Machinator (IB)

Starfox's Blades in the Dark space hack

Those who plot in secret strike with certainty.

— Attributed to Tacitus

Machinator Playbook

As the Machinator, you are the unseen architect of events — the mind that turns circumstance into opportunity. Where others act, you arrange; where others see coincidence, you see design. Through manipulation, foresight, and calculation, you shape outcomes not by force, but by understanding how every piece moves.

Touchstones: Kaiser Söze (The Usual Suspects (1995)), Number One / Cavil (Battlestar Galactica TV (2004–09)), Dom Cobb (Inception (2010)), Hari Seldon (Foundation TV (2021–)).

Special Abilities

1. Devil’s Due: When you or a crewmate fails an Action roll (1–3) during a Score, you may spend 2 Stress to allow a re-roll with the same number of dice. You need not be present to do this. If this second roll also fails, in addition to the normal Consequences, you yourself end up in an immediate Desperate situation — the enemy has seen through your plan.
2. Foresight: Your preparation lets you Assist a teammate without being present. You can Assist your crew once per Score without paying Stress.
3. Functioning Vice: When you Indulge Vice, you may adjust the dice outcome by 1 or 2 (up or down).
4. Mask: You can don or remove a disguise in seconds. Gain +1d to Consort rolls when disguised and to Resist anything that would break your disguise. After a successful Engagement Roll, you may choose to have infiltrated the opposition, disappearing from the action only to appear later disguised as one of their number; reappearing restores 2 Stress to each ally present.
5. Networking: All your Contacts and Enemies become Contacts except the one you chose as your Enemy. During each Downtime, you can add one NPC you or your crew recently came to terms with as a new Contact.
6. Plans Within Plans: Once per Score, you may negate the Stress cost of an ally’s Resistance Roll or Group Action. You can do this even if you are not present.
7. Prescience: Gain +1d to Gather Information. If you succeeded at gathering information about a Score, gain +1d to the Engagement Roll.
8. Rook’s Gambit: Spend 2 Stress to roll your best Action rating while performing a different Action. Fib how your preparation or manipulation makes this possible.

Contacts and Enemies

˄ ˅ Alix, an archivist.

˄ ˅ Brin, a domestic.

˄ ˅ Coren, an architect.

˄ ˅ Jalen, a philosopher.

˄ ˅ Miro, a praxic.

Inventory

☐, ☐ Fine Bottle of Wine

◯ Fine Disguised Weapon

☐ Operational Map

• Fine Bottle of Wine ☐: A desirable vintage, effective at loosening tongues and making an impression.
• Fine Disguised Weapon ◯: A weapon that does not appear to be a weapon except under close scrutiny — cane sword, fighting fan, hair-pin dagger, or similar.
• Operational Map ☐: A map of the area of operations, gained through contacts and information gathering. Negates the Engagement Roll penalty for complex plans. 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 it 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.
• You pointed out an established NPC whom the GM then brought into the action.

Starting Actions

Consort 2

Judge 1

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