a smaller situation) or each time an action is
strength and likely making most actions harder
taken by the exorcists (for an immediate situation).
against it. Each sin has a specific, secondary effect
It happens if the talisman is full and would be
of the situation going out of control. This doesn’t
slashed again. Exorcists should be able to take
prevent the exorcists from fighting the sin, but
action to ameliorate the situation, perhaps by
makes it much harder.
filling up a competing talisman, or removing
slashes on the current one.
The Admin can always refer to the pressure
talisman for the general state of emergency in the
9. Use a domain investigation. A situation at 2 pressure looks very
different from a situation at 5.
Many sins have domains that give them specific
tension moves, and can be easily referred to.
TRAUMAS
10. Threaten or twist an NPC Finally, each sin has 3 trauma questions that
precipitated its birth. The questions are different
Put crosshairs on an NPC, and pull the trigger if
for each sin type, but generally relate to the
the exorcists don’t react. Sins are supernatural
traumatic event that created the current situation.
forces with tremendous reach, and exorcists
Admins can use those provided or write their
strange, ill-socialized, and secretive investigators
own.
that are easy to dislike. Threaten to kill, steal, or
warp an NPC. Change their attitude or show the
effect of some corruption or supernatural force on Exorcists will be looking for these questions, since
them. Threaten to have them consumed by the they can be used once to deal and reduce harm.
forces beyond their control. The investigation will be formed around these
three questions, so the Admin should make their
answers information that is available within the
investigation itself (perhaps with some legwork)
and has tangible answers.

106
 A

2 3

See pg 161

The Execution 2. Complications

Talisman Reactions can also create new obstacles, hazards,
or change the parameters of the fight, making a
During conflicts with a Sin, the Sin’s execution change in the conditions until dealt with through
talisman is used when fighting the Sin directly. the actions of the exorcists. These are called
complications. Complications can:
The execution talisman is the direct lifeblood of
the Sin, and must be filled up in order for it to be • make something hard
defeated.
• deal 1 stress at the end of the round to all
exorcists
• When dealing direct harm to the Sin, slash its
talisman. • make the sin take 1 less slash on its talisman
• The Talisman equals 7+pressure+CAT. under certain circumstances
• If a sin takes 4 slashes, or is reduced to 0
outside its palace, it retreats and must remain • make the sin deal 1 more stress under certain
there until pressure increases. Then, it heals circumstances
1d3, or 2d3 if the talisman is full. • change the parameters of the fight
• When the talisman fills up inside its palace, the
Sin is at the mercy of the exorcists and can no The same effect cannot stack with itself.
longer fight. It may be dealt with or executed in
any way they please.
Complications are worse and take more effort to
deal with the worse the reaction die (5-6): 2
When a sin is fought in a conflict scene, the Sin talisman, (2-4): 4 talisman. (1): 6 talisman. A sin
uses the risk die rolled by an opponent as a can add a complication up to three times per
reaction die. conflict scene total.

1. Attacks The circumstances of a complication should be

specific and not apply all the time. For example:
Direct harm to the opponents, with the floor is on fire, dealing 1 stress to all exorcists
straightforward parameters (1: 5 slashes , 2-3: 3 who touch it, the sin’s fangs drip with poison,
slashes, 4+: 2 slashes). The Admin can improvise dealing +1 stress to unarmored exorcists.
the descriptions on these based on the
suggestions. They can also split the stress inflicted
up amongst any number of targets in range.

107
 When using a complication, a sin might, for • Afflict an exorcist, or
example:
• Cause collateral damage, or
• start moving incredibly fast, making it hard to • Massively change the parameters of the fight
harm without immobilizing it or pinning it down

• Create a cloud of choking smog, dealing 1 For example, a sin can threaten to:
stress a round to all exorcists
• Crush an exorcist in claws (stress)
• Create a thickened carapace (take 1 less slash
until dealt with) • Psychically afflict an exorcist

• Spew thick black sludge over an exorcist, • Collapse a building (change the fight, cause
dealing +1 stress to them until dealt with collateral damage, deal stress to all exorcists)

• move the fight into moving traffic • massacre bystanders

• move the fight into a crowd of mundane • trap an exorcist behind a psychic wall
humans (separate an exorcist)
• hurl an exorcist into traffic (stress, separate
Complications can represent a slowly worsening exorcist)
situation, in which case set out a talisman of either
2 (short) or 4 (long) length and slash it every
As always, the admin can refer to the risk die for
round, with some outcome if it isn’t dealt with. Get
the severity of these outcomes.
rid of the talisman if the complication is dealt with.

3. Threats 4. Severe Attacks

A severe attack is a limited but much more
The Admin may have a sin threaten to do
powerful attack that typically inflicts more harm,
something more severe than an immediate
conditions, or even injuries or hooks on exorcists.
reaction, giving the exorcists a chance to react.
When a sin makes a severe attack, it immediately
initiates a challenge that anyone can participate
• A sin can threaten exorcists once a round. in, interrupting the normal round order. The
• Threats can deal more severe consequences challenge is described in the attack. It can only be
than simple reactions used once a hunt!

When a threat is deployed, one exorcist Other reactions

immediately has a chance to make an action roll
to negate the threat. This doesn’t take their action Sins don’t necessarily have to take the above two
for the round, and any exorcist can act, even one reactions, but could take any other action that the
that has already acted. The action roll has no other Admin deems appropriate, using the result of the
result other than negating the threat, and negates risk die as a guide: (1/2: Strongest reaction, 3/4/5:
it on at least one success. This roll is otherwise a medium reaction, 6: Weak reaction).
normal roll (it can incur consequences, be set up,
or gain bonus dice as normal). Traces
Threats can, if executed: Some sins create traces: echoes or reflections of a
sin - in effect lesser Sins themselves. Traces also
• Inflict harm: (1): An injury, (2-3) 5 stress. (4-6) 3 have an execution talisman, but they are typically
stress much weaker than a sin.

• Separate an exorcist completely, or

108
Like sins themselves, traces don’t have an action • How does it speak?
and only act in reaction to player rolls. If fought
• What is it’s relationship like with its host?
alonside a sin, once a round, they can take a free
reaction after a player acts, rolling their own • What does it enjoy or go out of its way to
reaction die. Otherwise, the admin must choose experience?
to take a reaction with either the sin or its traces - • What does it avoid or hate? What thing will
not both. send it into a rage if mentioned?
• How does it treat the exorcists: as a nuisance,
Making a Sin foes, or with pity?

Making a sin is a pretty straightforward process. Sins all have a basic level of theming and were
always created with strong negative emotions. An
1. The Admin picks the sin’s type from the six Admin can use these as a jumping off point.
available
2. The Admin chooses the form of the sin (1, 2, Creating an investigation
or 3). This is purely for theme.
Working off the details of the sin the admin should
3. The Admin picks a category for the sin, from create an investigation (see pg. 94 for details) for
0-7. Typically exorcists are dispatched to fight the exorcists. The key points of the investigation
sins of equal or lesser category, and are rarely are:
dispatched to fight higher category sins unless
the situation is dire.
• The inciting incident where the sin was
4. Figure out who the sin’s host is, what the created
basic hook for the investigation is, and answer • The basic situation at present
the sin’s three trauma questions or write your
own. • The sin’s host and their state and location
5. Figure out the location and appearance of • The location of the sin’s palace
the sin’s palace. It should always be in the
investigation area and accessible to exorcists. • The sin’s three trauma questions
In essence, the exorcists are looking for these
to end the hunt - it is their primary goal. Fighting multiple sins
6. Pick three domains for the sin.
The Admin may want to make an investigation
7. Review the sins’ abilities and name the sin. where multiple sins are present. Normally one sin
is complicated enough to run, but an Admin can
For all these steps, the Admin can refer to the hunt run an investigation with two sins if they are
sheet and the info sheet for each sin, where there feeling like adding a twist. If they do, do the
are numerous suggestions and thematic details. following:

• Halve all execution talismans

Fleshing out a sin
• The palace of the two sins is shared - a fused
Outside of the rules presented, the Admin can reality. It may reflect the natures of both of the
sins and their hosts combined. Exorcists
flesh out the sin with theming and details, based therefore still only have one palace to track
on the suggestions on the sin’s sheet provided. An down, and when they fight the sins inside the
Admin doesn’t have to follow these to the letter palace will fight both at once.
and can write their own attacks, complications,
threats, etc or improvise on the fly. Some good • In an conflict scene, the Admin still only takes
questions to ask: one reaction at once.

• The Admin can only activate one tension move

• How does it fight? at once between both sins

109
 I. OGRE
Enormous, misshapen, and hideously powerful, ogres
are a common sin type that is nonetheless quite
dangerous compared to others.

Ogres are born out of people’s sense of inadequacy

and failure, shame, and self-hatred, or just a deep
desire for misery. When someone psychically
sensitive falls into a deep hole of loathing and
hopelessness, an ogre begins to form in their psyche
and take root.

Ogres commonly manifest in:

• people ground down to a pulp by life - bullying,

traffic, debt, overwork, etc

• people who suffer from a deep, existential self

loathing

• people dealing with extreme grief

Primary emotion: Despair

Appearance and Psychophysiology: Ogres are

almost always extremely large, strong, and bulky and
manifest a typical malformed, monstrous
appearance, often due to the low self worth of their
hosts. When fused with a host, the host may appear
to be a worse, ‘uglier’ version, as they judge
themselves. An ogre’s mere presence sucks the
energy and life out of a room, even if mundane
humans cannot see it, lowering the temperature.
They are associated with frost, mist, mud, and ill
weather. When pressed in a fight they are
enormously strong and durable, able to rapidly
regenerate from their wounds, tear a human in half,
and ignore even extreme punishment.

Behavior: Ogres are unusual in that they are

extremely anti-social, self deprecating, and conflict
averse for sins, and usually just want to be left alone.
It is extremely rare for ogres to manifest post mortem
and they are typically very emotionally attached to
their hosts. They are often co-dependent and may
spend their time tormenting or comforting their host,
sometimes both, preferring to push them and those
around them into self destructive behavior or a deep
laconic haze.

110
 ARCHIVE OGRES

THE MINOTAUR BUCEPHALUS BLUE OGRE

Possessed subject O76, post Subject O33, Type II, fused with CAT Subject O167, Type I, semi-rural
mortem, type III. O76 worked at 4 ogre after release from her job for region in XXX. Exorcists called after
major financial firm XXXXX and had numerous workplace tardiness murders of three high schoolers
been suffering from workplace infractions due to extreme morning with supernatural cause suspected.
hazing culture and harassment for commute. Continued to roam Subject had failed to enter
five years and seven months. Upon highways, family called in subject of university, engage in employment,
manifestation the company building concern and exorcists XXX, XXXX, or attract any romantic relationships
was converted into XXXXX trapping and XXX sent. Section of highway and had concealed these facts from
153 humans inside, hunters were XXX 3 miles in diameter became his family out of shame for multiple
able to execute and exfiltrate with miasma zone and was put under years. Manifestation eliminated but
only a 30% casualty rate. quarantine, exorcists were able to no execution recorded, subject MIA.
locate palace inside of parked car Exorcists were disciplined.
and execute around 0200, 30 hours
after infiltration. 155 civilian
casualties, no exorcists KIA, mission
deemed largely successful.

TRAUMAS
The Admin, as the ogre, answers the following questions (or writes their own), then establishes a trauma
based on the truthful answers.

• Who or what pushed you into this hole?

• Who or what is keeping you from going over the edge?

• What are you most ashamed of?

For every question the exorcists answer, they can counter a sin’s reaction, rolling 1d3 after the sin acts. Reduce any stress
sufffered by all targets by the amount on the die, and the sin immediately takes that many slashes on its execution clock from
the psychic trauma, which cannot reduce it below 1.

111
 PALACE • a thick white mold begins to grow over
surfaces

Tracking an ogre down is often a matter of finding • technology, phone lines, electricity, and internet
its host, or where its host is currently residing. stop working reliably, and eventually stops
Once influenced by an ogre, a host usually working all together
withdraws from society and cuts off its
• architecture stops conforming to sense and
connections, making this harder than it would
becomes maze-like or nonsensical
usually be.
• Humans spending time inside the miasmatic
An ogre’s palace typically resembles a mirror of a area begin to share in the ogre’s outlook and
space significant to the ogre’s host, but long become more and more hostile
decayed and significantly expanded in size into a
warren or maze-like space. Interspersed in the When the exorcists arrive, the miasma should
area is garbage, junk, and things the ogre has cover only part of the area the exorcists are trying
collected. The ogre typically barely fits inside and to investigate, like a few blocks. Each time
may have to painfully squeeze or crouch to move pressure increases, the miasma spreads to a
around, although this doesn’t seem to slow it new area. When pressure fills up completely, the
down at all. situation gets out of control. The Ogre increases
in CAT by +1, and the miasma covers the entire
Typical palaces resemble: area of the investigation - no matter where the
exorcists go, the miasma follows them for the
• Abandoned or derelict buildings duration of the mission - even if they leave the
investigation area.
• Filthy high rise apartments

• Closed or shuttered schools TRACES

• Empty, dead workplaces or offices May take a free reaction 1/round if fought
alongside a sin.
Ogre palaces are: Dark/Wet/Cold/Musty/
Reeking/Filthy
STUMBLERS

PRESSURE: MIASMA Stumblers are bulbous and misshapen humanoids formed from the
shame and guilt of the ogre and drawn to sources of warmth, such
as humans. They start to appear in greater and greater numbers
The very presence of an ogre begins to infect an inside the miasma area and are partly visible to graceless humans,
area with a dark Miasma. When an ogre appears, who can be driven catatonic by merely looking at one for longer
the weather will typically sour in the local area than a glance. Though they don’t need to eat, they will rip apart
over the next few days and remain that way until living beings they come across and devour them.
the ogre reaches critical mass and undergoes a
sin event or is executed. This miasma typically
Stumblers (sins): Execution talisman 2 (solo), 4 (group), 6
manifests the following way:
(massive group). The have the following features:

• buildings, objects, roads, and other • Disintegrate rapidly outside of the miasma.
constructions in the area begin to degrade as • Slow and uncoordinated. Actions that can take advantage of
though they have suffered from poor this roll +1D against them.
maintenance for years • Take -1 slash from physical harm

• clouds shroud the sun and fog rolls in. Over Reactions:
time, the fog becomes thicker and thicker and
eventually acquires a sour smell Inflict stress. Attacks with: misshapen body, rusted metal, spurts
of fluid. (1) 4 stress, (2/3): 3 stress, (4+): 2 stress.

Or: create a complication or threat: Grab someone, smother in

flesh, infected bite, rupture and threaten to explode, fuse to wall,
ear-splitting screaming, devour humans.
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 EXECUTION
ATTACKS WITH: Teeth, claws, fetid water, black
7+PRESSURE+CAT

THREATS: Grab an exorcist and squeeze the life out

spew (1) 5 stress, (2/3): 3 stress, (4+): 2 stress. of them. Hurl exorcist through a wall. Collapse
architecture. Summon minions. Kill bystanders. Infect
COMPLICATIONS: Kill lights, summon mist, spew with dark pulsing veins. Cause a flash flood or freeze.
ceaselessly on someone, bury an exorcist in mud, Blind someone in a miasmatic cloud. Use a domain.
slime, or vomit, pin down an exorcist, release acrid Do something dark, crushing, or vile.
stench, smash walls, floor, or ceilings, retreat into
darkness, add a bystander, use a domain.

