Savant (FiD)

Starfox's Blades in the Dark fan page

As a savant, you are a master of gadgets and concoctions. With your vast knowledge of chemicals and herbs, you create powerful elixirs that can heal allies, weaken foes, or enhance physical capabilities. You are also a natural philosopher, with practical knowledge of science and mechanics allowing you to make gadgets useful in almost every situation. Whether brewing in a lab or improvising in the field, you always have something potent up your sleeve.

Savants are mundane technologists corresponding to the artificer's magical technologist and the sage's humanist.

You might be called a technician, inventor, barber, surgeon, or master crafter.

Touchstones An adaptation of the Leech playbook from Blades in the Dark. Steven from "Flesh and Blood" (1985).

Special Abilities

1. Craftmaster: Select a craft, such as alchemist, blacksmith, bowyer, cartographer, gunsmith, jeweler, mechanist, stoneworker, tailor, or woodworker. Gain +1d and additional effect on Tinker roll with this craft, making your products fine in quality. You earn 1 extra coin when crafting for coin during downtime. You can select this ability several times, each time choosing a different specialty.
2. Deep Pockets: Increase your load capacity by two.
3. Demolition: You can use Tinker instead of Wreck to destroy things with a loud bang. Pick one: not as loud as an explosion—the damage is hidden from casual inspection—increased effect.
4. Fortitude: You may expend your Special Armor to resist a consequence of fatigue, weakness, or alchemy, or to push yourself on any Insight action.
5. Inventor: When you invent or craft (p 224) Alchemy, Armaments, and Gadgets, take +1d to your roll. You can make new Formula or Design. You begin with one Design or Formula already known.
6. Prototype: You can spend 1 stress to take a downtime action in a flashback to use Tinker to craft an item (p 224), even one you don't have a formula or design plan for. You can spend multiple stress this way, but you only have access to the item during the current score, it then falls apart.
7. Spirit Ward: You know how to Tinker with an area so it is either anathema or enticing to creatures linked to one power (your choice when using this ability). This takes about one minute to affect an area based on your tier (p 221). You can stack several wards of different types.
8. Surgeon: You can treat wounds and stabilize the dying. Your crew (2 stress to affect yourself) can use your Tinker for healing rolls. You can take a few minutes to make a Tinker roll to reduce a wound suffered in the last hour by one level. Treating Level 1 and 2 harm is a controlled position, Level 3 harm is risky, and resuscitating Level 4 harm (the recently dead) is desperate. Each harm can only be treated once. Consequences affect the patient, not you.

1. Analytic: You may always use Study for a setup action, either in the moment or as a flashback. On a partial success, improve position. On a full success, improve position or increase effect. On a critical success, improve position and increase effect. This does not prevent others from using setup actions.
2. Consolation of Philosophy: During downtime, roll Study to recover stress instead of indulging in your vice. When resisting a consequence, you may roll Study instead of the relevant attribute. If this does not improve your number of dice, gain +1d on the roll.
3. Discerning: Roll Study to determine the truth behind spoken words: 1: miss subtle falsehoods, 2-3: uncover white lies, 4-5: uncover lies about things, 6: uncover lies about people, 66: expose the underlying intention.
4. Inquisitive: Spend a few minutes examining evidence to roll Study and gather information. Ask questions based on success: 1: failure, 2-3: 1 question, 4-5: 2 questions, 6: 3 questions, 66: 5 questions. Subtract the difference in Tier from the number of questions if the site has been disturbed.
5. Mystic Apothecary: You can use occult Rituals and craft non-explosive Alchemicals with Study instead of Tinker. Research new Ritual Procedures and Alchemical Formulas. You do not start with Ritual Procedures, but you know the Formulas for the Alchemicals in the Medicine Chest.
6. Physicker: Your crew (including you) gets +1d to healing rolls. Spend several minutes to roll Study and reduce non-wound harm suffered in the last hour by one level. This roll takes a -1d penalty per harm level (up to -3). Each harm can be treated only once.
7. Studious: When using Study to gather information on a target, ask an additional question about their vulnerabilities or habits. On success, identify a way to gain potency against them. If used before a score, gain +1d on the engagement roll.
8. Wisdom: Expend your special armor to resist any consequence or to push yourself using Study.

Human Resources

˄ ˅ Addison, an savant.

˄ ˅ Cameron, a master crafter.

˄ ˅ Emerson, a thief.

˄ ˅ Morgan, a fixer.

˄ ˅ Rowan, a mage.

Inventory

☐ Bandolier of alchemicals ☐, ☐, ☐, ☐, ☐.

◯ Emerald Pen.

☐ Fine Disguised Weapon.

☐ Fine Syringe Crossbow.

☐ Fine tinker tools.

◯ Tinker Drone.

• Bandolier of Alchemicals ☐: A strap worn across the body, fitted with specially-padded pouches to hold five flasks of Alchemical agents. When you employ an alchemical from a bandolier, choose an acquired item, one of your custom-made formulas, or a Common alchemical with complexity no higher than your tier. See page 226 for more on alchemicals.
• Emerald Pen ◯: This pen is tipped with an emerald nib and requires no ink to write. It can draw green lines and text on any material, including in air, and you can make the text glow for a few minutes. On a surface it lasts much like normal ink, in the air it disappears when it stops glowing. More expensive versions use other gems and create text of other colors. Common.
• Fine Disguised Weapon ◯: A A weapon that appears as an everyday object unless closely inspected, such as cane swords, fan blades, concealed daggers, or palm pistols hidden in cutlery. It is a masterwork weapon you made, enhancing your effect.
• Fine Syringe Crossbow ☐: A pistol crossbow that fires a bolt that injects a drug or poison. Effective to about 10 meters. You must supply the drug. Gadget.
• Fine Tinkering Tools ☐: A finely crafted set of tools for detailed mechanist work, including various tongs and pinchers, a jeweler's loupe, and precision measuring devices. Increases effect on Tinker rolls for manipulating delicate machinery, such as locks, clockwork, and metal traps. Does not increase the effect of the machinery itself. Playbook.
• Tinker Drone ◯: Tiny creature like a rat, small monkey, or homunculus; often robotic. Can assist you on Tinker rolls. You pay the stress cost. It is too limited to act on its own. 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 using technical skill or mayhem.
• You expressed your beliefs, drives, heritage, or background.
• You struggled with issues from your vice or traumas during the session.

Starting Actions

Finesse 1

Tinker 2

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