Katanas & Trenchcoats Immortal Beta Playtest Packet

Katanas
& Trenchcoats:
Immortal Beta Packet Packet
Initial playtest text for this 90s retromodern roleplaying game
2016 Dice & Whatever Studios
Last Updated: September 1st, 2016
This is not the final text by any means. This is the underlying story and game framework,
much of which will be rewritten once playtesting has shown us what does and doesnt
work. After all, putting effort into making entertainingly written rules doesnt make any
sense until were sure those rules work in the first place.
This playtest document also doesnt reflect the organization of the final book.
Giving Feedback
This is a playtest, so your feedback is appreciated! If you have the following feedback, I
want to hear about it:
Experiences in reading this: What confused you? What did you particularly find
interesting? What gave you inspiration or interesting ideas for character creation
or running the game?
Experiences in character creation: What seemed quick? What seemed slow? Was
there any part where you stumbled? How did you feel about your character
afterward? How about other characters?
Experiences in play: What seemed smooth? What seemed clunky? How often did
you enjoy yourself during the game? Were you playing more dark/gothic or
whimsical/jokingly? Did anything seem to make sense when you read it, but
turned out to be confusing in play?
Email feedback@diceandwhatever.com. In all cases, please get into a bit of detail, but
keep your feedback to under 1000 wordsgive us the most important stuff, so we know
to focus on what we should address and what we shouldnt change. (Well autotruncate feedback email to the first 1000 words, so if you go over, please have the most
crucial stuff first.)
Please dont provide the following at this stage:
Typos and grammatical errors. This is going to be rewritten and then edited
afterward. Note: When I get to the final text, I will be very appreciative of your
help in this regard. (But if a typo made something genuinely confusing, please
tell me that.)
Suggestions for game rules. I need to know your experiences, not potential
solutions. That said, once I have feedback, I may contact some of you for said
suggestions. But thats post-analysis work.
Thanks, and I hope you enjoy this!
Ryan
Katanas & Trenchcoats Immortal Beta Playtest Packet
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The Spirit of Katanas & Trenchcoats

As a roleplaying game, Katanas & Trenchcoats holds one rule above all:
Nothing anyone comes up with is real or true until its brought up during a scene
in play. Even then, many things wont matter for long, and some things that do stick
around will change or become untrue as plot twists happen.
So dont hold anything in your head. Bleed on the table metaphorically speaking.
The Darkest Cosmos

Katanas & Trenchcoats is set in the Darkest Cosmos, which takes the world we think we
live in, and reveals the Supernatural Underneath. You know the saying five minutes in
the future? Yeah, that. In the Darkest Cosmos, neon glitz rules, immortals duel in foggy
streets, vampires run trendy nightclubs, werebeasts rage out against other
supernaturals, etc.
[BOX] Five Minutes into the Dark Future
Though the feel of the genre is the 90s, the game's setting isn't itself a period piece.
That means we have todays cell phones and internet, political and environmental
turmoil, all that stuff. If you play this game in 2020, play it like youre in 2020. (Or dont,
if you want to play a period game. You do you.)
Five minutes is about making the setting be just a little extra odd in play.
Technomages can make tech work like in movies. Dystopian fears are reality (or even
more reality than now, if you prefer).
[/BOX]
The Living Cosmos