Severe Attack: Pulverize AFFLICTIONS

An ogre can use this ability on a ‘1’ on the risk roll, Given by a threat, hook, or tension move.
striking out with overwhelming and crushing
force: a flurry of limbs, a torrent of darkness, an 1. White Mold: Spreading white veins and
elephant-like foot, a cavernous jaw. They can only coughing indicate mold infection. Subtract 1
use it once a mission. from all resting rolls while afflicted and cannot
eat, drink, or use consumables.
Target an exorcist. Any other exorcists nearby
2. Frozen Limbs: Physical activity or fine
must decide to fly to their aid. Any that don’t offer
motor skill is hard if it requires more than one
aid cannot participate. Start with a pool of 6d6.
limb.
Then remove one dice for each of the following. If
an answer is ‘no’, you or someone aiding you can 3. Circling the Drain: Cannot benefit from
immediately make a single action roll to attempt teamwork or setup. Permanently add to your
rectify the answer, with only a few moments to act. agenda: give up on something.

• Is another person aiding you? They can 4. Black Lungs: Speaking spews out black
describe how. sludge. All communication that requires
speaking is hard
• Can you grab on to something nearby?
5. Rotting: Black rot has taken in the body.
• Do you have a source of bright light or heat? Take 1 stress each time pressure fills up. If this
inflicts an injury, it inflicts instant death.
• Is the ogre distracted, hindered, or under
duress in some way? 6. The Weight: Permanently add to your
agenda: die.
• Then roll the dice.
Or improvise: make a skill or activity hard or risky
The exorcist and any aiding them take 1 stress for
every die rolled, no matter the result. If at least one
‘1’ comes up, the targeted exorcist immediately
takes an injury and the mangled limbs affliction:
all physical activity is hard unless set up by an ally
or participating in teamwork.

If two or more ‘1’s come up, the exorcist has one or

more of their limbs torn off (roll 1d3: 1: arm 2: leg
3: both legs). Roll 1d6 for left or right (left on 1-3,
right on 4-6). They take an injury, pass out until the
scene passes, then all physical activity is hard for
them without teamwork. After the mission is over,
they can adjust to their disability and this no
longer has an effect on them (determine with
Admin how your character heals).
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 3. The Grinding of Wheels

DOMAINS
Choose three.
The ogre can force exorcists to experience some
of the crushing trauma that caused its birth.As a
tension move, the ogre can pick an exorcist. That
exorcist is afflicted by the Despair affliction.

1. Hostile Door Patterns DESPAIR: This special affliction can only affect
one exorcist at once. They permanently gain the
The world itself begins to turn against the agenda item push people away even if losing this
exorcists. As a complication or a tension move, affliction.
the ogre supernaturally erases entrances, exits,
roads, vehicles, or light sources in an area of about Ask that exorcist the question who in this group
CAT+2. These return when the scene passes or if will let you down? Any time the chosen person
the complication is dealt with. fails an action roll, the afflicted exorcist gains 1
nonlethal stress. However, if this triggered at least
Once a hunt, as a tension move, if an exorcist once during a session, at the end of that session
opens any door, the entire group suddenly finds also gain 1 xp.
themself in an area of twisting corridors, pitch
black darkness, and distant but troubling noises.
The area is both dangerous and hostile to them.
Finding an exit and escaping will require playing
out a scene or two, and the Admin can set out
4. That Awful Flesh
talismans as needed.
The ogre can regenerate rapidly from injuries.

• It regenerates 1 segment of the execution

talisman every time a risk result of 1 is rolled in
2. The Unseeing of Things a conflict scene where it is present.

The miasma becomes permeated with an deep, • The ogre takes -1 slash on its execution
cloying dark. The ogre is invisible in darkness. It talisman unless damage by fire, acid, or some
becomes hard to do anything to the ogre unless it other strong chemical or solvent in the same
is brightly lit or an action doesn’t rely on sight. scene.

As a tension move, all electric lights not held by 5. The Inevitable Place of
an exorcist sputter out and cease functioning until Meat
pressure increases again. The Admin immediately
picks an exorcist and asks them ‘What do you see The ogre can temporarily cause the miasma to
in the dark?’. They must answer truthfully and gain accelerate its effects.
1d3 nonlethal stress after answering.
• The touch of the ogre can rapidly rot and decay
objects, plant matter, and constructions,
destroying them and dissolving them into mud
and slime.
• Exorcists inside the miasma start to
superficially rot if they spend scenes there -
hair falling out, sunken skin, dead skin cells,
nails falling out, etc. They recover from this
damage after the mission.
• As a tension move the ogre can cause an
exorcist inside the miasma to start decaying.
They gain the Rotting affliction (see afflictions).

• Exorcists subtract 1 from all their healing

rolls.

114
 7. Where You Belong
6. The Lash Calls you Brother The ogre can control mud, water, and ambient
temperature to killing effect.
At the start of a mission, the Ogre chooses an
exorcist and creates a creature formed from the The ogre can sink into any sufficiently large pool of
guilt and shame of that exorcist. The Admin mud and reappear in short distance as part of any
secretly asks the targeted exorcist the following reaction it takes.
questions:
Whenever pressure increases, the ogre can
• Which ally are you embarrassed to be around? change the weather in a CAT+2 area until the
remainder of the mission, making it extremely
• What's the worst thing you ever did? hostile (freezing cold, rain, etc). It becomes hard
• What do you hate the most about yourself? or risky (or both) to perform any activity outside in
the area that requires concentration, focus, or
manual dexterity without sufficient protection from
The creature takes a form that plays off these
the weather.
answers. It is a trace with the following execution
talisman.

8. The Agony
At the start of the mission, the ogre can pick an
CRUSHER exorcist. That exorcist gains the Sunken affliction
for the rest of the mission.
Execution talisman 6+CAT. If defeated, is destroyed
permanently. It has the following features:

SUNKEN: While afflicted, up to three times as

• Deals +1 stress against the exorcist it is formed from
mission, when you take action, the Admin may
• That exorcist’s actions are hard against it. ask them the question: Is your heart really in
this?
• Attempts to harm only its target in a fight if present.

• If you answer yes, you gain +1D on the

Reactions:
action but also take 1d3+1 stress.
Inflict stress. Attacks with: decaying, oversized weaponry,
• If the answer is no, you roll at 0D no matter
mutated flesh. (1) 4 stress and rotting affliction, (2/3): 3
what, but recover 1 psyche burst.
stress, (4+): 2 stress.

Or: create a complication or threat: Grab by the throat,

Pin down someone, raise weapon to cleave, charge
someone through a wall, floor, or door, swing wildly, cause
collateral damage.

Or: Force confession: Force the exorcist to confess

aloud the answer to one of the questions they answered.
They take 1 nonlethal stress, or else take 1d6 lethal stress
if they refuse to answer. Works once per question.

115
 II. IDOL
Serene and charming, idols radiate an otherworldly
beauty and poise. Unlike other sins, they possess
the unique ability to appear visible to the graceless,
and often take humanlike form.

Idols are born out of the basic human desire to be

wanted and loved. In this way, they are sometimes
regarded as the most generally benign in their
intentions. However, much like other sins, their
manifestation draws on the dark side of the human
psyche and usually pulls their hosts into greater acts
of vanity and control.

Idols commonly manifest in:

• failed actors, singers, or performers

• people who suffer an extreme lack of fulfillment

• people who have been abandoned or have lacked

any human connection or love

Primary emotion: Desire

Appearance and Psychophysiology: Idols

commonly appear as humanlike in form. They may
appear as someone desired by their host: their hosts’
ideal romantic partner, a parental figure, or a best
friend. When fused with their hosts, they may
enhance their hosts into ‘ideal’, more perfect versions
of themselves, usually enhancing features a host
deems desirable, and eliminating those seen as
undesirable. They have a godly, otherworldly beauty
to them that can be stunning to humans, especially
the graceless. When forced into a corner, or when
they want to display their power, idols are capable of
taking other, more terrible forms.

Behavior: Idols radiate charisma, and unique among

sins, draw other people to them, usually coalescing
into a massive cult. Their voices and appearances are
hypnotizing to the graceless and they are able to
issue commands or suggestions that humans find
nearly impossible to ignore. They can be charming,
funny, and find it intolerable when they are not the
center of attention. At their worst, they represent the
worst aspects of love and desirability - absolute,
almost sadistic control and selfishness.

116
 ARCHIVE IDOLS

BLOODY PRINCE OUR FRIEND THE LAUGHING MAN

Type I, manifested to subject I887, Type II, fused to failed middle age Type III manifestation, controlled by
formerly popular idol group member businessman XXxxxxxXX. Subject binder XXxxxXX (deceased, ex. in
XXxxxxXX. Sidelined by her talent recently divorced and estranged captivity under the doctrine of John
agency, (later substantiated) from adult children. Started the Redeemer: record e3094).
allegations of abuse and stalking by populous cult Church of Family Popular online cult following would
management. Online speculation as promising close family connections vote on targets for ‘prank’ video
to her disappearance substantiated and revival through community production posting on dark web,
investigation by SEER into cabaret events. Flourished for many years often choosing individuals of
club XXXxxxxxxxxX. Further records through XXxXX to XXxXX as a large prestige and power including
erased. and prosperous organization until celebrities XxxxxXX and XXxxxxX.
detected by SEER after multiple Located by seer after kidnapping of
kidnapping cases. Time to execution XXxxxxxxXX and death of well
3 hrs 35 minutes, 52 casualties. known actor XxxxxxXX. Palace
Deprogramming extensive. located attached to laptop of subject
and executed after 9 hours.

TRAUMAS
The Admin, as the idol, answers the following questions (or writes their own), then establishes a trauma
based on the truthful answers.

• What is your dream?

• Why did you give up on your dream?

• Why do you think you are you incapable of being loved?

For every question the exorcists answer, they can counter a sin’s reaction, rolling 1d3 after the sin acts. Reduce any stress
sufffered by all targets by the amount on the die, and the sin immediately takes that many slashes on its execution clock from
the psychic trauma, which cannot reduce it below 1.

117
 PALACE The NPC now follow the psychic commands and
directives of the idol and abandon their former
priorities and loyalties.
Idols tend to manifest their palace where their cult
is located, typically in populated locations. They When pressure fills up, the situation goes out of
may have a front operation that covers the control. The Idol gains +1 Category and adds
entrance to their palace and their cult in general - every single NPC in the mission area to its cult,
a news or internet program, a band, a concert hall, including any NPCs the exorcists encounter in
a religious gathering, etc. The true headquarters of the future.
their cult is typically more concealed and harder to
access. At the center is usually an entrance to
their palace, which the idol may invite select cult
TRACES
members in to visit in order to win them over. May take a free reaction 1/round if fought
alongside a sin.
Depending on the aspiration of the sin, the interior
of typical palaces is usually a monument to self-
obsession and resembles:
CULTISTS
• Palatial estates
Cultists are mundane humans pulled under the
• Nightclubs or concert halls supernatural influence of the Idol. They can behave
normally when required but are functionally puppets,
• Beautiful high rise penthouse apartments having their feeble will suppressed by the extremely
powerful Grace of the sin. The idol will often deploy
• Religious halls or places of worship
them for missions of importance or to infiltrate groups.
Idol palaces are typically: Luxurious, gilded, airy,
Defeating the idol will pull any cultists out of their
captivating, impressive, gaudy, holy
brainwashing. They have no memory of their time
when brainwashed.
Pressure: CULT Cultists (humans): Execution talisman 2 (solo), 4
(group), 6 (large group)
Idols gather cults around them, adding steadily to
them over time. This varies from mundane
admirers of the idol to people totally pulled under Reactions:
their spell. A lower category idol tends to pull
people into a cult of a few dozen people, whereas Inflict stress. Attacks with: Bare hands, improvised
a higher category one can pull in a cult that melee weaponry. (1) 4 stress, (2/3): 3 stress, (4+): 2
numbers in the hundreds or thousands. stress.

While the idol still lives, cultists are completely Or: create a complication or threat: Draw unwanted
and unflinchingly loyal to them and their host, attention, choke someone out, pull out a gun, draw in
and will follow the commands and inclinations of bystanders, making a shocking reveal.
their higher-ups in the cult without questioning.

The idol is able to secretly add npcs to its cult.

Every time pressure increases, the Admin chooses
an NPC the players have met on the mission and
adds them to the cult. They don’t have to reveal
this to the players.

118
ATTACKS WITH: Well honed blades, mundane
EXECUTION
firearms, thin and flexible claws, psychic voice
7+PRESSURE+CAT
THREATS: Summon cultists. Cause crippling pain.
Overwhelm the senses. Force exorcists to sarifice
commands. (1) 5 stress, (2/3): 3 stress, (4+): 2 stress. something. Expose a weakness. Enthrall an exorcist.
Take captives. Inflict a hook. Use a domain. Do
COMPLICATIONS: Rile up a crowd, enthrall something emotionally crushing, manipulative, or
someone, blind with glory, overwhelm with emotion, shocking.
force out secrets, disarm someone, spew out
hallucinations, add a bystander, use a domain.

Severe Attack: Marriage The exorcist and any aiding them take 1 stress for
every die rolled, no matter the result.

An idol can use this ability on a ‘1’ on the risk roll. • If at least one ‘1’ comes up, the targeted
They can only use it once a mission. exorcist must answer the question: Who in
among their allies do they desire the most?
Target an exorcist. Any other exorcists nearby This answer could be platonic, and the idol
must decide to fly to their aid. Any that don’t offer may give them a chance to reconsider.
aid cannot participate.
• If the answer is ‘nobody’ or ‘myself’, the idol
Start with a pool of 6d6. Then remove one dice for instantly inflicts an injury and knocks the
each of the following questions you answer ‘yes’ targeted exorcist unconscious for the
to. If an answer is ‘no’, you or someone aiding you remainder of the scene. If the answer is
can immediately make a single action roll to another ally, the idol forcibly fuses the flesh of
attempt rectify the answer, with only a few the two together. This has no immediate
moments to act, suffering consequences as adverse effects, but the two victims can only
normal if they fail. act with teamwork with each other while
fused. After the exorcists rest, they can remain
fused or forcibly separate themselves. This
• Are you far from the idol?
inflicts an injury on each of them. It otherwise
• Do you have love in your life? ends after the hunt as CAIN is able to safely
separate them.
• Does someone aiding you care about you?
They can describe how. • If two or more ‘1’s come up, this effect instead
lasts until the rest of the hunt, and can’t be
• Is the idol hindered, distracted, or under duress ended early.
in some way?
• After two fused exorcists are un-fused
Then roll the dice. (whichever way), they each take an agenda
item from the other’s agenda as a bold item.

