Spirit (FiD)

Starfox's Blades in the Dark fan page

That which does not kill us makes us stranger.

Trevor Goodchild (Æon Flux TV 1995)

Spirit is a complex playbook that creates a play experience outside normal expectations.

As a spirit, you are immaterial by nature — a supernatural manifestation of Power. Your abilities come instinctively, but you struggle to affect the physical world.

Your general appearance resembles your Race, idealized and reshaped by your Forms. A Fire spirit may have flame for hair and searing red skin, a Darkness spirit may be a silhouette with star-dim eyes. As you learn new Forms, your grows stranger and more otherworldly, mixing or shifting between Forms.

Trauma Condition — Immaterial

You are normally immaterial, existing in the spirit world — an aspect of the ether. You cannot touch objects, but you see and hear the physical world and can manifest as a faint, whispering image. You cannot be harmed unless an attack is Potent. Others may Survey to sense you, and Attune to see and interact with you. Any action involving you as actor or target begins at Limited Effect and Controlled Position.

You may roll: Attune, Command, Consort, Prowl, Study, Sway, Survey. You may not roll: Finesse, Hunt, Skirmish, Tinker, Wreck, or use their associated Powers. 'Exception:' Master-level Finesse and Hunt effects that alter the environment.

Two immaterial Spirits interact with one another as if both were material.

Powers

Your Powers are triggered by will alone. While immaterial, they manifest only faintly in the physical world, with Limited Effect and Controlled Position (see above).

Materializing

You cannot materialize by default. You must either use a Special Ability or be the target of an Advanced Attune Power. When material, you function like any other creature. You may become immaterial again when banished (such as by Attune) or at the end of a scene. You can use Attune powers to Banish or Manifest yourself.

Spirit Travel

You do not travel physically. You exist in a parallel Spirit World anchored to a small home area such as a glen or alley. You can move normally within any scene you are present in.

You may Spirit Travel by focusing on things you are connected to. Your starting connections are: your home, the crew’s lair, all crew members (including cohorts), and all your contacts. A downtime action may create a new connection to a place or item or you can gain a new contact in the usual ways. Creatures are mobile destinations — you may travel to them wherever they go. You have no sense of your physical location beyond the immediate vicinity after using Spirit Travel.

Spirit Travel is usually simple, but wards, rituals, or circumstances may demand an Attune roll. You must be immaterial to travel; this may force you to wait until the end of a scene.

Vulnerabilities

• You are vulnerable to Powers that affect Spirits and extradimensional beings.
• You are tied to all Powers you know, which influences how Command and Sway effects can compel or manipulate you.
• You can be summoned or banished with Attune Powers.
• Some effects force you to Materialize; this prevents Spirit Travel until you become immaterial again (normally at the end of a scene).

Special Abilities

Invulnerability

You are highly resistant to damage. When you are material and take physical Harm that is not Potent, make an Attune roll. 1-3: No reduction. 4-6: Reduce Harm by 1 level. Critical: Reduce Harm by 2 levels. This stacks with the Skirmish ability of many Forms to absorb damage when both are relevant.

Remember: When immaterial you are immune to damage that is not Potent, and even Potent damage is affected by your starting Position, which is always Controlled. This always applies, even if you don't have Invulnerability.

Judge of Life

During downtime, you may add or subtract your Attune dice from the recovery roll of nearby creatures. If you penalize a roll and it results in 1, their Harm increases by 1 level instead of decreasing. You do not need to Materialize to use this ability.

Remember that you cannot go anywhere you like — you need a connection to a place or person to Spirit Travel there.

Manifest Shape

Materialize and assume a shape chosen when you learn this ability — a specific animal or a specific person. An animal shape may grant natural capacities like flight, swimming, speed, and keen senses. A shape can improve or worsen Position or Effect depending on circumstances.

You may take this ability multiple times to learn additional shapes.

Materialization

You may assume a physical form. While Material, you act as a normal creature, reducing the restrictions of [[#Trauma Condition — Immaterial|Trauma Condition — Immaterial]. You may choose how much of your spiritual nature shows on the host body. Using Powers gradually reveals your true spirit form. You may become immaterial again at the end of any scene or when banished by an Attune effect.

Possession

When immaterial, you may touch a creature and roll Attune to enter and control their body, becoming Material.

The role opf the target determines the Effect needed. The GM assigns a role to NPCs similar to crew roles. You can never possess core member of a crew, similar to a PC in ability.

• Limited: a bystander.
• Standard: a member of a cohort gang.
• Great: a cohort expert.

Remember, as an immaterial Spirit, your starting Effect is always Limited, modified only by Tier.

While in the host body you use your Actions, Attributes, and Special Abilities, but keep its appearance and mannerisms. Using Powers gradually warps the host, revealing signs of your true nature. While possessing, all Harm to the host also affects you; physical Harm affects both.

Possession lasts for the score unless forcibly ended, you release it at the end of a scene, or the host body goes unconscious. When Possession ends, the host reverts to its normal form; only physical Harm remains. The host remembers everything that occurred.

You can take this ability multiple times in order to heal damage taken when possession ends. For each additional time you take the ability, reduce all Harm taken while possessing by one level. This leaves you momentarily stunned and unable to act.

Size Change

You can change size to become either much smaller or much larger, less than half a meter or more than three meters in height. As a large creature you suffer one less level of physical harm from weapons. As a small creature you gain additional effect on Prowl.

Additional Playbook

Select another playbook. You gain immediate access to its Inventory and XP conditions. 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.

Powers

You can learn these powers, expending a Special Ability for each. Air, Animal, Barrier, Darkness, Death, Earth, Electricity, Fire, Ice, Flux, Illusion, Kinesis, Life, Light, Metal, Mind, Order, Plant, Space, Time, and Water.

Dramatic Encounters

˄ ˅ Adler, an animist

˄ ˅ Ash, a child medium

˄ ˅ Cress, an inquisitor

˄ ˅ Thorne, a lunatic with potent vision

˄ ˅ Wicko, an occultist

Inventory

☐,☐,☐ Natural Object.

☐ Potent Weapon.

☐,☐,☐ Second Sight Potion.

☐ Spirit Clothes.

• Natural Object ☐: An object related to your Powers you create out of nothing, such as a branch for plant or a rock for earth. This can be a rare item like a medicinal herb or rock crystal, but not a manufactured object or one worth coins. Playbook.
• Potent Weapon ☐ or ☐☐: A weapon magically potent against the supernatural. Certain creatures take less or even no damage from mundane weapons. This can be either a hand ☐ or heavy ☐☐ weapon.
• Second Sight Potion ☐: Gives the ability to see spirits and the invisible. Lasts several hours. Alchemical, Consumable, Unreliable/Volatile. You may see things that are not there. Minimum Complexity 1.
• Spirit Clothes ☐: A stylish outfit. Without these, you have only minimal clothing which may scandalize people.

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 advising others or using powers.
• You expressed your beliefs, drives, heritage, or background.
• You struggled with issues from your vice or traumas during the session.

Starting Actions

Attune 2

Survey 1

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