Cabal (IB)

Starfox's Blades in the Dark hack

A Cabal is a covert political alliance—agenda-setters who move levers through intrigue, favors, and pressure. In the habitats and along the lanes, they sway councils, route licenses, media narratives, and patronage webs. Goals vary: force a reform, seat a proxy on a board, break a rival bloc, or midwife a new polity.

Heat & Wanted Level

☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐ | ☐☐☐☐

Credit

☐☐☐☐ | Vault ☐☐☐☐ | Vault 2 ☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐

Special Abilities

1. Masters of Intrigue: Each PC may add +1 action rating to Command, Consort, or Sway (up to a max rating of 3).
2. Manners: +1d to Resolve actions when among high society and their supporters.
3. Network of Allies: Treat +3 Faction statuses as if they were Turf upgrades.
4. Patronage: Advancing your Tier costs half the usual Credit. Who is your patron? Why do they fund you?
5. Revolutionaries: +1d to Resolve actions when dealing with workers and the underclass.
6. Rumor Mill: You may always use Consort as a flashback to Set Up a later Command or Sway action.
7. Whispered Secrets: +1d to Gather Information about people and society.
8. Additional Playbook: Select another crew playbook. You may now choose its Upgrades and Special Abilities. Immediately gain access to the Crew XP track.

Crew XP

At the end of each session, for each item below, mark 1 XP (or mark 2 XP if that item occurred multiple times):

1. Use intrigue, manipulation, or persuasion to advance your agenda or control others.
2. Contend with challenges above your current station.
3. Bolster your crew’s reputation or develop a new one.
4. Express the goals, drives, inner conflict, or essential nature of the crew.

Contacts

1. Arlen, a habitat councilor.
2. Cassio, an inter-polity envoy.
3. Ilyas, an intelligence analyst.
4. Lanthys, a trade regulator.
5. Merva, a clandestine cell organizer.
6. Saruul, a sector noble-patron.

Crew Upgrades

Starting Upgrades Cohort (Rooks), Hidden Lair, 2 of choice.

Cabal Only Upgrades ☐ Classy Clothes — (+1 apparent lifestyle) ☐ High Society Contacts — (+1d Engagement on Social plans) ☐ Manifesto — Gain +1 Reputation when you add or improve a cohort. ☐ Spies — +1d to Gather Information about individuals. ☐ Grease — +2 Credit payoff on scores that influence specific individuals. ☐ Salon — +1d Engagement on plans involving high society. ☐ Network — During downtime, roll dice equal to your Tier. Gain Credit equal to the highest result, minus your Heat. ☐ Safehouse — Reduce Heat by 2 per score. ☐ Turf — Reduces the Credit cost multiplier to advance crew Tier. (May be taken multiple times.) ☐ Lair — Your network’s secure base of operations. ☐ Cold Drop — +1d to Acquire Asset rolls. ☐ Firebrand — During downtime, roll dice equal to your Tier. Gain Credit equal to the highest result, minus your Heat. ☐ Flashpoint — +1d Engagement on plans involving commoners. ☐ Influence — +2 Credit payoff on scores that sway a group. ☐ Informants — +1d to Gather Information about political groups. ☐ Cover Identities — +1d Engagement on Deception and Social plans.

Base: ☐,☐ Life support, ☐,☐ Independence, ☐,☐ Maneuver, ☐,☐ Hidden, ☐,☐ Secure.

Assets: ☐,☐,☐,☐ Investment — Reduces the base cost of improving Tier, before multiplication.

Installations: ☐,☐ Quarters, ☐☐☐☐ Training, ☐,☐ Vault, ☐,☐ Venue, ☐,☐ Workshop, ☐,☐ Hangar, ☐,☐ Prison.

Vehicles: ☐,☐ Shuttles (needs hangar), ☐,☐ Fighters (needs hangar), ☐,☐ Runabouts.

Quality: ☐ Documents, ☐ Gear, ☐ Implements, ☐ Supplies, ☐ Tools, ☐ Weapons.

Vices: ☐ Faith, ☐ Gambling, ☐ Luxury, ☐ Obligation, ☐ Pleasure, ☐ Stupor, ☐ Weird.

Cohorts ☐,☐,☐,☐,☐,☐,☐,☐,☐,☐,☐,☐,☐ Cohort: (Max 2 per tier +1 for strong hold) ☐,☐,☐,☐,☐,☐,☐,☐,☐,☐ Add Elite, Edge, or Type to one cohort

Cohorts

Each cohort needs this data.

Name:

☐ Gang or ☐ Expert.

Type: ☐ Adepts, ☐ Rooks, ☐ Rovers, ☐ Skulks, ☐ Thugs.

Edges & Flaws: ☐ Elite, ☐ Fearsome, ☐ Independent, ☐ Loyal, ☐ Principled, ☐ Animal, ☐ Savage, ☐ Unreliable, ☐ Wild.

Damage: (☐ Armor), ☐ Weak, ☐ Impaired, ☐ Broken.