AFFLICTIONS 4. Violent Jealousy: Pick an ally. Gain 1

stress if they roll any ‘6’. Permanently
add to your agenda: let nobody else
Given by a hook, threat, or tension move. outshine you.

1. Infatuated: Pick an ally. If you act 5. Narcissi: Powers that target only
without their setup or teamwork, you yourself gain +1 CAT. Powers that
take 1 stress. target at least one ally get -1 CAT.

2. Solipsism: Take 2 stress if 6. Ring: Permanently add to your

participating in teamwork or setup. agenda: show someone you are
worthy of their attention.
3. Violet Somnia: You can roll a resting
die any time. However, if you do, you Or Improvise: Make something hard or
fall asleep until pressure increases and risky
can’t be woken.
119
 3. Hold My Darlings

DOMAINS
Pick three.
The idol cultivates a special, insidious bond to its
cult members.

• Once a scene, when the idol would take

slashes on its execution talisman from an
1. Toys for Men exorcist’s action, it can supernaturally transfer
the harm to any cultist or group of cultists
The idol gains the ability to play with the flesh of present in the scene instead. This includes any
others like marionettes. NPCs added the idol’s cult.

• The idol can see through the eyes of any cult

Cultists gain +1 segment on their execution member as if they were its own, and can speak
talisman (so a lone cultist would have 3) as they through the mouths of cult members with its
can keep moving even while their body is broken, voice.
jerked by invisible strings.

The idol gains a new affliction:

4. That Pliable Flesh
The idol can twist its form rapidly and shape shift.
COLLECT DOLL: When afflicted, the exorcist
loses control of one of their arms. It becomes • As a tension move, reveal in a scene at any
doll-like in texture and appearance. Once a point that someone the exorcists are talking to
scene, the idol can interfere with an action the is actually the idol. All exorcists that witness
exorcist is performing as the hand interferes, this take 1 nonlethal stress. This can force a
forcing them to either take 1 stress or make the conversation or a conflict scene.
action hard.
• As a complication in a conflict scene, the idol
can rapidly shape shift into an exact copy of
2. Elevation of the one of the exorcists. Until the complication is
Innumerable Mass dealt with, when the idol would take slashes on
its execution talisman, roll a d6. On a 1-2,
The idol gains the ability to elevate members of its reduce the slashes to 0 and the doubled
cult into minor sins. One of these can appear a exorcist takes 2 stress as it becomes
scene when fighting the idol or its cult. impossible to distinguish between the two.

APOSTLE
5. Slumbering, I Saw a Shape
Apostle (Sin). Execution talisman 2+CAT. in the Door
Armed with supernatural strength and mutated
blades. The idol can enter the minds of the exorcists when
they let their guard down.
Reactions:
• Whenever the exorcists rest, each makes a 1d6
Inflict stress. Attacks with: Mutated body,
fortune roll. On a 1, they immediately gain an
mundane firearms or blades. (1) 4 stress, (2/3):
idol affliction.
3 stress, (4+):2 stress.
• Once a hunt, as a tension move, the idol may
Or: create a complication or threat: Create a
immediately force the exorcists to rest for the
fleshy clone of itself, unleash a flurry of attacks,
next scene. This doesn’t tick tension, cannot
mutate further, move impossibly fast
progress pressure past 4, and the results of all
Or: Exort (1-3): An ally of the apostle heals their resting rolls are ‘1’ no matter what. During
slashes on their execution clock depending on their rest they have disturbing daydreams. One
the risk die (1: 2 ticks, 2-3: 1 tick). The next time exorcist must describe these to the group and
that ally inflicts stress on an exorcist, they gains 1d3 nonlethal stress.
inflict +1 stress.
120
6. Taking the Ears 8. The Strong Scented Lips of
a Whispering God
The idol’s voice and psychic presence is
overwhelming, like an ocean battering down a The idol has major connections with the human
rickety door. world: fans, businessmen, or politicians. This
presents an expanding problem for CAIN cleanup.
• As a threat or a tension move, the Idol can
speak to to a group of mundane humans. If Cultists are now armed with short ranged firearms
successful, they are immediately added to the and body armor, dealing +1 stress with reactions.
cult and become a group of cultists. If cultists Increase their execution talisman by +1.
are already present, increase their execution
talisman by 2 instead. • Set out an exposure talisman, of 10 length.
• Once a scene, as a threat, the idol can begin to Whenever the exorcists engage in a conflict
speak an unspeakable word. If the threat is scene, tick it up by 1d3. If the exorcists do
successful, one exorcist that hears it takes 2d3 something else loud, violent, or with high
stress and the deafened affliction for the rest exposure, tick it up by 1, but no more than once
of the mission (can’t hear, may make activities a scene.
reliant on hearing hard or impossible). • If the talisman is 3 or more, local authorities will
Characters that are already deaf are immune to start to attempt to arrest the exorcists. If it’s 6
this. At the end of the mission, roll a 1d6 or more, the response becomes more severe in
fortune. On a 1 or 2, the character is scale.
permanently deafened but has time to adjust
before the next mission, making it have no
Exorcists can attempt to untick this talisman with
further deleterious effects.
their actions. If the talisman fills up before the idol
is dealt with, cleanup becomes catastrophic as the
news spreads beyond CAIN control. The exorcists
will receive no scrip pay for the mission.
7. The Glory
The idol is capable of taking a form that
overwhelms the senses.

• Once a scene, the Idol can take a glorious form

as a complication. Non-cultist humans
witnessing the form instantly become
unconscious. Exorcists witnessing the form
can either take 1 stress when acting against the
idol and ignore it, or avert their gaze. If they
avert their gaze, it becomes hard to do
anything that relies on sight.

• Cultists present in the scene are motivated by

the idol and may re-roll the risk die when
acting, taking the second result as final.

• One exorcist sees this form as someone dear to

them and must describe who to the group.
They take 1 nonlethal stress when harming the
idol while the form is active.

• This complication can be dealt with as normal.

121
 III. HOUND
Ferocious and violent, hounds are enormously
dangerous, wild sins that are rage personified.

Hounds are born out of a seething desire for vengeance

or justice. They are primarily defined by a deep
resentment or anger that is sometimes generalized, but
more often directed towards a specific person or group
of people in the form of a grudge. When a psychically
sensitive person’s unprocessed anger boils over and can
no longer be contained, a hound is born.

Hounds commonly manifest in:

• Murder victims

• Someone who has suffered a deep injustice from

someone who has power over them - like a landlord,
bank or boss

• Someone who has been deeply wronged, bullied, or

abused by a specific person or group of people

Primary emotion: Vengeance

Appearance and Psychophysiology: Hounds are

active, constantly moving sins that twitch or spasm with
barely concealed rage. They often take an animalistic
form and may exhibit animalistic behavior such as
running on all fours and biting even if they are humanoid
in form. They are typically lithe and extremely fast and
strong. Humans have an innate fear of them and can
sense their presence even if they can’t see a hound. Its
surviving victims often describe feeling a primal dread, a
sense of being hunted by a wild animal.

Behavior: Hounds are by far the least communicative

sins, sometimes exhibiting only animal-level intelligence,
and exist mostly to hunt, maim, and kill. They will
sometimes exhibit canniness and will stalk or wait to
strike their victims until the opportunity arises, but more
often than not when they site a victim they will simply
barrel through all obstacles, tearing everything apart
until their target is ripped into pieces or they expire.
Hosts fused with hounds exhibit incredible strength,
speed, and durability and often have extremely hot body
temperatures. They may exhibit extreme mania, violent
tendencies, and restlessness.

122
 ARCHIVE HOUNDS

DULLAHAN SCATHER MANHUNTER

Type II, possessing decapitated Type I, CAT 3, manifested after Type I, CAT I, manifested in
corpse of subject H09, subject H198 reached catastrophic adolescent subject H19 (recruited,
whistleblower for major arms levels of medical debt due to their see record r9833) after suffering
manufacturing company chronic XXxxxxX. Subject traveled to repeated schoolyard harassment.
XXXxxxXXX. First, second, and third conference center XXxxxxX in Repeated reports of ‘haunted’
teams sent KIA. Advanced to CAT 5, XXXxxxxxxxX specifically to release closed factory building after dark
deemed high priority and Virtues sin in order to exact revenge, center drew interest from local teenagers
were defrosted and dispatched via locked down for 48 hours due to and triggered standard SEER
orbital rail. Time to execution 22 incident, executed with 25 protocols. Executed after lengthy
minutes, 2279 casualties. City casualties, one exorcist KIA. hunt, CASTLE team 23 KIA but no
XXXXX required 3 months of exorcist casualties.
reconstruction and reprogramming.

TRAUMAS
The Admin, as the hound, answers the following questions (or writes their own), then establishes a trauma
based on the truthful answers.

• Who wronged you?

• How were you wronged?

• What are you unwilling to sacrifice?

For every question the exorcists answer, they can counter a sin’s reaction, rolling 1d3 after the sin acts. Reduce any stress
sufffered by all targets by the amount on the die, and the sin immediately takes that many slashes on its execution clock from
the psychic trauma, which cannot reduce it below 1.

123
 PALACE TRACES
A hound’s palace is usually an extremely simple, May take a free reaction 1/round if fought
barely coherent and indistinct landscape of alongside a sin.
whipping winds, boiling rain, unreal heat, and
licking flames.
MYRMIDONS
Unlike other palaces, it can often change locations
as the hound moves around on its hunt. The Some Hounds produce echoes of themselves,
entrance is usually located somewhere derelict or violent creatures arising from the dripping bodily
wild like in abandoned buildings, drainage canals, fluids of the Hound or its vic�ms. They shudder
junk yards, burnt out cars, or in tree hollows. uncontrollably and give off a bloody acidic steam
when enraged, making them incredibly tough
Hound palaces are typically: Hellish, gory, barren, opponents. Fortunately, they are short lived,
inhospitable, ferocious, chaotic. disintegra�ng in just a few hours.

Myrmidons (sins): Execution talisman 2

Pressure: Grudge (solo), 4 (group), 6 (massive group). The have
the following features:
A hound harbors a grudge against a specific
person or group of people. While its targets are • Deal +1 stress to exorcists who already
have an injury
alive, it does its best to track them down and kill
them violently and messily. • Rip exorcists in half when inflicting
injuries if it’s the last injury, inflicting
instant death instead of putting them on
When setting up the mission, the Admin should the brink of death.
designate three specific people to be the hound’s
Reactions:
grudge targets (which could have expanded from
its original target, or could be examples from a Inflict stress. Attacks with: Teeth, claws, ear
group it has a grudge against). A grudge can splitting screaming. (1) 4 stress, (2/3): 3 stress,
easily expand to innocent people, such as family (4+): 2 stress.
members, friends, or co-workers of the
Or: create a complication or threat: Grow
perpetrators.
spines, rake with claws, snap bones in jaws,
grow a new limb or head.
• When pressure increases, the hound will track
down and attempt to kill one of its targets. If Or: Bloody Steam (1-2): Complication. Steam
the exorcists are present, they can attempt to gets in the lungs of nearby exorcists, making
prevent this with a conflict scene. If not, the impossible to take an action to speak or
target is (brutally) slain! perfrom strenuous activity (running, climbing,
etc) without taking 1 stress first.
• If all targets are killed, the hound picks an NPC
the exorcists have met and adds them to its
grudge as a new target.

If pressure goes to maximum, the hound gains +1

CAT and adds all NPCs and the exorcists
to its grudge.

124
 EXECUTION
ATTACKS WITH: Needle like teeth, razor claws,
7+PRESSURE+CAT
THREATS: Cause massive collateral damage.
bone spurs, sickle-like blades, blood soaked Attempt to tear someone in half. Rip apart humans.
weaponry. (1) 5 stress, (2/3): 3 stress, (4+): 2 stress. Spit torrents of boiling blood. Hurl someone through a
roof or wall. Cut everything into ribbons. Inflict a hook.
COMPLICATIONS: Move faster than the eye can Use a domain. Do something violent, obliterating, or
see, set everything on fire, give off massive steam or manic.
heat, become enraged, expand with additional
blades, increase in size and strength, add a
bystander, use a domain.

FLAYED SKIN
Severe Attack: Apoplexy
A hound can use this ability on a ‘1’ on the risk roll. 1. Face, or ears 4. Legs
They can only use it once a mission. 2. Scalp 5. Chest

Target an exorcist. Any other exorcists nearby 3. Arms 6. Back

must decide to fly to their aid. Any that don’t offer
aid cannot participate.
AFFLICTIONS
Start with a pool of 6d6. Then remove one dice for
each of the following questions you answer ‘yes’ Usually given by a threat or hook filling up.
to. If an answer is ‘no’, you or someone aiding you
can immediately make a single action roll to 1. Blood Rage: Afflicted exorcists roll +1D
attempt rectify the answer, with only a few when inflicting harm, violence, or physical
moments to act, suffering consequences as force, but must take 1 stress to take any
normal if they fail. other type of action.

• Do you have a sword (or something like it) ? 2. Bleeding Eyes: While afflicted, the
exorcist may gain a psyche burst by taking
• Are you calm, collected, and focused? 1d3 stress.
• Do you have a shield (or something like it)?
3. Ganglia Fever: Afflicted exorcists are
• Is the hound hindered, distracted, or under feverish, hot, and roll one less resting die.
duress in some way?
4. Boiling Resentment: At the end of the
mission, if you inflicted physical violence
Then roll the dice, one at a time.
on a human, you may erase 2d3 sin. If you
do, permanently add to your agenda: make
The hound immediately separates the chosen a human pay for their crimes.
exorcist from the group (hurled into a pocket
dimension, smashed through a wall, flung off a 5. Blood Scent: When any exorcist suffers
freeway,) then also begins attacking them with an injury, you may gain a psyche burst. If
immeasurable fury, with each dice roll you did this at least once during a mission,
representing an attack. permanently add to your agenda: taste
blood.
• For every die rolled, the exorcist and anyone
6. The Urge: Permanently add to your
aiding them gains 1 stress, no matter what.
agenda: kill
• For every ‘1’ rolled the targeted exorcist suffers
2 additional stress and has a piece of skin cut Or improvise: make something hard or risky
away, causing permanent scarring (roll).

125
 3. The Catching of the Doe

Domains
Pick three
The hound suppresses its nature and becomes a
stealthy hunter, able to stalk its prey.

