Animism (FiD)

Starfox's Blades in the Dark fan page

You gain your power from a host of spirits, each less in power than the patrons of other power playbooks but versatile in their breadth. You may see these spirits as your masters, allies in a cause, servants you bully, mischievous friends, slaves to capture, or a mix of all of these. Some spirits are actual physical creatures, others may call these creatures monsters but you won't. An animist might be known as a medium, medicine man, miku, shaman, or druid.

Trauma Condition—Pact Tokens

You activate your powers by whispering to your spirit allies and touching a pact token. Your powers are based on deals with spirits, and each spirit is represented by a token that represents your relationship with that spirit. This is usually a small amulet, but can be tattoos, scents, holograms, piercings, or even the spirit visibly floating around you. The spirits demand that these symbols be visible to the world. Observers can tell your power playbook and those in the know can learn your powers from your symbols. The stronger you are, the more symbols you need.

Special Abilities

1. Beast Companion: You have an animal or monster serving you. This is an expert cohort (Bodyguard) (p 96) that is Intelligent. You can take this special ability again to give your companion supernatural abilities, it gains potency when tracking or fighting the supernatural, and gains an arcane ability: ghost-form, mind-link, or reduces non-potent damage. Take this ability multiple times to choose an additional arcane ability for your pet each time.
2. Fortitude: You may expend your special armor to resist a consequence of the natural environment, hunger, attacks from animals, elementals and spirits, or to push yourself when in nature.
3. Natural Medicine: You can use natural medicinal herbs. Everyone in your crew (including you) gets +2d to their healing treatment rolls and ignore healing penalties from roughing it out.
4. Nature Guardian: You gain an additional xp trigger: You protected the natural order of the world.
5. Wisdom of the Spirits Commune with local spirits. They'll assign a simple task to strengthen your bond, often involving purging corruption or defeating spirit foes. Success restores 2 points of stress to your crew. All vice indulgence gains +1d.
6. Shapeshifter: You can use Attune in place of Consort when using powers.
7. Spirit Ally : You have a spirit ally you can summon using Advanced Attune powers. You have an established relationship with this creature, which gives you +2d on Attune checks against it. Your ally will advance in tier as you do.
8. Powers: There are myriad spirits, giving you access to oh so many powers. Air, Animal, Barrier, Darkness, Death, Earth, Electricity, Fire, Ice, Flux, Illusion, Kinesis, Life, Light, Metal, Mind, Order, Plant, Space, Time, and Water.

Allies and Antagonists

˄ ˅ Bolo, a talking animal

˄ ˅ Fatiga, a spirit-speaker

˄ ˅ Hernan, a spirit

˄ ˅ Lorigan, a tribal chief

˄ ˅ Terranam, a herbalist healer

Items

☐ Animist Disguise.

☐ Hunter's Body Paint.

☐, ☐ A spirit bribe.

☐ A temporary pact token.

☐ or ☐-☐ A potent weapon.

☐ Spirit lantern.

• Animist Disguise ☐: A coverall or robe that hides an animist's spirit symbols without interfering with powers. You have to doff this to use powers. Playbook.
• Hunter's Body Paint ☐: Smells nice and friendly to animals, makes them treat you like one of them. Consumable.
• A Potent Weapon ☐ or ☐-☐: This can be a hand weapon or a heavy weapon, common hand weapons are a club, curved sword, or sling. Common heavy weapons are a spear or bow. Potency allows you to damage supernatural targets.
• Spirit Bribe ☐: A token imbued with power and sacrifice, valued by spirits and useful as a bribe. Gives +1d on a single use of an Animist power. Consumable, Playbook.
• Spirit Lantern ☐: A Lantern that reveals spirits and invisible creatures and objects in its light. Works best in darkness, has to be very close to work in sunlight. Common.
• Temporary Pact Token ☐: A token of a pact made in advance with a spirit strange to the user. Allows an animist a single use a power they do not know. Consumable, Playbook

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 by interacting with nature 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

Prowl 1

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