Chapter Five Sample - Busied Hands (Patreon)

Busied Hands

A character’s niche tends to define the situations she excels in, but it’s often worth considering what role she will play in scenes that aren’t specifically geared towards her talents. No one expects any Deviant to be equally useful in all situations, but a player whose character has nothing to do in a social setting or combat, for example, risks boredom in those scenes. Some players may be fine with this — particularly if the scene type is rare. How common a scene type is depends on the tone of the chronicle and the problem-solving style of the cohort, but here are some that make appearances in many chronicles:

Combat: Renegades frequently find themselves in violent situations, and combat scenes often take a lot of time at the gaming table to resolve, so having something to do during them is important in most chronicles. What is your role in a fight? Do you have combat Skills, Fighting Merits, and/or a violence-focused Variation like Lash (Deviant, p. 122) or Carapace (Deviant, p. 116)? If so, are you particularly effective in close combat or at range? Do you have a Variation that lets you bolster, protect, or heal your allies? Do you have one that confuses, disables, or turns the battlefield against your enemies? Most Variations can be turned to violent ends with a bit of creativity, and even something seemingly harmless like the ability to see in the dark can be a gamechanger if the lights suddenly go out.

Infiltration: Stealth missions and heists are genre staples that often appear in Deviant chronicles. These can involve getting into places unseen or blending in with those who have legitimate business there. What is your character’s role in a heist, infiltration, or stealth mission? Do you have Skills, Merits, or Variations that help you foil security measures, avoid detection, or gain access to secure places via unexpected ingresses? Or are you adept at sweet-talking your way past guards or disguising yourself as someone who won’t be challenged? Perhaps you don’t go inside at all, instead coordinating the team’s actions from a chair elsewhere or keeping the getaway car ready to go. Or you might be in charge of creating a distraction to draw eyes away from your allies’ unauthorized entrance. Once inside, what is your job? Do you black out security cameras, open locks and doors, or hack into the facility’s computers to retrieve critical files? Or maybe you take out guards before they raise an alarm, rescue (or take) prisoners, or take charge of carrying off (or destroying) the MacGuffin.

Information-Gathering: To have any hope of success, a cohort needs to know the forces arrayed against them, the potential solutions at their disposal, or simply how to make a homemade bomb without blowing off their fingers. What options does your character have when what the cohort needs most is information? Do you have Mental Skills and Merits that make you invaluable in a library or conducting research online? Do you have a gift for getting strangers to answer your questions, or do you have people you can call to help you track down the truth behind a rumor? Perhaps you’re adept at reconnaissance, tailing targets or scouting the perimeter of a conspiracy facility without raising an alarm. Possibly, you know how to make a prisoner talk when they would rather not. Many Variations focus on getting information or have effects that bestow knowledge.

Psychological Warfare: Campaigns of harassment and targeted mayhem can frighten a Conviction Touchstone or deal institutional harm to a conspiracy without exposing the cohort to easy retaliation. How does your character engage in acts of psychological warfare against the cohort’s enemies? Do you engage in the mundane mainstays of stalking, vandalism, and threats? Or do you have a knack for propaganda, whisper campaigns, or blackmail? Perhaps you’re an experienced hacker, arsonist, or saboteur. Or maybe you’re charming, and you undercut your enemies by turning or recruiting away their agents or by instigating conflicts between them. Many Variations are highly effective at sowing discord, creating chaos, or bringing enemies to despair.

Resource Acquisition: Renegades are often starved for resources. What is your character’s role in securing access to needed goods and services? Do you have money, whether through the Resources Merit or by requisitioning or borrowing it? Or are you an experienced pickpocket or burglar? Possibly, you’re skilled with your hands and can turn raw materials or substandard goods into functional equipment or repair them when they break or require maintenance. Maybe your cohort trusts in your underworld contacts, eye for bargains, or negotiation skills to acquire goods and services they couldn’t find or afford otherwise. Some Variations can help with this, whether bringing needed gear into a scene directly or by making it easier to find or steal existing items, and many more can be used as tools themselves.

Social Events: Although Renegades can’t always trust those outside their cohort, sometimes they need their help. How do you navigate social situations to win friends and influence people — or at least avoid making enemies? Are you charming and earnest, making friends with your frank honesty, or do you secure people’s cooperation using flattery, deception, or promises you don’t expect to keep? Maybe you play a supporting role as the lead negotiator’s bodyguard or enforcer. Or perhaps you’re the one who delivers the litany of facts to reinforce your cohort’s arguments. Possibly, you stay on the periphery to keep an eye out for treachery or prevent any outside interruptions. Or maybe you use the social event to cover for clandestine activities like snooping in off-limits areas, spying on attendees, or stealing things that are unlikely to be missed right away. Several Variations serve well in social situations.

Survival: Sometimes nature is the greatest threat to a cohort’s survival. What does your character do in emergency situations or hostile environments? Do you have medical training that allows you to tend injuries, recognize the warning signs of exposure, and minimize the risk of infection? Or do you know how to find food, water, and shelter when it might not otherwise be available — whether it’s in a forest, a desert island, or an unfriendly city? Can you hunt or trap food, drive off predators, or recognize natural hazards? Maybe you know how to build a shelter quickly with found materials or to start a fire with a pair of glasses. Perhaps you’re good at keeping your cohort’s spirits up, or you can at least learn how to do your part around camp without constantly complaining or shirking. Many Variations make this considerably easier and can even extend their protection to an entire cohort. Surviving the elements is usually a resource acquisition task conducted under duress.