At the start of the hunt, pick an exorcist. Once a

scene, during any scene, the Admin may declare
1. A Shuddering Thing that the exorcist gets a glimpse of the hound
Through a Dark Hall following them (though it may or may not be real),
giving them 1 nonlethal stress. The Admin can
The hound feeds on fear, growing physically larger trigger this three times total a hunt.
and stronger from the terror of weaker wills.
In any conflict scene, the Hound gets a free
Once a scene, if there are mundane humans reaction at the start (roll the risk die as normal),
within the local area, as a complication, the targeting the exorcist it is stalking if possible.
hound can manifest for them and start feeding off
their fear. Until the exorcists calm the humans
down or remove them from the situation, the
hound takes -1 slash on its execution talisman 4. The Annihilation of the
from all sources and deals +1 more stress with
reactions.
Wicked
The hound gains a special affinity for firearms. It
In addition, exorcists that attempt to harm the can attack at range with guns that it wields or,
hound in any way must first spend 1 stress to more often, are fused to its form, emerging when
suppress their fear. They can suppress this effect needed.
permanently as part of any action against the
hound by answering the question, asked by the • The hound’s attacks gain CAT+2 range.
admin: What is it you are most afraid of?
However, if they choose to answer, the Admin also • As a complication, the hound pins an exorcist
rolls two risk dice and picks the lowest result for down by bullets, bathes them in napalm,
the triggering action. concusses them with grenades, etc. That
exorcist takes 1 stress after acting until the
complication is dealt with, or takes 2 stress if
acting requires moving from their current
position.
2. Turning Blades, I Laughed • As a reaction (1) the hound can permanently
at their Brittleness absorb all firearms in a CAT area around it,
immediately disarming anyone wielding one,
The hound’s hide becomes incredibly tough and and healing 1 tick on the execution talisman if it
durable, like a beast’s. absorbed at least one firearm.

• Each time an action would slash the hound’s

execution talisman, roll a 1d6 fortune roll. If the
roll is a 1 or 2, reduce all slashes suffered to 1.
The hound’s armor has weak spots, however,
and any action that is set up or part of
teamwork can ignore this effect.

• Mundane weapons are completely incapable of

harming the hound unless they are extremely
strong, like a tank cannon or a missile.

126
5. The Fattening of Rage 7. The Measured Weight of
Death
The hound feeds on the power of its Grudge,
strengthening it. The hound gains a supernatural resilience that can
only be bypassed by specific methods.
• Once a scene, if the hound slays any mundane
human as part of a reaction, it can heal 1 Often this draws on the superstitions of its host,
segment on its execution talisman. often along mythological lines, and doesn’t have to
conform to any real logic.
• If the hound has slain at least one of its grudge
targets, it increases its execution clock by +2
segments. • The hound takes -1 slash on its execution
talisman.
• If the hound has slain all its original grudge
targets, it also inflicts +1 stress with all • This effect can be removed for a scene by the
reactions. exorcists taking action to expose the hound to
a specific weakness. Often this must be
discovered. The Admin can choose or roll from
the list below:
6. Rile Against Heaven 1. Silver 4. Extreme Cold
The mere presence of the hound exacerbates the 2. Iron 5. Water
rifts between human and exorcist alike.
3. Extreme Heat 6. Sunlight
Humans during this mission never start friendly
to the exorcists and are often outwardly hostile.
The Admin may make a fortune roll if they like
(hostile on a 1-2, indifferent or annoyed otherwise).
They may still become friendly through the 8. Bloodying the Steel
exorcist’s actions.
The rage of the Hound is infectious and can drive
its victims into a vicious obsessive cycle.
Any two exorcists that have a disagreement, no
matter how minor, may declare it has boiled over
into a fight. For the remainder of the hunt they The hound gains the Infectious Grudge affliction.
cannot participate in teamwork with other and
cannot set each other up. Any feuding exorcists
regain a psyche burst if the other takes an injury
or affliction, and both gain +1 xp at the end of the
mission. Infectious Grudge: While afflicted, the
exorcist gains +1D on all actions that
inflict physical violence, but also takes +1
stress when they take stress from an
external source.

Any exorcist can voluntarily take this

affliction if they are harmed by the hound.

127
 IV. CENTIPEDE
Centipede sins have such a horrific and putrid
reputation they are avoided when possible by most
senior exorcists. Most infamously, they have
extremely high potential to cause a mass death event
even before a sin event happens.

Centipedes are born out of born out people’s desire

for escapism through death. They occur when a
person has a been pushed into a place where they
begin to fantasize a world where a disaster happens
that is so bad it saves them from their circumstances.
Often this desire is tinged with a deep misanthropy
and hatred for society in general.

Nobody can reliably trace their root, and they can

manifest in nearly anybody - office workers, artists,
students, the unhoused, bosses of major
corporations, corner store owners - anybody.

Primary emotion: Hatred

Appearance and Psychophysiology: Centipedes

are manifested catastrophes, born from the darkest
images of their hosts psyche. They exist only to
cause such horrific violence and death that the hosts’
previous worries evaporate. As their namesake, they
typically manifest as insectile abominations, taking
on all the characteristics of what a ‘monster’ should
be. Their main identifying physical characteristic is
their venom, which is inimical to human life and
creates a (very) rapidly expanding problem for
exorcists.

Behavior: Centipedes are hatred manifest. They hate

the world, they hate humans, and they hate their host
especially for calling them into being with their petty
desires and wishes. Everything they do is seeped in
spite. They are, however, extremely protective of their
hosts - wishing to have them live and witness the
horrors that they have unleashed upon the world.
Given enough time and space, a centipede will wipe
all life from its domain, until only its host remains. It is
theorized they would then, unlike other sins, de-
manifest on their own. This has never happened, as
all centipede sins have a listed 100% execution rate.

128
 ARCHIVE CENTIPEDES

C284 CALAMITY IV C155

Type I, manifested in subject C284 Type II. Notable in CAIN archives for Type I, manifested in subject C155
(ic: c576, awaiting indoctrination) the XXxxxxxxxX incident in 20XX. after failures, building debts, and
after losing his housing and Manifested and fused with subject rival gang activity in his narcotic
employment for the third time. C623 (partly deceased and in distribution business. Warehouses
Tunnels of XxxxxxXX quarantined TEMERITY custody, see note in district XxxxxxXX of city XXxxxX
after disappearances and disturbing XXXxxxx). Subject lost court battle quarantined, trapping approximately
reports of ‘monsters’ by locals. to her patent rights for potential 120 humans, including bystanders,
Exorcists dispatched to investigate broad spectrum cancer fighting armed warehouse guards, police
and were able to locate palace in drug XXxxxxxxX after announcing officers, and gang members for 30
sewer and execute after 1 day 13 her intention to make it free. 10 hours. Exorcists XXxxxxxxX and
hours with acceptable civilian exorcist teams including Virtues XxxXX KIA. Executed.
casualties. Traumatic reconditioning dispatched, 11,000 approx.
necessary for all team members. casualties. Time to execution 2 days
6 hours 35 minutes. Required
(previously) unprecedented
deployment of broad spectrum
SERAPH memory modification.

TRAUMAS
The Admin, as the centipede, answers the following questions (or writes their own), then establishes a
trauma based on the truthful answers.

• What are you trying to escape?

• What do you hate the most about humanity?

• What do you regret the most?

For every question the exorcists answer, they can counter a sin’s reaction, rolling 1d3 after the sin acts. Reduce any stress sufffered
by all targets by the amount on the die, and the sin immediately takes that many slashes on its execution clock from the psychic
trauma, which cannot reduce it below 1.

129
 PALACE
Delaying Centipede Venom
A centipede’s palace is usually located in a
protected location at the center of horde activity, Exorcists that are dispatched to Centipede missions are
usually somewhere significant to the host or close each automatically given one dose of Centipede Anti-
to the inciting incident. venom. An exorcist can mark 1 KP to pull out their dose
and inject it into someone in hand’s reach.
The interior of a centipede’s palace often
resembles a prison or a dungeon, built to capture • NPCS have their venom suppressed until the
the centipede’s host and force them to remain exorcists rest, at which time they will need another
witness to the horrors they have unwittingly (or dose.
otherwise) unleashed. This prison can be sterile,
cold, or laboratory-like, or medieval and full of • Exorcists, if they have the Centipede Bite hook, can
barbed hooks and rusted chains. It often manifests erase all segments on it. This doesn’t remove the
horrors or traps to drive out, capture, or kill hook, as normal.
invaders.

Centipede palaces are typically: hostile,

resentful, grotesque, gory, prison-like, chthonic
TRACES
May take a free reaction 1/round if fought
alongside a sin.
Pressure: Infestation
A centipede’s venom, when injected into the
human bloodstream, causes a catalyzing psycho-
biotic reaction that within the space of about an
Infested
hour mutates that human into an extremely strong, These mutated humans are essentially minor type II sins, who
aggressive, and violent monster, a mindless drone have been affected by the psycho-biotic poison in their
that is under the centipede’s control as a queen bloodstream. They form into large, animalistic, hive swarms that
controls a colony of ants. These infested are able the centipede can mentally control. Though starting off relatively
to produce their own centipede venom that they human in appearance, over time they become more and more
can inject into bitten humans, creating a mutated and insect like.They typically roam around affected
catalyzing exponential reaction that rapidly areas in large hordes.
creates a horde of these monsters.
Infested (sins/humans): Execution talisman 1 (solo), 3
• A human infected with centipede venom will (group), 5 (large group), 7 (full horde). Only appear in large
chrysalize, transform, and mutate within group or horde size at pressure 3+.
exactly 44 minutes. An exorcist gains the
centipede bite affliction instead.
• Slow, clumsy, and unintelligent, but extremely numerous
• There is no cure to centipede venom, but it and resilient.
can be delayed.
• Powers that can hit a large area gain +1D against groups of
• The only reliable way to end an infestation is to infested.
kill the centipede. Executing a centipede
causes its venom to lose its transformative Reactions:
effect and evaporate. This saves any infected
exorcists and any infected but untransformed
Inflict stress. Attacks with: Mutated claws, teeth, mandibles. (1)
victims, who can typically recover in a few
4 stress, (2/3): 3 stress, (4+): 2 stress.
weeks. Remaining infested victims are dealt
with in cleanup and should be considered
deceased. Or: create a complication or threat: Eject venomous spines,
knock someone down, alert a bigger horde, explode with caustic
bile, jump out from somewhere surprising.
Each time pressure increases, 10% of the local
population in the affected area is infected and Or: Endless (1-2): More infested arrive on the scene, adding to
transformed (so at 3 ticks, 30% of the population the execution talisman by 1d3.
is affected). If pressure reaches maximum, the
centipede increases in CAT by +1 and this goes up Or: Infected bite (1): Inflict the Centipede Bite affliction on an
to 90% population loss. exorcist.
130
 EXECUTION
ATTACKS WITH: Dripping fangs, numerous claws,
sinuous body, pressurized spit (short range). (1) 5
7+PRESSURE+CAT
THREATS: Summon the horde. Rip into an exorcist.
Unveil rows of hypnotic eyespots. Explode a caustic
stress, (2/3): 3 stress, (4+): 2 stress. bubo. Dissolve something with acid. Commit a
massacre. Inflict a hook. Use a domain. Do something
COMPLICATIONS: Burrow into the ground or walls, messy, spiteful, or dripping with venom.
spit poisonous webbing, release swarms of flies,
spray pools of poison, reveal hidden burrows,
collapse the floor, scuttle hidden into darkness, add a
bystander, use a domain.

SEVERE ATTACK: VITRIOL Vitriol Scars

1. Missing eye, fused shut

The Sin can use this ability on a ‘1’ on the risk roll.
They can only use it once a mission. 2. Large bleached patch of skin

3. Fingers on one hand melted together

Target an exorcist. Any other exorcists nearby
must decide to fly to their aid. Any that don’t offer 4. Missing hair, burn scar on scalp
aid cannot participate.Start with a pool of 6d6.
Then remove one dice for each of the following. If 5. Massive burn scar over both arms
an answer is ‘no’, you or someone aiding you can
6. Rippling acid burn from neck to groin
immediately make a single action roll to attempt
rectify the answer, with only a few moments to
act, suffering consequences as normal if they fail.

• Can you move quickly and unencumbered?

Afflictions
1. Seethe: Pick another exorcist. For
• Is someone aiding you able to push or grab
every ‘6’ that exorcist rolls on an action,
you?
gain 1 nonlethal stress.
• Can you forgive the centipede’s host?
2. Limb Necrosis: Limb starts swelling
• Is the centipede hindered, distracted, or under and rotting from the inside (1-2: Arm, 3-4:
duress in some way? leg, 6: hand or foot). Activity that would
require it is hard.
Then roll the dice. 3. Acid Degradation: Mark off 1d3 KP
immediately, then mark off 1 more when
The centipede shoots a pressurized stream of you rest.
mutagenic venom at the targeted exorcist,
dissolving all obstacles and flesh in its way with 4. Alienation: Permanently add to your
incredible force. The exorcist and any aiding them agenda: ignore a plea for aid.
take 1 stress for every die rolled, no matter the
5. Hive Brain: Hallucination from aerosol
result.
poison. Performing complicated mental
activity such as research or investigation
If at least one ‘1’ comes up, the targeted exorcist is hard.
suffers an injury and rolls on the table for a
permanent scar. If two or more ‘1’s come up, the 6. Let it End: Permanently add to your
exorcist targeted either: agenda: Kill Needlessly.

Or improvise: make a skill hard or risky

• suffers instant death.
• suffers sin overflow to avoid instant death

• suffers an injury and rolls three times on the

table instead for permanent scars
131
 2. Crumbling Into the

DOMAINS
Choose three:
Darkling Womb
The venom exuded by the centipede becomes an
environmental aerosol that starts to degrade
everything in the investigation area.

• Traversing normally safe structures in the area

becomes risky or hard as floors start to fall
apart, windows melt, and walls collapse

• Any mundane item the exorcists have pulled

out from their kit degrades and becomes
unusable when they rest.

• When pressure increases, 10% of the structures

in the area are destroyed. If pressure fills up,
90% of the structures in the area are destroyed.

3. The Knights of Decay

The horde gains dangerous, armored infested.
When the infested appear in a scene, one of these
usually appear.

1. The Heralds of Venom JUGGERNAUT

The venom in the centipede and its horde
Juggernaut: Sin/human. Execution talisman 3.
becomes boiling and pressurized.
At 3+ pressure, increase by CAT.
• The horde can spit venom at short range when • Practically immune to mundane weapons
inflicting stress. The centipede can spit it at unless its armor is exposed.
extreme range, like a sniper rifle.
• Blind and easily distracted
• The centipede gains a new affliction:
Reactions:

BLINDING AGUE: Can be inflicted as a Inflict stress. Attacks with: Armored bulk,
threat or from a hook. When filled up, spines, mandibles. (1) 4 stress, (2/3): 3 stress,
eyes become milky white and exorcist (4+) 2 stress.
becomes unable to see, making
activities that rely on sight hard. At the
Or: create a complication or threat: Grab
end of mission, roll 1d6, on a ‘1-2’ this
someone with a mutated claw, charge someone
becomes permanent, but exorcist has
through a wall or floor, knock someone out or
time to adjust to disability at the start of
daze someone.
next mission and it has no further effect.
Blind exorcists are immune to this
affliction. Or: Hive shroud (1/2): Complication: Start
releasing acidic clouds that obscure and burn.
All its allies take -1 slash on execution talismans
until the Juggernaut is dealt with. Does not
stack.

