Mastermind (FiD)

Starfox's Blades in the Dark fan page

As the Mastermind, you are the architect behind every plan, the schemer who pulls the strings from the shadows. Where others see only chaos and danger, you see opportunities to exploit and connections to be made. Through cunning, manipulation, and careful calculation, you wield power not by strength of arms but by the force of your intellect.

Touchstones: An adaptation of the Spider from Blades in the Dark.

Cardinal (Flesh and Blood 1985), Cardinal Richelieu (The Three Musketeers 1993), Denethor (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 2003), Albus Dumbledore (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 2007).

Special Abilities

Devil's Due

When you or a crewmate fails an action roll during a score, you can spend 2 stress to allow a re-roll with the same number of dice. If this second roll also fails, in addition to the consequence of failure, you end up in an immediate desperate situation, the result of overthinking or the enemy seeing through your plan.

Foresight

Your detailed planning allows you to assist a teammate without being present. You can Assist crewmates without using Stress twice per score. You can take this ability again to gain two additional uses.

Functioning Vice

When you indulge your vice, you may adjust the dice outcome by 1 or 2 (up or down).

Long Game

You may spend 1 Stress to declare that you “predicted this” in a flashback. Introduce a small, plausible detail (an ally in place, a hidden tool, an appropriate ID, a bypass code) that helps the current situation. More complex preparations can be done at the usual Stress cost of flashbacks.

Mask

You can don or doff a disguise in seconds. You get +1d to rolls to disguise yourself and to maintain a disguise. After a successful Engagement Roll you can choose to infiltrate the opposition, only to appear later disguised as one of their minions.

Networking

All your Shrewd Friends turn into contacts except the one you have selected as your enemy. During each downtime, you can add one NPC you or your crew recently got along with as a new contact.

Rook's Gambit

Take 2 stress to roll your best action rating while performing a different action. Fib how you do this.

Web of Deceit

You gain +1d when you gather information. If you succeeded at gathering information about a score, get +1d to the engagement roll.

Additional Playbook

Select another playbook. You gain immediate access to its Inventory and XP conditions, but not base upgrades. From now on, you can choose its Special Abilities. You can take this special ability multiple times, each time selecting a new playbook. Prerequisite: To select a playbook, you need an action rating of one in each of its starting actions.

Shrewd Friends

˄ ˅ Arlin, an architect.

˄ ˅ Kael, a sage.

˄ ˅ Lenn, a savant.

˄ ˅ Nix, an archivist.

˄ ˅ Soryn, a domestic.

Inventory

☐, ☐ Fine bottle of wine.

◯ Fine disguised weapon.

☐ Fine Disguise Kit.

☐ Operational map.

☐ Spyglass.

☐, ☐, ☐ Trance Powder.

• Fine Bottle of Wine ☐: A highly desirable vintage, effective at loosening tongues and making an impression. Can be laced with Trance Power at no additional load cost, see below.
• Fine Disguise Kit ☐: A theatrical make-up kit equipped with an impressive array of expert appliances to fool the eye. The fine quality of this kit may increase the effect when playing a role or relying on beauty.
• Fine Disguised Weapon ◯: A weapon that does not appear to be a weapon except under close scrutiny. Examples include cane swords, fighting fans, hair pin daggers, blades concealed in everyday objects like holy symbols, belt buckles, shoes, and emblems of rank, or palm pistols. Sashes, belts, or clock chains can be made to be used as whips or garottes. This is a masterwork weapon that fits you perfectly, improving your effect.
• Operational Map ☐: A map of the area of operations, gained through contacts and information gathering. +1d on engagement rolls for Assault, Stealth, and Transport plans. Negates the engagement roll penalty for complex plans. Playbook.
• Spyglass ☐: Telescopic brass tube with lenses, amplifies three to four times. Increases effect of distant Surveying. Gadget.
• Trance Powder ☐: A dose of the popular drug, which induces an altered mental state. The victim of this powder is not fully unconscious, but rather retreats into a calm, suggestible mental state, similar to hypnotism. +1d on all Resolve actions against imbiber. Common, Consumable, Unreliable (minimum complexity 1).

XP

• Every time you roll a desperate action, mark xp in that action's attribute.

At the end of each session, for each item below, mark 1 xp (in your playbook or an attribute) or 2 xp if that item occurred multiple times.

• You addressed a challenge using calculation or conspiracy..
• You expressed your beliefs, drives, heritage, or background.
• You struggled with issues from your vice or traumas during the session.

Starting Actions

Consort 2

Sway 1

4 points by choice, no higher than 2 in any one.