The Darkest Cosmos is more than the name of this setting, though. Its the quasisentient force from which Apeironthe power that makes someone an immortal,
vampire, sorcerer, car wizards, etc.flows, which has an unknowable agenda of its own.
Well get into much more about the Darkest Cosmos as an entity as we go into the rules,
but one thing is important to know up front:
The Darkest Cosmos wants the player characters to suffer in the most awesome
ways possible.
Apeironic Beings
All beings who possess a sense of Apeiron are serious players in the Darkest Cosmos. All
othersnormal mortalsare pawns, prey, or collateral damage.
Beings with Apeiron all possess the following qualities in some form or another:
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Theyre hard to kill. In some cases, nearly impossible (immortals and vampires).
In other cases, death is just a weird thing (hi, ghosts). With Apeironsupercharged mortals (known as Exceptional Mortals), they tend to have some
trick to get them out of the fire.
They can wield the dark Essence of Apeiron. That can mean different things
depending on the characters nature: being able to leap up to a tall balcony, read
someones mind, break a stone wall, throw lightning aroundthe unforgiving
skys the limit.
They give off a weird sense of being totally awesome, which others can sense.
Immortals can tell there are other immortals around based on proximity, and can
tell another being has Apeiron if they look them in the eyes. Technomages can
invent and use Apeiron-detecting gadgets. Car wizards can size folks up to know
who is and isnt totally badass.
They have the attention of the Darkest Cosmos. This makes life awesome and
hell all at once, and is the reason theyre worthy of being played in a RPG.
The Splats
The core typesknown in the game and in the world as "splats"are broken down as
follows.
Earthly Supernaturals
The trinity of earthly supernaturalsimmortals, vampires, and werewolvesare locked
in endless struggles that dance to the Darkest Cosmos's whim.
Immortals are the toughest of all human-born supernatural beings. Made endless by the
power of Apeiron, their nature is to fightamongst each other and with other
supernaturals. With their ability to manifest mystical swords from nothing and conjure
simple elemental sorcery, they are the apex predator among supernaturals. But for all
their power, they have limitations, among which is their inability to leave the Realms
Mortal. Even their souls seem to simply disappear upon perma-death.
Vampires are the natural schemers of the supernatural world, empowered through
Apeiron to steal life and mind from mortals. Their sorcery is more manipulative, and
though some can display immense strength their true power lies in the web of
allegiances and deals made over centuries. Immortals and vampires sometimes fight
shadow wars, but just as often would an immortal bargain with a vampire cabal to help
take out a rival.
Werebeasts are what happens when Apeiron chooses to forge beings from humans and
creatures. Long ago, their ancestors were made slaves by immortals and vampires, so
today many rage back and fight to topple the civilization fostered by their would-be
masters. Others still make the choice to be seneschals for other supernaturals. And
though not technically immortal, they have a resilience that makes them decidedly
beyond mortal.
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Exceptional Mortals
Exceptional mortals are mortals who can, in their own ways, sense and manipulate
Apeiron, but do not have the fortitude of other supernatural beings.
Sorcerers and Technomages are gifted through Apeiron with the ability to perform
extraordinary feats of reality manipulation. There is a saying about how mortal sorcerers
can do so much more than their immoral cousins: the candle that burns as bright as a
fucking nuke doesn't burn for long, but damn does it burn. Apeiron drives sorcerers to
discovery, and technomages to creation.
Hunters are those who have been imbued with a power best described as anti-Apeiron,
or perhaps a different side of Apeiron. Hunters are drawn to beings of Apeiron, even
when they don't realize it. And hunters hunger to end those who are touched by
Apeiron; hunters can befriend supernaturals, if they get a chance to fight alongside
them.
Car Wizards are the newest breed of exceptional mortals, who can achieve genuinely
superheroic acts in a very particular idiom, one perhaps fueled by modern media and
the importance of the automobile. (They are quite physically competent outside of a
vehicle as well, just as their media counterparts are, so don't underestimate.) The rest of
the supernatural world is still trying to fight out how these Apeiron-fueled thrillseekers
fit into their schemes, but tread carefully: when behind the wheel, they seem powerful
enough to take on an immortal.
The Otherworldly
Some supernaturals come to the Realms Mortals from other points in the Darkest
Cosmos, with power that rivals the terrestrial supernaturals.
Ghosts are harbingers of doom who have found their way from the Atramentous Lands
back to the Realms Mortal. Unstuck from life and touched by raw Apeiron, they are
forces of prophecy and entropy. Nothing can escape the notice of ghosts, for they can
see through lies as easily as through walls. They can offer sage counsel and shepherd
beings through otherworldly places, or they can sow chaos to feed from the emotions of
mortals.
Feytouched are humans transformed by long exposure to the Faerie, and come in two
varieties. Some are emissaries of the Sidhe Monarchs, beings of immense power whose
whims reverberate in the Realms Mortal. Others are escapees who will fight tooth and
nail to be back in the Realms Mortal. Regardless, through their natures they can find
their way into any place they need tothe desired trait for the Sidhe's heralds and a
useful talent for those who seek freedom.
Angels are beings from the Heaven, a realm of souls ruled by beings known as
Archangels, all forged by the Creator's Lighta power that seems not unlike Apeiron.
Angels visit the Realms Mortal on the behest of their masters to fight "forces of Sin" and
"purify mortal souls." They're on par with immortals as universal badassessome even
speculate that there's a strong link between immortals and angels.
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Demons are beings from Hell, a realm of souls ruled by Lucifer's Archdemons. Hell is a
dark mirror of Heaven where a heart made of Apeiron beats, and demons travel to the
Realms Mortal to tempt souls into their abyss, so their heart can feed. Once on Earth,
though, many demons get a taste for mortal living and are loathe to return. They're on
par with vampires as wicked manipulators, though demons are more about individuals
than machinations.
There are other sorts of beings, certainly, but most of the interesting, dangerous
characters youll come across are one of those sorts. Beware of The Transcendent
beings so infused with the Darkest Cosmos that theyre like walking demigods. (Yeah,
well get into them later. For now, just know to not fuck with the Queen of Ravens.)
A Mental Map of the Darkest Cosmos