132
4. Gently Rolling Down the Slope 6. At the Core, My Rot Unfurls
of the Abyss
The Centipede is so fueled by spite it refuses to die and
The Centipede’s venom is so potent and fast spreading instead takes a momentarily more powerful form.
that it begins to cause catastrophic spread.
When the centipede’s execution clock is filled up, it
• Double the casualties per pressure (to 20%). At full instead reduces by 4. The centipede then takes on a
segments (6), the spread begins to go outside of the terrifying final form.
quarantine zone, requiring cleanup from CAIN and
docking the exorcists 2 scrip. • End the current round and start a new round

• When the players meet an NPC, the Admin makes a • In this form, roll the risk die twice and choose the
1d6 fortune roll. On a ‘1-3’, they have already been lower result, the centipede takes -1 slash on its
bitten but are trying to hide it. talisman and deals +1 stress with all its actions.

• As a tension move, the Admin can choose an • However, this form is extremely unstable. At the end
uninfected exorcist or NPC who has fought the of the round, after all exorcists have acted, no
infested at least once this mission. The Admin matter what, the centipede’s form destabilizes,
reveals they have been bitten, giving them a instantly defeating it and allowing the exorcists the
Centipede Bite. opportunity to finish it off.

5. My Children Crawl Quietly 7. I Hide My Knife in the Soft

Supple Walls
The horde gains dangerous, stealthy infested with
chameleonic skin. When the infested appear, these The Centipede is able to set festering traps for the
appear, always in pairs. exorcists, extruding parts of its body or using the
transformed flesh of its infested horde.

STALKERS As a tension move, the Admin can declare that for the
next scene, the exorcists are about to enter a trapped
Stalkers: Sin/human. Appear as a pair. Execution area (even if they have already explored it). Moving
talisman 3 in a scene between the two of them. At through the area becomes risky by default. Traps can:
3+ pressure, increase by CAT. inflict 1 stress to one or two exorcists, make an area
dangerous or hard to move through, afflict an exorcist,
• Deal +1 stress to exorcists who are alone or inflict a hook. In addition, in any conflict scene with
afraid
the Centipede, on a ‘1’ risk result a trap also goes off,
• Focus on one target to the exclusion of all with the above effects, in addition to any other
others reactions.
Reactions:
8. Making Friends With the
• Inflict stress. Attacks with: Scythe claws, Abattoir
venomous spines. (1) 4 stress, (2/3): 3 stress,
(4+) 2 stress. The Centipede gains power from spite, gaining the
following benefits:
• Or: create a complication or threat: Kidnap
someone, drag someone into darkness, start • Once a scene, when it or its minions is able to
jumping or flying on locust-like wings slaughter an innocent person or bystander in view
of the exorcists, permanently increase the
• Or: Chameleonic Scales (1/2): Becomes
centipede’s execution clock by 1, to a maximum of
nearly invisible, making it hard to fight or find
four times total.
them when relying on sight. Next reaction
deals +1 stress and ends this effect. • Once a hunt, as a tension move, the centipede can
reveal a group of human survivors under threat
from its forces. If the exorcists rest without aiding
the survivors, they are slaughtered and the
centipede permanently adds +3 segments to its
execution clock.

133
 V. TOAD
Toads are crafty and avaricious sins with a very
unique behavior pattern. They are by far the most
intelligent sins, and present puzzling opponents to
most exorcists.

Toads are born out of deprivation and unfulfilled

material needs. Therefore, unlike most other sins,
they are extremely goal oriented. Once manifested,
their primary need is to acquire as much material
wealth as possible for their hosts. They revel in
greed, driving their hosts to more spectacular
heights of excess.

Toads commonly manifest in:

• people suffering from major housing, job, or food

insecurity

• people who are exploited at work

• people in crushing financial debt

Primary emotion: Indulgence

Appearance and Psychophysiology: Toads are

bulky but surprisingly fast sins with a great degree of
manual dexterity. They often have prehensile tongues
or double jointed limbs, and convey these features
onto any hosts they are fused with. They are capable
of squeezing through tiny spaces and leaping great
distances. The gaping mouths of toads have space
extending properties and are capable of storing an
unreal amount of physical material - many rooms
worth in some cases. All toads have a strong, not
entirely unpleasant odor about them - something
between carpet cleaner and expensive cologne.

Behavior: Unlike other sins, who typically want to

fight or escape exorcists, toads are fond of catching
them in conversation to gloat or verbally spar. Toads
are cunning, sharp tongued sins with a fondness for
speech and tend to be witty or charming, with a good
sense of humor. They seem to enjoy what they do
and revel in excess as much as their hosts - although
they are typically extremely impatient and may be
cruel to slow or unwilling hosts.

134
 ARCHIVE TOADS

POCKETS DRACUL MR WORLDWIDE

Type I, CAT I. Manifested in rare Type III, CAT III. Variant form of type Type II. Manifested in host T777
cooperative arrangement by host III that bound itself to its owner (see (deceased, see note: XXX) after he
XxxxxxxxxXX acting as ‘lone wolf’ TEMERITY record XXX), host T493, experienced extreme gambling loss
cat burglar after his repeated in unwilling marriage to well known and was evicted from his residence
conflicts with repossession billionaire XXxxxxxxX (deceased, see in XxxxxXX. Over three months host
companies and repeat incarceration. record XXX). Gradually formed XxxxxxxxXX formed criminal
Accumulated treasure hoard of advanced palace and treasure vault syndicate that attained complete
estimated worth of XXXX million in in XXxxxxxX’s penthouse apartment control over the XxxxxXX casino in
eight days, including thirty five building and took over operations of XXxxxX, XxxxxXX and pulled power
luxury vehicles, mostly kept inside his holdings including hiring of a from its operations. Attained
palace located in the garage of host private mercenary company. category IV before execution. Time
XXXxxx’s apartment residence in Executed. Time to execution 2 days to execution: 6 hrs 55 minutes,
XXxxxxxX. No record of execution, 34 minutes, no losses, 25 casualties. exorcist XxxxxXX, XxxxxXX, and
manifestation was dispersed. Notable: net losses from company XXXxxx KIA.
Exorcists XXxxxX and XxxxxxXX XXxxxxxxxxX led to minor stock
disciplined. market drop in XXXxX.

TRAUMAS
The Admin, as the toad, answers the following questions (or writes their own), then establishes a trauma
based on the truthful answers.

• What do you deserve that was denied to you?

• While you were starving, who was feasting?

• Where do you draw the line?

For every question the exorcists answer, they can counter a sin’s reaction, rolling 1d3 after the sin acts.
Reduce any stress sufffered by all targets by the amount on the die, and the sin immediately takes
that many slashes on its execution clock from the psychic trauma, which cannot reduce it below 1.

135
 • 0-2: High worth but mundane items. Money,
PALACE cars, guns, medicine, food, fashion, high art.

A toad’s palace represents a monument to wealth, • 3-4: Unreal amounts of the above.
often as envisioned by its host. On the outside it • 5+: Entire stores, shops, restaurants, yachts,
may be located inside a cramped building or in a buses, celebrities.
tiny apartment block, but on the inside it is
typically an opulent, sprawling extravaganza.
At 6+, the toad’s CAT increase by 1 and it gains the
ability to steal conceptual or intangible items like
Toad palaces typically take the form of summer abstract wealth, stocks in a company, light,
mansions, luxury residences, resorts, casinos, or artistic skill, or happiness.
other places that mix pleasure and commerce. The
host may reside at least part time inside the
palace due to its space and comfort. Over time the
space becomes crammed almost to bursting with
TRACES
the wealth that the toad accumulates,
May take a free reaction 1/round if fought
transforming partly into treasure vaults or galleries
alongside a sin.
to either protect or display their largesse.

Toad palaces are typically: Opulent, gaudy, glitzy, TOADSPAWN

spacious, extravagant, luxurious, comfortable
These humans follow the toad or its host through
the (very real) promise of the incredible wealth that
Pressure: HOARD it accumulates. They can range in anything from
regular gangsters to privately hired security. They
A toad’s main driving desire is to acquire as much are often oblivious, brainwashed, or simply willfully
material wealth as possible for its host. It steals ignorant of their paymaster’s true nature.
as much as it can, by various means, based on its
host’s desires, storing its prizes inside of its Toadspawn (humans): Execution talisman 1 (solo)
expansive gullet and regurgitating them later 3 (Group) 5 (large group). Mundane humans
inside its palace. armed with mundane weaponry - no less deadly.
Often has access to cars or security vans.
A toad’s larceny can start small, but as time goes
on its appetites, both literal and figurative, become Reactions:
more expansive. A host that wanted a faster car in
the past, for example, will eventually draw a toad Inflict stress. Attacks with: Firearms, close
to find the fastest car in town and swallow it, then quarters combat techniques. (1) 4 stress, (2/3): 3
the next fastest car too, and so on. As time goes stress, (4+): 2 stress.
on, the amount of material the toad swallows and
its avarice inevitably starts to grow out of control,
Or: create a complication or threat: Fire a stun
to unreal proportions. Instead of stealing food for
gun, charge an exorcist, get in a martial arts hold,
its host, for example, it may swallow an entire
pin down with a barrage of gunfire, get in a vehicle,
restaurant, staff and all. In theory a high enough
throw a grenade.
category toad would swallow an entire town, given
time.
Or: Threat: call reinforcements (1). Someone
gets on the radio or punches an alarm. Add 1d3 to
The toad gains power from its hoard. Every time
the execution clock if allowed to follow through.
pressure increases, its greed increases too,
describing the kind of things it can steal:

136
 EXECUTION
ATTACKS WITH: Crushing punches and kicks,
muscular tongue, pressurized blood spray from eyes
7+PRESSURE+CAT
THREATS: Summon bodyguards. Steal something
from the exorcists, collapse or throw something from
(short ranged). (1) 5 stress, (2/3): 3 stress, (4+): 2 the environment. Set off a bomb. Kick someone with
stress. powerful legs. Swallow something or someone whole.
Inflict a hook. Use a domain. Do something crafty,
COMPLICATIONS: Leap out of reach on muscular flashy, or shocking.
legs or squeeze into a tight space. Entangle in traps.
Reveal hidden explosives. Trigger security, or alarms.
Vomit slime or disgorge stomach contents. Add a
bystander, use a domain.

SEVERE ATTACK: Grand Finesse Afflictions

The Sin can use this ability on a ‘1’ on the risk roll. 1. Absent Minded: Whenever you roll a ‘1’ on
They can only use it once a mission. risk, erase 1 KP.

2. Wasting Sickness: Reduce max stress by 1

Target an exorcist. Any other exorcists nearby
each time you rest. If reduced to 0, you suffer
must decide to fly to their aid. Any that don’t offer
instant death.
aid cannot participate. Start with a pool of 6d6.
Then remove one dice for each of the following. If 3. Starvation: All actions are hard until you or
an answer is ‘no’, you or someone aiding you can an ally mark 1 KP and allow you to eat
immediately make a single action roll to attempt something. This effect resets and you must eat
rectify the answer, with only a few moments to again after you rest.
act, suffering consequences as normal if they fail.
4. Itchy Fingers: Once a scene, stealing
• Are you accepting of your powers? something (anything) gives you 1 psyche burst
and 1d3 sin. Permanently add to your agenda:
• Are your allies close enough to touch you skin steal.
to skin?
5. Dreaming Desire: When pressure
• Are you willing to part with your kit? If you increases, spend 1 psyche burst to daydream
answer yes to this, the Toad is distracted by about things you want or take 2 stress.
stealing every item of gear from you you
currently have ticked, and fill up your KP. They 6. The Want: Permanently add to your
disappear until the Toad is defeated. agenda: take more than you need.

• Is the Toad hindered, distracted, or under Or improvise: make a something hard or risky
duress in some way?

Then roll the dice. The exorcist and any aiding

them take 1 stress for every die rolled, no matter
the result.

• If at least one ‘1’ comes up, the Toad steals the

ability to use psychic powers from the
targeted exorcist. These coalesce into a
psychic shadow, which runs off. It is a sin
with an execution talisman of 3 and it uses
reactions to attempt to flee. If it is destroyed,
captured, or the scene ends, it fuses with its
host again, ending this effect.

• If two or more ‘1’s come up, the execution

talisman of the shadow is 5 instead.
137
 3. The Granting of Gifts

DOMAINS
Pick three:
The toad is an especially powerful hoarder, and
keeps quantitites of strange items to regurgitate in
an emergency. As a reaction (1-3), the Toad can
forcibly regurgitate items from its gullet up to a
combined CAT+1 in size. This can inflict stress,
1. Hotel for One cause a threat or cause a complication as normal.
However, roll randomly for the category of item it
The toad is able to use its powerful lungs to suck produces, which may affect the outcome:
people into its maw, where they are shunted into a
tiny prison-space inside its gullet. 1. Vehicle, drivable.

2. Explosives
As a complication the Toad can suck in an
exorcist it is fighting. That exorcist is trapped 3. Weapons, ammunition
inside a tiny cage-like extra-dimensional room
inside the toad and takes 1 stress before acting 4. Narcotics
while imprisoned until they can escape or their
5. Material wealth (gold bars, jewels, etc)
allies can help them escape (set out a talisman for
the complication as normal). They are vomited out 6. Alcohol (in liquid or bottle form)
when they are able to break out of their cage.
Then roll randomly for the size or volume (1d3).
As a tension move, the Toad can kidnap any NPC Adjust stress suffered by the amount shown if
the exorcists have met off-screen and imprison dealing stress.
them in its oubliette, mostly unharmed. Freeing
them requires fighting the Toad and may take a 1. Comically smaller than expected (-1 stress)
talisman.
2. Expected

3. Unbelievably larger than expected (+1

stress)
2. Greasing the Palms
A vile alchemy churns in the toad’s gut.

As a complication, tension move, or threat, the

4. Wolf Down the Earth
toad is able to vomit up a thick, nauseating slime
The Toad is able to unhinge its jaw to a void-like
that reeks of expensive perfume. It can be
space and swallow huge chunks of the scenery.
incredibly sticky, incredibly slippery (the toad
chooses), and carpets CAT area.
• It can burrow through solid rock when moving
around.
• Actions that require concentration, quick
movement, or manual dexterity become hard in • The toad inflicts +1 more stress to its target if it
the area. is slowed, off balance, immobile, or entangled
in some way.
• It becomes incredibly hard to keep your footing
in the area. Any action that requires moving • Once a scene, as a threat, it can attempt to
around by the exorcists rolls two risk dice and devour an area close to it, obliterating all
picks the lowest. inanimate matter, no matter its toughness. The
size of this area depends on the Toad’s CAT.
• The slime dries up when pressure increases,
One or two exorcists caught in the area take
losing these effects.
2d3 stress if the toad is allowed to execute on
the threat.

138
5. Sticky Fingers 8. The Great Glittering
Adversary
The Toad is artful at lifting items from the
exorcists. When an exorcist takes stress from the The Toad is able to transform matter into material
Toad, they also (the Toad chooses 1): wealth, such as precious gemstones or gold.

• tick 1 KP. If they don’t have KP to spend, they By touching any surface or living matter, it can
take +1 more stress transform it into gemstone or gold. It can use this
as a threat or complication to inflict stress, block
• lose a piece of already ticked gear instead of
the exorcists, or inflict the below affliction.
ticking KP for the remainder of the hunt.

