Page 74 - Chronicles of Darkness

die. If one of the secondary actors rolls a dramatic failure, character’s background and define her go-to solutions to prob-
the primary actor takes a four-die penalty. lems. For example, a character with Firearms 3 and a Specialty
in Rifles is capable with all guns, but particularly good with
Time rifles. She’ll default to a rifle when she can, because that’s
what she does best. Players should come up with backstory
When you’re playing out stories in the Chronicles of reasons for Specialties — perhaps the character used to hunt
Darkness, time in the story can speed past or slow to a crawl with her grandfather as a youth.
compared to time in the real world. Weeks or months might Whenever a Specialty applies to a player’s roll with the
pass in the space of a few words, while a tense negotiation relevant Skill, she adds one die, which stacks with other situ-
plays out in real time — or takes even longer. ational modifiers. Multiple Specialties may apply to a single
In addition to years, nights, and hours, the Chronicles of roll with Storyteller approval. If a player goes to great lengths
Darkness also uses five units of dramatic time. These build to justify a Specialty, it probably shouldn’t apply.
on one another, from shortest to longest.
• Turn — The smallest increment of time, a turn lasts for Willpower
about three seconds. A character can perform a single
instant action in a turn. Turns normally only matter A character’s Willpower represents her determination and
in combat or other dramatic and stressful situations. her ability to go above and beyond what should be possible
to achieve her goals. Spending a point of Willpower adds
• Scene — Much like a scene in a play, a scene in a role- a three-die bonus to most dice pools, or +2 to a Resistance
playing game is the time spent dealing with a single, trait. You can only spend one point of Willpower per action.
specific event. The Storyteller frames the scene, de- A character regains one point of spent Willpower for each
scribing what’s going on, and it’s up to the players to full night’s sleep she gets.
resolve the event or conflict. A scene might be played
out in turns, progress in real time, or skip forward,
depending on dramatic necessity. Anchors

• Chapter — A chapter is the collection of scenes that hap- When a character acts in accordance with his Virtue or
pen during one game session. From the moment you sit Vice during a scene, his sense of self is reinforced and his
down and start playing to the point where you pack up reserves of inner strength refreshed.
your dice, you’re playing out a chapter of your story. If the Storyteller judges that your character’s actions dur-
ing a scene reflect his Vice, he regains one spent Willpower
• Story — A story tells an entire tale, following the point. Note that acting on a Virtue or Vice does not need to
dramatic arc of a related series of events. It might be pose difficulty or risk to your character.
comprised of several chapters or be completed in just If the Storyteller judges that your character’s actions dur-
one. It has an introduction, rising tension, a number of ing a scene reflected her Virtue while posing her difficulty
twists, and a climax that brings things to a conclusion.
or risk, she regains all spent Willpower. She may regain
• Chronicle — The big picture; a chronicle is the collec- Willpower up to twice per game session in this way.
tion of interlinked stories that involve your characters.
ing plotline, or they may only share characters and Integrity
They might be linked by a common theme or overarch-

locations. As your story progresses, the players and Human characters encountering the supernatural suf-
Storyteller work together to create an ongoing chronicle. fer great strains to their composure, as well as to their very
psyches. The measure of a person’s self-image, her psyche,
Skill Specialties and her soul’s health is called Integrity.

While Skills describe a character’s broad knowledge and Breaking Points
training, Skill Specialties describe particular areas of exper- A character stands to lose Integrity when she experiences
tise. A Specialty should be narrower than its Skill, but not a breaking point. If the action would cause a character psy-
so narrow that it’s usually irrelevant. Each Skill in Chapter 1 chological stress, it’s worth considering whether the action
lists a few example Specialties as a guideline. The Storyteller constitutes a breaking point. Note, too, that the character may
is the ultimate arbiter of what constitutes a Specialty. experience breaking points that do not stem from his own
Characters begin play with three Specialties, and players actions. Witnessing the gruesome realities of the Chronicles
can purchase more with Experiences. A character may have of Darkness, supernatural or otherwise, can do it, too.
any number of Specialties for a given Skill, but only one When a character performs certain actions or endures
instance of each Specialty. Specialties can help flesh out the certain experiences, he might reach a breaking point. A

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Integrity