Cosmologically Speaking
A big chunk of the retconning is in defining the Darkest Cosmos overall.
The center of the Darkest Cosmos is the Realms Mortal, where the main action takes
place. Everything that mortals can perceivespace, planets, stars, molecules, atoms,
quantum particlesfalls in this space of causality.
Beyond mortal perception are the Imbricated Dominions, worlds that overlap with the
Realms Mortal where Apeiron is a strong influence. Most stand between the Realms
Mortal and planes of raw Apeiron known as "Impulses," which are turbulent ethereal
borderlands. Among the Dominions:
Atramentous Lands: The lands of the dead, where its Dukes and Duchesses
administer the flow of lost souls and play at politics. The Atramentous Lands butt
against the Impulse of Sorrow.
Heaven and Hell: Two totally different realms of the dead, described more or
less in the above sections on angels and demons. They jointly butt against the
Impulse of Pain.
Land of the Sidhe: Worlds run by beings inherently tied to human and terrestrial
nature, the Sidhe Lords. Pretty much what you think when you read about the
faerie realms in literature, as these lands were the inspirations for those stories.
The Sidhe butt against the Impulse of Destruction.
Those are the most prominentor at least, the most interesting to write about for now.
There are countless other, smaller Dominions.
The Umbric Realms is what we call the spaces in between the various other Domains
and the Realms Mortal, much as Outer Space is what we call the vast nothingness
between celestial bodies. But unlike the emptiness of space, the Umbric is a chaotic
aetherscape where raw Apeiron flows. Most methods of traveling between Realms
touches the Umbric not long enough to leave a lasting mark, but still crossing the
barriers between worlds is asking for fuckery. (Some immortal cosmo-scientists theorize
that early acts of breaching the barrier around the Realms Mortal allowed the first drops
of Apeiron to flow in.)
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Most of the Umbric Realms are not distinct or formed enough to be named, but one
infamous place is known to all: Purgatory, the Aimless Prison.
The Impulses are where raw Apeiron dwells, flowing into the Domains. Those Domains
color the way Apeiron in turn flows into the Realms Mortal. None can enter the
Impulses and remain as they were. In these outer realms, dark gods dwell in chains
and they wish to be freed.
Terrestrially Speaking
Powerful and sinister entities have their hands (or tendrils) in governments,
corporations, grass-roots movements, consumer spending, youth groups, knitting
circlespretty much everywhere. Some Immortals fight against this incursion. Others
are part of these massive conspiracies. Still others dont give a shit unless theyre
personally fucked with.
Magic in the Realms Mortal