6. The Artful Dodger

Midan Touch: Inflict this on the
The Toad is especially careful and crafty, setting exorcists with a threat or a hook. The
up contingency plans. skin of an arm or leg of the afflicted
exorcist slowly becomes turning into
Three times a hunt, when the exorcists take gemstone or rock, usually starting
action, the Admin can narrate a flashback of the from the contact area. Actions that
Toad setting up a contingency plan, fallback, or require speed or dexterity from them
trap that it is able to spring. Roll a 3d6 fortune roll. become hard. When the exorcists
For every 3+, the toad may either inflict 1 stress on finish a rest, they take 3 stress. If this
the exorcist triggering this domain or reduce any stress would inflict an injury, they
stress suffered from the triggering action by 1. instead suffer instant death and turn
into a jeweled statue.

7. Keeper of the Ludic

Menagerie
The Toad stores brainwashed humans inside its
gullet, and pulls them out as needed. Humans
stored this way are freed when the toad is
defeated and have no memory of the incident.

• The Toad can pull out a human to perform any

mundane servile task for it, such as cooking,
cleaning, driving, etc. They are completely
obedient to the toad and always come out with
something convenient to the current situation,
such as a guard with a door key, a taxi driver,
etc.

• It can pull out a goon as a (1-3) reaction in a

conflict scene. This creates a toadspawn trace
with an execution talisman of 1, or adds +1 to
an existing trace’s execution talisman.

• As a threat in any conflict scene, the toad can

kidnap a mundane human or NPC present,
brainwashing them and adding to its collection.

139
 VI. LORD
Lords are righteous and moralistic sins driven by a
deep and irrational sense of purpose and moral injury.

Lords are born out of a profound sense of loss. This

often occurs when someone’s life is irreversibly altered
by tragedy or misfortune - such as illness, death, or
accident. The Lord is the manifested desire to rewind
time and return to the world as it was before the
tragedy. They construct a kingdom, an elaborate prison
dimension, where reality inside alters to to hosts’ whims,
often returning them to a time or place before the
tragedy occurred, but eventually driving them to greater
acts of paranoia and cruelty to those trapped inside in
an effort to never allow their life to change again.

Lords commonly manifest in:

• people who have lost loved ones to illness or

accident

• people whose fortunes and stations in life have

drastically changed

• people who have themselves been impacted and

permanently altered by illness, injury, or accident

Primary emotion: Fear

Appearance and Psychophysiology: Lords are

powerful, imposing figures that present an archetypical
‘guardian’ figure to their hosts, sometimes manifesting
as an authority figure like a soldier or policeman, and
sometimes as something more divine, like a god or an
angel. They have extremely tough armor and are
excellent combatants, able to fight off any perceived
threats to the new order they impose with ease.

Behavior: Lords are righteous and moralistic to the

extreme. Unlike other sins, justifying their own behavior
is important to them. To the Lord, their kingdom is a
better and more just version of reality, and their
construction of it is a gift to its new inhabitants. They
may couch their behavior and the rules of the new
kingdom in the language of religion or law, as seen fit by
their hosts. They are usually measured, polite and
refined in their manner and speech and regard their
hosts as the rightful liege and master of the new
kingdom, and any intruders as a nuisance. In the case of
an unwilling host, they often ‘graciously’ accept the role
of regent and govern in their hosts’ place.

140
 ARCHIVE LORDS

DECURION BALDUR PALE QUEEN

Type I. Manifested in host L99 after Manifested from Host L545 who Manifested and fused with host L44
his discharge from the military of was then able to bind it as a type III. who had retreated into a world of
XXXxxxxX, subsequent to multiple Took the form of a basset hound. video game playing after a sports
diagnoses of XXXxxxxX disorder Kingdom manifested as a typical injury left her without the use of her
following campaigns XXXxxxxX and 1930s city noir narrative where the legs. Kingdom manifested as a
XXxxxXX. Kingdom manifested as a host was a hardboiled detected in typical pseudo-medieval video
perfect recreation of childhood search of his missing wife. In reality, game fantasy world based on
hometown in the XXxxxxxxxxxX host’s wife had been deceased for 6 property XXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX,
mountains where L99 was a beloved months due to advanced bone which consumed up to 60% of city
member of the church and cancer. Executed. TTE: 2 days, 2 hrs, XXxxxxxX before dispersal by the
community who had never went to 34 mins. L545 taken under dispatched team. 3 exorcists KIA,
war. Executed (TTE: approx 500 observation (see Temerity record reinforcements sent by helicopter.
mins, 50 casualties) XXxxxXX). Executed. TTE 9 hours 54 minutes.

TRAUMAS
The Admin, as the lord, answers the following questions (or writes their own), then establishes a trauma
based on the truthful answers.

• What did you lose?

• What is the main thing you would fix about the world?

• Who did you regret leaving behind when you ascended to your Kingdom?

For every question the exorcists answer, they can counter a sin’s reaction, rolling 1d3 after the sin acts. Reduce any stress
sufffered by all targets by the amount on the die, and the sin immediately takes that many slashes on its execution clock
from the psychic trauma, which cannot reduce it below 1.

141
 PALACE In this world, the host is the absolute ruler (or the
Lord as their regent if they are unwilling) and may
change the laws of reality as they wish. These
A lord’s palace is always nestled in the center of strictures completely consume mundane humans
their kingdom, and therefore always requires and are strong enough to even effect exorcists.
traversing the kingdom itself to reach. More often
than not, it resembles an actual palace in size and Each time pressure increases, the kingdom
form - or something similarly important and expands to a new area of the real world,
imposing, such as a high rise skyscraper, increasingly rapidly in size. Humans consumed by
corporate headquarters, government office, or it are unaware of the change. If pressure is 6+, the
temple. kingdom consumes the whole investigation
area, and the Lord’s CAT increases by +1.
The palace of a lord is typically a bustling place full
of servants or subsidiaries going about their A kingdom collapses when the host or the Lord is
business - minor sins, figments of the host’s defeated, ejecting anything brought into it,
imagination, or captive humans that have been including humans - who typically have no memory
of their time inside.
absorbed into the narrative of the kingdom.

Lord’s palaces are typically: Imposing, grandiose,

TRACES
august, monumental, stony, hallow May take a free reaction 1/round if fought
alongside a sin.

Pressure: Kingdom
Guards
The archetypical Lord creates a Kingdom, an
alternate parasite reality growing outward from its A lord’s kingdom always has guards patrolling it.
palace that overlaps our own. The kingdom can be These guards are sins that typically take the form of
accessed freely by the lord and its host, and can authority figures or soldiers. They are completely
be squirreled away in impossible spaces - subservient to the Lord and their appearance and
accessible through closet doors, hallways, behavior is shaped at their whim. Some kingdoms
restaurant back alleys, etc. Eventually it starts to may have guards that are imposing human soldiers
bleed over and pull parts of the real world into it, with their face shaded under security caps or helms,
consuming space and the unwitting humans while others may have beast-like demons wielding
inside. From the outside, humans cannot see the medieval weaponry that punish unbelievers.
kingdom even as it consumes the real world, and
may merely walk down a street and unwittingly Guards (sins): Execution talisman 2 (solo), 4
pass into an alternate reality. (squad), 6 (platoon), 10 (small army)

Inside the Kingdom, the world may appear as the • Armed with cruel weaponry and outstanding
world currently does, or a historical or even senses.
fantastical version of the world, such as a futuristic • Incapable of existing outside the kingdom
city, a glittering heaven, or a medieval castle -
Reactions:
dependent on the latent desires of the host. In this
world, all that the host has lost is returned to them Inflict stress. Attacks with: Cruel close combat
and more. It presents an alternate reality that is weaponry, fists and kicks. (1) 4 stress, (2/3): 3 stress,
both more convenient and fulfilling to the host and (4+): 2 stress.
also conforms to their beliefs and outlook,
coddling and supporting them. Or: create a complication or threat: Trap an
exorcist and pile on, pull an exorcist away in chains,
Events, history, and even humans may be altered disable an exorcist with a painful strike, threaten
drastically inside. Therefore humans that on the bystanders as collaborators, call in a prison vehicle,
outside of the kingdom may be hostile to the host produce a heavy weapon
might be their friends inside, mistakes the host
has made in the past or their own failings might be Or: Sound the Alarm (threat, 1-2): Alert the Lord or
papered over or made whole - or even celebrated. any other nearby guards to the exorcists’ current
position. If more guards show up, refresh the
execution talisman by 1d3.
142
ATTACKS WITH: Shimmering blades, armored
EXECUTION
gauntlets, shining medieval weaponry, beams of fire
7+PRESSURE+CAT

THREATS: Smite with fire, pass judgement from the

heavens, hurl into a psychic prison, force an exorcist
(long range). (1) 5 stress, (2/3): 3 stress, (4+): 2 to confront their own crimes, grasp with an armored
stress. fist, impale with holy spikes, Inflict a hook. Use a
domain. Do something righteous, scathing, or
COMPLICATIONS: Twist the world or landscape, dominating.
extend the Kingdom, throw false accusations, bind an
exorcist in chains, blind with scorching light, extend
shining armor plating, raise a glittering shield, add a
bystander, use a domain.

SEVERE ATTACK: JUdgement AFFLICTIONS

The Sin can use this ability on a ‘1’ on the risk roll. 1. Reality Control: Must spend 1 stress to tick
They can only use it once a mission. any amount of KP in the kingdom.

2. Pain of Loss: Forced to psychically

Target an exorcist. Any other exorcists nearby
experience the same catastrophe as the Lord’s
must decide to fly to their aid. Any that don’t offer
host. When the lord or its host is harmed, also
aid cannot participate. The lord binds the targeted
take 1 nonlethal stress. Ends if exorcist takes an
exorcist with divine chains, then begins a
injury.
summary trial.
3. Kingdom infection: Mark off 1 KP when
Start with a pool of 6d6. Then remove one dice for pressure increases, then manifest something
each of the following. If an answer is ‘no’, you or comforting and small for your exorcist, like a
someone aiding you can immediately make a treat or book.
single action roll to attempt rectify the answer,
with only a few moments to act, suffering 4. Hitchhiker: Always count as in the Kingdom
consequences as normal if they fail. for the purposes of the Lord’s powers.

5. Welcome Home: Gain +1 max psyche burst

Uniquely, this may take the form of a verbal in the kingdom, regain max psyche burst when
argument from any aiding exorcist resting in the kingdom, but become unable to
use blasphemies outside. Permanently add to
• Are you innocent of crimes? your agenda neglect your responsibilities.

• Are you a liar or a cheat? 6. Justiciar: Permanently add to your agenda

punish wickedness.
• Have you lived a life by your ideals?

• Is the lord hindered, distracted, or under duress Or improvise: make a skill hard or risky.
in any way?

Then roll the dice as the Lord passes judgement,

smiting the chosen exorcist with fire. The exorcist
and any aiding them take 1 stress for every die
rolled, no matter the result.

For every ‘1’ that comes up, the targeted exorcist is

forced to confront their inadequacy and
additionally gains 1d6 sin. This could occur
multiple times.

143
 3. Stricture of Banishment

DOMAINS
Pick three
The lord can banish exorcists, making them
gradually phase out of reality while inside the
kingdom. As a tension move or a threat, the Lord
can give an exorcist the following affliction:

1. Stricture of Manifestation BANISHED: Starting to fade from reality, with the

following effects:
The Lord or its host gain increased control over
reality inside its Kingdom, granting them the • Interacting with the physical world inside the
following powers. It can use these as threats or kingdom without using psychic powers
complications: becomes hard. However, can also slip through
walls and objects like a ghost.
• Cause any object up to CAT+1 size to coalesce • When pressure increases, take 1 stress. If this
and appear in a few moments. stress inflicts an injury, suffer instant death
instead and disappear completely.
• Invert or choose the direction and strength of
gravity, or even make space curved

• Change the weather or change the biome of an

area, such as from sunny to snowy 4. Stricture of Control
• Rearrange the interiors and layouts of The lord’s power is intense and bleeds out over
buildings, streets, or corridors the investigation area like an iron net. On this
mission, the Admin, choosing for the Lord can
In addition, as a threat or a tension move, the forbid three items from the following list:
Lord can dismiss any psychic power caused by
the exorcists that has a sustained effect (like a • Swearing
summon or curse). This only works inside the
kingdom. • Speaking the name of the Lord or its host (in
vain or otherwise)
2. Stricture of Superiority • Uncovering skin between the ankles, wrists,
and neck in view of the opposite sex
The Lord fights more fiercely the less exorcists
play by the rules of the Kingdom. At the start of • Drinking, eating, or smoking anything not
every round in a conflict scene, the Lord can take blessed by the Lord
one of the following stances. Exorcists that don’t
fulfill the requirements are punished. It must • Touching another person skin to skin without
switch to a different stance each round. consent of the Lord

• Entering the palace of the Lord without praying

• Honorable Fighting: Exorcists that participate first
in teamwork or setup first take 1d3 stress.

• Grand Melee: Exorcists acting without These rules become known instantly to anyone
benefiting from teamwork or setup find it hard. upon entering the kingdom. Once a scene, when
an exorcist would break one of these rules through
• Duel: The Lord chooses an exorcist. That their actions, they take 2d3 stress. If the Admin
exorcist deals +1 more slashes on the Lord’s misses an occurrence of one of these rules being
execution talisman, but all other exorcists deal broken but an exorcist reminds them, that exorcist
1 less slash to the Lord this round. can gain 1 xp. This can only trigger once a session
per exorcist.

144
5. Stricture of Memory 6. Stricture of Narrative
The lord’s power is regressive and nostalgic. The lord and its host gain control over reality to
Inside its Kingdom, it returns everything to a the point of being able to reverse causality.
previous era (real or imagined) desirable to its
host, such as the European middle ages, Edo • Three times a hunt, when an exorcist rolls an
Japan, 1950s America, or 1st century Judea. action roll and sees the final result, the lord or
Weapons, gear, and technology that would not its host can declare that events did not actually
exist in that era are converted into similar play out that way, as though they were
equivalents inside the Kingdom, or simply do not narrating a story. This completely un-does the
exist while inside the Kingdom. For example outcome of the roll.
firearms becoming crossbows, or a GPS system
becoming a hand drawn map. If the Admin judges • The targeted exorcist gains 1 psyche burst.
this would affect a roll, they can make it hard. All They can then either re-roll the action, taking
clothing, hairstyles, etc also changes to fit. They the second result as final, or lose the outcome
revert upon exiting. and gain an additional 1d3 psyche burst.

7. Stricture of Alignment 8. Stricture of The Flaming

Sword
Whenever pressure increases, the Lord can give a
randomly rolled role affliction to one of the The Lord has a Guardian, a sin-construct that
exorcists inside its kingdom, as the kingdom patrols the Kingdom with a careful eye and an iron
attempts to absorb them. A role, once given, gives fist. It may take the form of an officer of the law, a
a new (temporary) agenda item to the afflicted winged, beautiful humanoid, or a metallic,
exorcist until the end of the mission, as well as geometric construct. If destroyed, it reforms in the
forbidden activities, which become hard for the Lord’s palace when pressure increases.
afflicted inside the kingdom. It additionally change
the exorcist’s current outfit any time they enter or
exit the kingdom, appropriate to the kingdom. An GUARDIAN
exorcist can only have one role at once.
Guardian (sin). Execution talisman 3+CAT.
1. Peasant: Agenda: Act in extreme deference
to others. Forbidden: Acting in defiance of an • Heavily armored and immune to mundane
order. weaponry
2. Priest: Agenda: Obey the Lord. Forbidden: • The guardian can move around rapidly at
Lying, Cheating, taking the Lord’s name in vain. CAT+2 speed while inside the kingdom. It
can’t exist outside the kingdom.
3. Bandit: Agenda: Steal something. Forbidden:
Setup actions or teamwork. • The guardian is axiomatic and is incapable
of deceit or lying. It always knows when
4. Sage: Agenda: Demonstrate your erudition someone is lying in its presence.
and knowledge. Forbidden: Any physically
demanding activity.
Reactions:
5. Knight: Agenda: Protect the residents of the
kingdom. Forbidden: Striking a woman. Lying, Inflict stress. Attacks with: Long ranged
cheating, or dirty fighting. weapon (extreme range), brutal melee strikes.
(1) 5 stress, (2/3): 3 stress, (4+): 2 stress.
6. Noble: Agenda: Humiliate your inferiors.
Forbidden: Deferring to an inferior. Dirtying your
Or: create a complication or threat:
hands.
Imprison someone in a cage of light, blind
with glaring beams, swoop high into the air,
summon searing blades, impale with shining
spear.

145
 Other Optional: write a unique threat or a unique
affliction that the opponent can inflict. Gate this
with the reaction die to a 1-2.
Opponents Here’s an example of some opponents:
Sins are not the only oppositional force that
exorcists can be expected to encounter during a
hunt.

Writing an opponent
Opponents (and sins) are simply storytelling Mundane Opponents
shorthand that is available for easy reference. It’s
better not to think about them as a ‘stat block’ but Exorcists are often in the position of crossing
rather quick reference material for conflict scenes. law enforcement due to the time sensitive
and clandestine nature of their activities.
In a conflict scene, opponents can inflict stress, Aside from this, however, they often tangle
threaten exorcists, or cause a complication. The with high level, deeply entrenched forces
Admin can use the following steps to write any beyond public knowledge: secret societies,
opponent: shadow governments, private military
companies and the like. Sins themselves and
1. Write down a name and description their hosts are also able to hire mundane
humans to do their bidding, especially Toads.
2. Determine if the opponent is a sin, human, or
exorcist. This determines what kinds of powers • Most mundane humans, individually:
can be used on them. Foes can also be
mechanical (like an unmanned drone), or an • are incapacitated by any amount of stress
anomaly (an untyped or mysterious and are usually instantly killed by 4+
supernatural force). stress

3. Determine category. Use the CAT table on • go catatonic if they directly witness a sin
pg. 19. In general, humans are CAT 0, groups of
• The humans listed here are made of
humans, vehicles, and supernatural forces are
tougher stuff.
higher. Category is an easy shorthand for how
effective exorcist powers are.

4. Write down the execution talisman: short (2

segments), medium (3-5) or long (6-8). This
typically determines how tough an opponent is.

5. Write some facts about the opponent - what

are their general capabilities? This can
determine fictional moves and also whether
certain actions taken against them are
generally hard or risky.

6. Write reactions:

7. Write how much stress an opponent inflicts.

Typically an opponent should inflict 1-2 stress,
with +1 more stress on a ‘1’ risk result.

8. Write some typical complications or threats

146
 Security Mercenaries Illuminati
Humans. Execution talisman: 2 Human. Execution talisman: 2 (solo), Humans. Execution talisman: 1 (solo),
(solo), 4 (group), 6 (large group.) 5 (squad), 8 (platoon) 3 (group), (5) large group.

These graceless humans are Graceless human mercenaries, highly Brainwashed or fanatical humans
blissfully unaware of the world of skilled and sometimes hired by sin formed around the manipulation and
psychic phenomena around them. hosts or world governments for worship of sins, often formed and
They are often dispatched to deal defense or wetwork. puppeted by shadowy organizations
with disturbances or guard facilities. or a sin themselves.
• Well armed and compensated
• General human capabilities • Often hide their faces under
• Armored well against small arms
masks
• Usually alert and can raise some and has thermal and night vision.
kind of alarm
Reactions: Reactions:

Reactions:
Inflict stress. Attacks with: Inflict stress. Overwhelming but
Disciplined gunfire (long range). (1) 4 crude attacks. (1) 4 stress, (2/3): 3
Inflict stress. Attacks with: Batons, stress, (4+): 2 stress.
close quarters combat techniques. stress, (2/3): 3 stress, (4+): 2
(1) 4 stress, (2/3): 3 stress, (4+): 2 stress.
Or: create a complication or threat:
stress.
Or: create a complication or threat: Corner an exorcist, attack with fervor
Throw a stun grenade, take heavy (+1 stress), start chanting ominously (-
Or: create a complication or threat: 1 slash taken)
Fire a stun gun, punch an alarm, pull cover, throw down a barrage of
out a firearm, pin down an exorcist suppressing fire.
Or: Complication (1-2): Sacrifice: Pin
Or: Threat (1-2): Flechette Shot: Take down an exorcist, who finds it hard to
Or: Threat (1-2): Beatdown: Inflict do anything, can’t move, and takes
Broken Arm or Broken Leg affliction a disabling shot at an exorcist. If
enacted, deal 3 stress and that +1 stress. Set out a 3 talisman to end
(activities using the affected limb are this grab, and a 3 ‘sacrifice’ talisman
hard). exorcist gains the shredded
affliction: take 1 stress on any 1-2 risk that fills after every exorcist action.
roll where physical activity is When the sacrifice talisman fills, the
involved. targeted exorcist suffers 6 stress and
this effect ends.
147
 Pseudo Sins
Not all sins are created by natural,
spontaneous events. Some are caused by
Sin Events through the steady buildup of
negative energy in exorcists themselves,
called Imago. Still others are created in
secret processes by world governments
seeking to unlock their potential as
weapons of war or control.

Reactions:

Inflict stress. Attacks with: Claws, teeth, whipping

tendrils. (1) 4 stress, (2/3): 3 stress, (4+): 2 stress.

Mass Produced Or: create a complication or threat: Spew black,

Sin corruptive fluid, ear splitting screaming, hurl an

exorcist through a wall or floor

Sin. CAT 0-4, depending on strength Or: Threat (1-2): Berserk: Break the control unit
and go berserk, dripping ichor, dealing +1 stress
Execution talisman: 3 (solo), 5 (group), 7 (large and +1 sin with reactions for the rest of combat.
group) Can only be used once.

A weak sin, produced through unspeakable Artificial Sins sometimes have typing, giving them
methods by shadowy private military companies or additional abilities:
secret world government projects, sometimes from
human stock. • Type A: Shock troop. Fighting them in close
combat is hard. Able to easily smash through
• Barely intelligent, but armed with brute strength buildings and materials.

• Has a control unit implanted in it. Destroying it • Type B: Infiltration. Can go invisible as a
usually makes the sin berserk (see the threat complication, making actions relying on sight
below) hard until complication is ended.

• Type C: Control. Can control mundane humans

present as a complication, using them to body
block (-1 stress suffered) or attack (+1 stress
dealt) while complication is active.

148
 Or: Threat (1-2): Flee: Flee the scene to pupate
Imago and become a full sin, perpetuating the cycle and
the stain. Imagos have a basic type which the
transformed exorcist can choose based on their
Sin. CAT 1-5, based on exorcist
personality This gives them some basic cues as to
their appearance, behavior, and abilities when
Execution talisman: 6+CAT choosing attacks, complications, or threats.

A nascent true sin, created when an exorcist • Ogre Type: Appearance: huge, swollen,
suffers sin overflow and chooses to give up (see twisted, waterlogged. Abilities: Spewing sludge,
pg. 30). Imagos are neither type I, II, or III sins, but freezing cold, brute strength, regeneration
a worse type created from an exorcist
transforming directly. The sins they create are • Idol Type: Appearance: Enhanced, coldly
always more intelligent, spiteful, and vengeful beautiful, graceful. Abilities: Vocal control,
based on their past are hunted with extreme superhuman agility, flesh melding
prejudice by CAIN.
• Hound Type: Appearance: Warped, enraged,
blistering with spines. Abilities: Berserk rage,
• Acts based on the worst impulses of the
animalistic speed, spitting blood
exorcist it was created from
• Centipede Type: Appearance: Insectile, alien,
• Controlling player decides their reactions.
carapace. Abilities: Dripping with venom, create
• Nearly always has a strong instinct to flee and minions from nearby humans, dissolve with acid
become stronger, where it will mature into a
• Toad Type: Appearance: Double jointed, long
true sin and begin creating a palace, triggering
limbed, jester-like. Abilities: Incredible feats of
a new hunt. Will usually fight to run away.
dexterity or agility, long powerful tongue,
exuding slime
Reactions:
• Lord Type: Appearance: Armored, imposing,
Inflict stress. Attacks with: Claws, teeth, dripping angelic. Abilities: Warping the world to their
appendages, psychic powers. (1) 5 stress +2 sin, liking, fiery shining weaponry, heavy armor
(2/3): 3 stress +1 sin, (4+): 2 stress.
Nobody in (recorded) archival CAIN history has
Or: create a complication or threat: Make recovered from becoming an Imago, but it might
appeals to the exorcists’ humanity, show a little of be possible depending on the tone of your game.
their former self, demonstrate a new surprising
ability, outpace the exorcists

149
 Drifter
The forces created by blasphemies and sin
events are (still) largely beyond human
comprehension. Occasionally these forces break
the psychic veil in a way that breaches
mundane reality, allowing other beings
momentary entry. These beings cannot be
classified as sins but defy any classification as
life. Their attachment to our reality is fleeting
and they typically move on after a few hours -
hence the moniker - but they are no less
dangerous to human life.

Pest Poltergeist
Anomaly. Execution talisman: 3
Anomaly. Execution talisman: 2 (solo), 5 (group)

A barely visible shape in the darkness.

A broad category of drifter - a common manifestation
that could be categorized as animal-like, the fauna of a
• May adopt human face or form. Never looks right
place beyond human understanding.
• Can mimic speech. Sometimes comprehensible.
• Tends to break conventional reality around it - Sometimes appears to tell the future. Do not listen to
changing things like light refraction, gravity, space. it.
May create sucking holes in things, reflective
surfaces, crystalline splinters, etc. Reactions:
• Consumes inanimate matter like glass, paper, or
stone. Inflict stress. Attacks with: Telekinetic shove, thrown
objects, ghostly flames. (1) 4 stress, (2/3): 3 stress,
Reactions: (4+): 2 stress.

Inflict stress. Attacks with: Whipping tendrils, extreme Or: create a complication or threat: Speak something
forces. (1) 4 stress, (2/3): 3 stress, (4+): 2 stress. into someone’s ear, emerge suddenly from darkness,
disappear completely
Or: create a complication or threat: Kill all the lights,
impale with strands, warp space in some way, suck the Or: Threat (1-2): Feed: Deal 1d6 stress, but also reduce
oxygen out of a room target’s sin by the same amount. Once per scene only.

150
 Titan Pale Man Gatherer
Anomaly. Execution talisman: 10 Anomaly. Execution talisman: 5 Anomaly. Execution talisman: 2 (solo), 5
(group), 7 (horde)
An incredibly large drifter, usually thirty to Intelligent drifter that seems interested in the
forty meters or larger at the shoulder. psychically sensitive and is drawn to them Bulbous humanoid that exhibits the unusual
Sometimes anthropomorphic, sometimes like an insect to flame. Prefers to observe behavior of collecting and enveloping
animalistic in form. Has a tenuous relation to from a distance. Completely peaceful if left humans alive to carry them off to parts
reality and may occasionally phase through alone. Fights like an animal if provoked or unknown. Sometimes appear in groups
matte. Large enough to cause shocking approached in any way, with no regard for its
destruction. own safety. • Has a fleshy, saclike structure it will store
fresh humans in, carrying them off.
• So large it is immune to small arms fire • Watches at a distance
and doesn’t seem to regard humans • Capable of communicating subsonically.
much at all. • Don’t look at it for too long.
Reactions:
• Barely intelligent. Lumbers along slowly Reactions:
with little regard for obstacles.
Inflict stress. Attacks with: Extended spines,
Inflict stress. Attacks with: Bone cracking acid spray, subsonic vibrations. (1) 4 stress,
Reactions: limbs, terrifying jaws. (1) 4 stress, (2/3): 3 (2/3): 3 stress, (4+): 2 stress.
stress, (4+): 2 stress.
Inflict stress. Attacks with: Casual swats of Or: create a complication or threat:
an appendage, an unintentional footstep (1) Or: create a complication or threat: Retreat Disgorge stomach contents, impale with arm
2d3+1 stress, (2/3): 1d3+1 stress, (4+): 2 into darkness, wail loud enough to shatter blades, vomit acidic bile
stress. glass, lick exorcist with numbing tongue.
Or: Kidnap (1): Complication: Grab an
Or: create a complication or threat: Speed Or: Shrieking Rage. (1): Deal +1 more slash exorcist and shove them into its fleshy
up, suddenly notice the exorcists, become and take +1 more slash on talismans for the interior. That exorcist finds it hard to do
irate or enraged, cause massive collateral rest of combat. This effect stacks. anything and is practically immobilized. They
damage. go comatose and suffers an injury if the
Gatherer is not defeated or they are not
Or: Threat (1-2): Swat insect: The titan freed at the end of 3 rounds (counting this
attempts a slow but real blow against the one).
last exorcist to deal stress to it, dealing 3d3
stress. If inflicts an injury, inflicts instant
death.

151
 BINDERS UNDER//HEAVEN
It is possible to bind lesser sins or their traces into Amongst those employed by CAIN and amidst
servitude, an art that was officially banned by the field reports, there are rumors of another
Doctrine of Katherine the Meek in 1736 and is clandestine organization - one that does not
punishable by instant execution. Binding sins, seek to wipe out sins, but rather to control them,
especially powerful ones, provides an incredible as weapons and a source of power, or even to
boost in ability to an exorcist, as they can use cultivate them. They even instigate the creation of
them as servants, attack dogs, and living wells of sins- sometimes through artificial means, as a way
psychic power. Exorcists that manifest this of furthering their goals. The doctrine of this
blasphemy are kept under strict observation and organization, as far as it has supposedly been
granted a stay of execution as long as they are encountered, is that individuals with grace, such
employed by CAIN. as exorcists, are naturally superior to graceless
humans, presenting a next step in evolution. This
The term ‘binder’ has since become a catchall evolution should both be cultivated and those that
term for all rogue exorcists. It is occasionally are ‘dead ends’ (base humans) should be left
recorded that CAIN encounters outside individuals behind - or worse, culled.
manifesting blasphemies that are external to
official CAIN employment or record. These Officially, Under//Heaven does not exist. At
individuals have been able to tap into and control minimum, any organized exorcist group outside of
their powers without CAIN conditioning, CAIN’s control would present an extreme threat
something that the organization deems extremely to the world order. The organization’s ranks (if it
dangerous - as they still present a significant exists) are mostly made up of mundane mercenary
degradation risk of sin overflow. groups and illuminati, mass produced sins (see
pg.148), and Binders at the top.