Magic is a prominent, if rarely seen force in the Realms Mortal: energies from the
various Domains (ley lines and faerie magic, heavenly and abyssal power, forces from
Umbric Realms and Atramentous Lands), human sorcery and will-working, and Clarkean
technomagicand that just scratches the surface. Its pretty batshit crazy here. The only
saving grace for mortals is that their minds are too feeble to understand the true nature
of their world or remember horrifying unnatural encounters.
"Showing Discretion"
The supernaturals in the Realms Mortals universally play by the Law of Discretion. In
brief:
Don't flaunt powers in front of credible mortals.
Don't get caught on YouTube.
Don't go on talk shows.
Why? Because the Darkest Cosmos doesn't want itself to be plainly known; it thinks
things are cooler when they're mysterious and edgy. So for the most part, the force of
Apeiron isn't something mortals can perceive and whose effects rarely remember, but
since the advent of recording devices, supernaturals work hard to avoid what happens
when the Cosmos getting the fame it doesnt want.
See, those who overly violate Discretion start radiating power, becoming Beacons of
Darkness. And around them, the walls of reality crack. Violators have two choices then:
retreat somewhere and let that bleed off for a year or a century, or be perma-killed
before you bring bad shit on everyone else just trying to behead their friends of suck
blood in peace.
Darkest Vancouver
Terminal City. End of the line. The last refuge of the burned-out elite, its a city like a
gargoyle, crouched on the rain-soaked rooftop-edge of the future. Where technology,
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buried forces of ancient Gaia, and the Sorcery of the conglomerate global media
universe grind together in one last sweaty dance party before the Apocalypse.
The secret history of the city starts with a man known only as Jack, a frontiersman and
notorious drunk on the lookout for a place to wash away the horrors of living in the
savage Canadian wilderness. With no place to turn, he did what every self-respecting
drinker would do: open a bar himself. His bar was more than just a place to drown
yourself in cheap whiskey; it was fortress against the darkness, built on a site of arcane
power. Stories about this time are plentiful (though most of them shot through with
lies) and there are some who tell them that claim that Jack was no mere mortal. If thats
true, hes certainly deep in a powerful whiskey sleep beneath the city waiting to be
awoken by a worthy successor to whom he can pass his infinitely distilled supernatural
gifts. Jacks legacy drew only the toughest people to the end of the line, a pull that
remains as strong today.
Darkest Vancouver is a living nexus of raw energy. Its heart is the Granville
Entertainment District, a throbbing organ pumping blood, sex, and drugs. Bars, dance
halls, and theaters crowd the streets and hidden beneath most of them are secret,
underground clubs where only the most well connected are granted entry. Granville
Street is a neon highway where anything goes, day or night. Controlled by the shadowy
Donnelly Group (a cabal made up of immortals, vampires, arch-technomages, and other
powers) the GED is where the elite and famous Immortals go to rub shoulders and
perform their ecstatic magicks under the pulsing lights.
They say you cant throw a knife in the Couve without impaling an aspiring director. This
is because, like the Immortal, the film industry has felt the pull of the citys magick. A
convergence of energy, Vancouver is cloaked in Glamour. Illusion magicks gain special
power here and no illusion is more real than the silver glow of the movies. Vancouver is
a perfect stand-in for any city and can be easily transformed into Tokyo, New York,
Delhi, or Berlin. Unwary visitors will often find themselves lost in streets whose signs
seem to shift languages without warning. Look to the skyline and youll find the Sears
Tower jutting into the sky next to the Burj Dubai. Turn your head and youll see the Eiffel
Tower, looming menacingly over the smoggy streets. Nothing is what it seems in
Hollywood North.
Darkest Vancouver isnt all chrome and flash and glowing lights. An ancient power
dwells here, and has since the dawn of time itself. The great water of the Pacific Ocean
crashes cold as ice against the shore, a primordial entity waiting hungrily to swallow the
decadent city that encroaches on its territory. Virtua-shamans who make their home in
Vancouver post on EcoMagickal forums about whispers from the sea and a dark thing
that rises in the depths. Many have lost their minds searching for the meaning of these
secrets and wander the streets, babbling about the Great Orca Spirit. What these tunedin aura junkies agree on is that something big and bad is coming, and that itll spell the
end for all who arent ready for it. Most Immortals treat this ranting as crackpot bullshit.
Darkest Vancouver is a place where anything might happen. It's where Immortals can
come to tap into the sweet veins of ancient power or just lose themselves in the
hedonistic fury of the city with nowhere left to run. Something bleak is emerging from
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the watery horizon, and the view of the Apocalypse is always the finest in the city at the
end of the world.
Beginning Your Story