152
 Or Fuse (1-2) Threat: Fuse with a sin or another
BINDER allied Binder into a gestalt being if the threat is
successful. Destroy the target but then increase
Exorcist. CAT 0-6, depending on strength this binder’s execution clock by 2. They deal +1
stress with all actions and increase in CAT by 1 for
Execution talisman: 1+CAT (rank and file), 4+CAT the rest of the scene. This can only be used once.
(Upper rank), 7+CAT (Elites)
When creating theming for the abilities for the
A rogue exorcist, either self taught or organized. binders, the Admin can look to the base twelve
Manifests blasphemies that are typically more wild, blasphemies.
creative, and sometimes more powerful than more
restrictive CAIN training provides. CAIN doctrine 1. Tension: Slice, trap, or create force fields
demands they be immediately subdued and that
they submit to authority on pain of execution. 2. Ardence: Blast with fire or cold, create
massive destruction
• Uses blasphemies that mirror those of the
3. Flux: Reverse or speed up the flow of time to
exorcists, but stranger and wilder
heal or hinder
• May work in formation with other binders or
4. Vector: Fly, hurl objects, move with
control a mass produced sin.
unnatural speed

Reactions: 5. Gate: Teleport, manipulate space

6. Smother: Turn invisible, make no sound,

Inflict stress. Attacks with: Psychic bursts of
turn off friction or light
power, mundane weaponry (both short range). (1)
5 stress, (2/3): 3 stress, (4+): 2 stress. 7. Whisper: Know about things before they
happen. Reveal hidden plans.
Or: create a complication or threat: Entrap, slow,
or snare with psychic powers. Afflict or grant a 8. Edit: Blend into a crowd, alter the
hook. Create a hazard or a shield. Start charging up equipment, body, or outfits of others.
a massive attack. Rapidly heal (regain one or two 9. Bind: Attack with bound sins, fuse with
slashes on execution talisman). Reveal a surprising bound sins.
use of powers. Escalate the situation.
10. Jaunt: Paralyze, possess, or puppet
Or: Attack (1): Psy clash: Can use once a scene. someone or something
Choose an exorcist. The exorcist rolls PSYCHE, the
11. Palace: Pull someone into the palace, pull
binder rolls dice equal to half their CAT, rounded
something or someone out of the palace
up. This roll cannot be modified. The targeted
exorcist and the Admin can each describe how 12. Sympathy: Demonstrate supernatural
they lock into a fierce clash with their powers. proficiency with tools or weapons
Compare the number of successes. The loser
takes stress or slashes equal to twice the
difference between the result of their final roll and
the winner’s. If the binder loses, they are pushed
back and can use this ability again this scene.

Mimes, in the form of God on high,

153
Mutter and mumble low,

And hither and thither fly—

 INDEX
Act (conflict action), 43 Impossible (roll), 11
Action Roll, 10 Improving
Admin, 10 A roll, 15
Advance, 45 Character, 45
Advantage die, 10 Injury, 31
Affliction, 32 Imago, 30, 149
Agenda, 26, 46 Instant Death, 32
List of Agendas, 46 Kit, 33, 78
Analyze (conflict action), 43 Lord, 140
Authority, 98 Nail of Abel, 36
Bargaining, 33 Ogre, 110
Binders, 152 Palace, 36, 104
Blasphemy, 30, 52 Pathos, 16
Ardence, 56 Pressure, 38, 106
Bind, 70 PSYCHE (skill), 25, 26
Blast, 27, 52 Psyche Burst, 27
Edit, 68 Resistance, 30
Gate, 62 Rest, 38
Flux, 58 Risky (roll), 12
Jaunt, 74 Risk die, 12
Palace, 72 Reaction (opponent), 43, 107
Smother, 64 Round, 43
Sympathy, 76 Scrip, 33, 45, 78
Tension, 54 SEER, 99
Vector, 60 Setup, 16
Whisper, 66 Severe Attack, 108
Briefing, 35 Sin
CAIN (organization), 6, 98 Enemies of mankind, 100
CASTLE, 99 Marks, 30, 86
CAT/Category, 18 Mass produced, 148
Main table, 19, Appendix Resource, 29
Centipede, 128 Overflow, 30
Complications, 106 Spare, 40
Conflict Scene, 42 Straight Roll, 12
Consequences, 14 Stress, 31
Defend (conflict action), 43 Talisman, 17
Defy Fate, 32 Teamwork, 15
Domain, 104 Tension, 38, 104
Drifters, 150 Temerity, 99
Divine Agony, 16 Threats, 107
Exorcists, 7, 20, 44 Toad, 134
Execution Talisman, 107 Trauma, 37
Experience, 45 Countering, 37
Fate Roll, 13 Traces, 108
Hard (roll), 11 The Twelve (Blasphemies), 28
Hound, 122
Hook, 32
Hunt (procedure), 34
Idol, 116

154
 It was hot.
I sat outside and listened to the cicadas.
Their noise was deafening.
I though to myself,
“For 17 years they are dormant.
Nobody thinks anything of them.
Then, and only then,
their glory is enough
it outshines God himself.”

As above, so below 155

AFFIX ID CARD FIRMLY

FORCE
CONDITIONING
COORDINATION
COVERT
INTERFACING
INVESTIGATION
SURVEILLANCE
NEGOTIATION

Starts at 6. -1 per injury.

EXECUTION
IF filled, gain an injury and roll over remainder of stress
AUTHORITY
CONNECTION
Spend 1 advance to improve, then tick a box below.
Two skills at 3 max.

Improvements:

INJURIES:
Each gives -1 stress.
Suffer an injury when execution fills up.
Clear all stress when gaining an injury, then
remainder rolls over.
When suffering instant death, may suffer Sin
Overflow instead and erase 1 injury.

Gain this injury box if

visitation rights have been acquired.

ACTION ASSESSMENT METRIC

HOOKS:
Gain hooks when bargaining with the Admin, from
4+ RISKY HARD
your own powers, or when there’s a delayed
Admin rolls the Successes on a
consequence.
SUCCESS risk die. 6.

Gain bonus dice:

INSTRUCTIONS: - Teamwork (Combine highest bonuses)
NAME HOOK
SLASH HOOK ONCE WHEN: - Setup yourself or another: (+1D, -risk, or -hard)
- Gaining the same hook again
- Spend 1 psyche burst to use your powers (+1D)
- Pressure increases - Use your abilities
- Rolling a 1 on risk - Bargain with the Admin (Gain a hook or tradeoff)
WHEN HOOK FILLS UP, ERASE AND
RESOLVE IT …+3 dice maximum

AFFLICTIONS:
Record afflictions here.
Debrief after mission for decontamination. DIVINE AGONY
• When you take no successes on a roll,
gain an affliction, fil out a hook, gain an
injury, or an exorcist dies or suffers sin
overflow, store a pathos.
• Once a session, and once a scene for the
whole group, you may burn away all
pathos to add one extra die to a roll per
PATHOS
pathos burned, stacking with all bonuses. Clear after session end

//ADVANCEMENT tmstandard 067

XP:
ADVANCES:
At the end of each session, answer each question,
then mark xp. Cash an advance each time this fills.

• Did you survive?

• Did you follow your first agenda item?
• Did you follow at least one bolded agenda item?
• Did you take an injury or affliction?

DOCREF XX0011
As above, so below
CAT
CATEGORY RATING SYSTEM
Please circle clearly
I II III IV V
CATEGORY AFFECTS THE
PARAMETERS AND
EFFECTIVENESS OF POWERS
MISSIONS SURVIVED: 0 1 2 4 7

B
PSYCHE
½ CAT, rounded up.
Use for your powers
U
R
S
T USE YOUR POWERS OR GAIN +1D. THEN
MARK ONE, OR GAIN 1D3 SIN INSTEAD
REGISTERED KIT

KIT
POINTS:
Spend KP to pull out the following items any time:

Description

SERVICE WEAPONS (2 KP) (CAT 0, upgrade +1 by

spending 3 scrip to max of CAT 3)
ISSUE UNIFORM (0 KP)
NOTEBOOK, PEN (1 KP)
MATCHBOOK (20 MATCHES), CLEAN HANDKERCHIEF (1 KP)

! !!SIN OVERFLOW!!
Give up or make a resistance check.
Resistance: Roll 1d6 and add 1 for each sin mark. Gain
a sin mark on a total result of 7 or lower and keep
control. A result of 1 always suceeds. On success, clear
all sin, gain a sin mark then permanently cross out
two boxes. Otherwise, give up.

SIN MARK

-S - SCRIP:
Paid out per mission (5: success, 3: spare, -1: failure, +3 advance) Evolve with an advance

SIN MARK SIN MARK

DOCREF XX0018
Evolve with an advance
Evolve with an advance As above, so below
 CAIN REGISTERED ABILITIES

AGENDA AGENDA ABILITIES

Describe registered agenda here.
Swap agendas between missions. Keep any bolded items.
Spend an Advance to gain a new ability. 5 abilities max.

AGENDA ITEMS

BLAST: Spend a psyche burst and roll

PSYCHE to produce a weaponized form of

BLASPHEMY: concentrated psychic energy in melee or short

range. The specific look and feel of this basic
exorcist skill varies between exorcists. The
Describe registered pychic phenomena.
Keep sticker attached at all times. strength of this blast scales with CAT.
Spend an Advance to gain a new power.
Spend an Advance to gain a new blasphemy. If you do,
cross out a sin box, and increase xp to advance by +1
OBSERVED POWER

PASSIVE
OBSERVED POWER

OBSERVED POWER
OBSERVED POWER

OBSERVED POWER

158
DOCREF XX0012
FIRMLY AFFIX ALL STICKERS As above, so below
 159
DOCREF XX0015
REFER TO DOCTRINE TM451 IN CASE OF CATEGORY 5+ EVENT As above, so below
 ATTACH MISSION FLOW MATRIX
FIND THE

THE HUNT
Exorcists are dispatched when signs of a
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
BRIEFING
ARRIVAL
TRACK
INVESTIGATE
PREPARE
PALACE
A sin creates a parasitic
pocket dimension. It
cannot be slain outside.
Enter the palace and
sin appear, and must investigate. They 6. CONFRONT execute it.
know only its type and trauma questions. 7. EXECUTE
They must locate its lair and execute it
before catastrophe strikes.
Return for debrief.
RNR allowances.
Just think, you’re all ready to slaughter to your heart’s content.
AFFIX TALISMANS FIRMLY

Slash when a scene passes, or a ‘1’ is rolled on risk (once per scene only)l.
Increase pressure by 1, then clear tension. Then:
Send minions/Ambush the exorcists/Involve authorities/
Separate someone/Force a difficult choice/
3 TENSION FILL> Escalate the situation/Afflict the Exorcists/Start or
progress a ticking clock/Use a domain/Threaten or twist
an NPC/Introduce a new obstacle
Slash when tension fills out, degrading the situation.

The situation gets out of

6
PRESSURE FILL> control. The sin
increases in CAT by +1
and things get worse.

TALISMAN WORKSPACE REST

Characters rest as a group. Increase
INSTRUCTIONS: Write what each talisman represents, write length in circle pressure by 1, and roll 2d3. Then for each
d3, gain that many psyche burst, heal
(2-short, 3-5 medium, 6-8 long), slash 1 for each success when acting.
that much stress, or untick a hook.
Actions that don’t fill it up represent partial progress.

AFFIX TALISMANS BELOW

160
DOCREF XX0124
As above, so below
 SIN
VITAL INFORMATION CARD

Refrain from speaking name aloud

RECORDED MANIFESTATION FIELD SHEET

INSTRUCTIONS:
- RETREAT TO SAFE DISTANCE
- DO NOT MAINTAIN EYE CONTACT
- IMMEDIATELY CALL 994
I II III IV V VI VII

RECORDED TRAUMAS Please promptly file card

TRAUMAS

1.
FACT: Traumas can be used to
counter a sin’s reaction, reducing
2. stress suffered by all targets by 1d3
and inflicting 1d3 slashes on the sin.
3.

AFFIX EXECUTION TALISMAN BELOW. SLASH WHEN TAKING HARM.

- EXECUTE
EXECUTION - FAIL
- SPARE
Sparing requires at least 1 trauma
7+PRESSURE+CAT After 4 slashes, must retreat to palace until pressure increases and heal 1d3, or 2d3 if full.
Cannot retreat inside palace, and instead is at the mercy of exorcists if full.

ATTACK COMPLICATE THREATEN

CONFLICT

Add a twist to the fight. Complications can: Threaten a worse consequence, once a
Attack with: round. An exorcist must immediately make
• make something hard an action toll to try and counter the threat.
Threats can, if executed:
• deal 1 stress a round to all exorcists
• make the sin take 1 less slash on its • Inflict stress: (1): 1 injury, (2-3): 5
stress. (4-6): 3 stress
Inflicts stress: (1) 5 stress, talisman under certain circumstances
(2/3): 3 stress, (4+) 2 stress • Separate an exorcist completely, or
• make the sin deal 1 more stress under
• Afflict an exorcist, or
Adjust up or down by +1 certain circumstances
depending on situation. • Cause collateral damage, or
• change the parameters of the fight
• Massively change the parameters of
The same effect cannot stack with itself. the fight
SEVERE ATTACK Complications are worse and take more effort to
! Only usable on a 1, once a
deal with the worse the reaction die (4-6): 2
scene. Check sin sheet for
details. action, (2-3): 4 talisman. (1): 6 talisman. Add a Or improvise: (1) Strongest reaction, (2/3)
strong reaction, (4/5) Weaker reaction, (6)
complication up to three times per conflict Weakest reaction.
scene total.

DOMAIN DOMAIN DOMAIN

161
DOCREF XX0121
FIRMLY AFFIX ALL STICKERS As above, so below
 CAIN
Humanity is cursed, host to a roiling psychic sea barely
understood or controlled, a phenomenon arising purely from
the darkest portions of the human soul. While most humans
are blissfully unaware of its presence, others are more
sensitive. When it grows wild in these hosts, SINS appear,
terrifying supernatural monsters that are anathema to reality
itself.

CAIN is the solution, the global supranational shadow

organization dedicated solely to the hunting and execution
of sins. It’s mission is clear, its purpose steadfast. Is there
anything better than a good hunt? Just think, you’re all set to
slaughter to your heart’s content.

YOU are an exorcist, a powerful psychic soldier and tool of

CAIN, honed and wielded for one purpose:

WIPE OUT THE STAIN

$9.99 © Tom Bloom 2025