Making a Katanas & Trenchcoats character is more than just throwing some numbers on
a sheet. Youve got to breathe some dark soul into a sexy, fearsome persona, one that's
mysterious even to you as a player! The "mysterious" part is key, as you're expected to
leave some blanks in your backstory to reveal in play.
A Core Idea
To come up with a Katanas & Trenchcoats character, start with a simple core. If youd
like, use this structure:
I want to play the __(splat)__ version of __(famous person or person in fiction)__, but
with __(twist or tilt)__. The reason I want to is __(reason)__.
You dont have to bother with the twist, if youre eager to play someone who starts off
very straightforward.
Once you have your core idea, you arent beholden to it. It might change while you make
your character, and it definitely should during play. This is just a starting point to get you
going.
Your Story
Every character is tied to a group from their splat, such as immortals and their Houses,
vampires and their Guilds, etc. Follow the guide for that splat. Because you get a game
benefit here and there's a plot hook to pick, you should probably choose one now. But if
you really want to leave that blank and reveal in play later, the game's cool with that!
Each splat has a sagaa list of prompts meant to shape ideas about your character and
inject some fuel into the opening play sessions. Your job during character creation is to
answer at least two of those prompts. The answers to each prompt can be a couple
phrases or a novel. You can answer more than two prompts, if you want, and leave what
you're not interested in or inspired by right now to reveal in play.
Each character has a Throne of Comfort and a Deep Yearning, which each splat frames a
bit differently. Your Throne of Comfort is what you will fight to protect, and helps you
recharge your spirit. Your Deep Yearning is something you deeply want right now, and
drives you forward. You can come up with both of those before play, just one, or
neither; if you leave them blank when you start play, you're telling the Story Master that
you'll play along with helping someone else with their Throne of Comfort or Deep
Yearning to start.
Come up with the beginning of your story in the order you like. Some people like to start
with their group, then some saga bits. Others have an immediate idea for a Throne of
Comfort. Whatever floats your boat, as long as you get the job done.
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Your Name
Its time to come up with a name. There are lots of ways to come up with a name.
If youre old school, you probably kept your original name. Or you ditched it a long time
ago, and have some hard-edge nom de pe that sounds like two dubstep song titles
smashed together. Or you go be something that sounds mysterious, like an ostentatious
title or reference. Whatever it is, thats the name the supernatural community knows
you as.
(If you changed your name or go be something mysterious, that means someone out
there likely knows your original identity. Just so you know that you handed the Story
Master something to play with by going that direction.)
Deep Yearning
Your Deep Yearning (Yearning for short) is something personal that you're driven to
achieve, and when an opportunity presents itself to push on it, you're spurred to action.
Choose one of the options listed in your splat, or come up with something else equally
awesome, while being focused and personal. When you push toward your Deep
Yearning, cool game shit happens for you. Also, when you help someone else push
toward their Deep Yearning, you get cool game shit along with them.
We do mean personal. Yearnings like I want to rule the world are crap, but if you
insist on that being a character goal, your Yearning should reflect why you do or your
next step in that play.
<SIDEBAR>On Rivals & Nemeses
When you decide you have a rival, name them and come up with a couple details. Feel
free to flesh out more about your history with them in your saga, but above all,
remember this rule: the Story Master plays your nemesis. That means the SM has the
right to say some aspect of your adversary is going to be a problem for them to play.
Whenever you're coming up with a character concept you're asking someone else to
portray, that's a conversation to have.
Also, unless you're all intentionally playing a game where you're all going after each
other, another PC shouldn't be your nemesis. Frenemy or former nemesis is cool, but
you need to make sure you have reason to be in scenes together and not immediately
break out into a duel every time.
</SIDEBAR>
Throne of Comfort
Your Throne of Comfort (Comfort for short) is some place, thing, or person that brings
you peace or helps you center yourself after a long day of dueling epic grandmaster
fencers and lightning-slingers. Having it threatened would totally spur you to immediate
action.
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Choose one of the options listed in your splat, or come up with something else equally
awesome, while being focused and personal. Make sure what you come up with a
venue of high drama, because the SM is going to mess with it. If it's a place, spectacular
fights will happen there at some point. If it's a loved one, you got opportunity to be emo
as fuck whenever they're around. Look at tying it back into your Saga, if your choice
didn't naturally fall from there.
There are four general sorts of Thrones:
Places: These are the most straightforward of Comforts, and might even include
a literal throne. Maybe its a combination home and art studio, a barge, a grave,
or some personal spiritual site. Being there fills you with a sense of rightness, of
having a place in the world when you can rest and be yourself. Having it violated
by the presence of a nemesis would be like something spitting on you.
Things: When an object is a Throne of Comfort, its something deeply personal,

like the cross your mother gave you 500 years ago, or your mentor strange and
arcane journal, the wedding ring you continue to wear even after your spouse
was killed in front of you last year, the picture of your childhood home now torn
down for condos. Holding it or looking at it reminds you why you continue to be
awesome. Being without it would be like being without your heart.
People: A best friend, consort, spouse, or family member could be a source of

personal strength, but all the while are also a vulnerability that others could
exploit.
Intangibles: Social status, honor, or some other quality about a character that
has to do with how the rest of the world sees them (or how they see themselves)
can be a source of strength by reinforcing a badass personal narrative, but when
thats a Throne of Comfort, that means foes can pretty much directly assault
your ego by assaulting it. Dont think that not being physical actually protects a
Comfort from being targeted.
To repeat: Thrones of Comfort are vulnerabilities, not kickass weapons or invulnerable

fortresses. Wearing your Throne of Comfort around your neck is an invitation to have it
stolen from your unconscious body (which can lead to some kickass drama). You
certainly cant beat a vampire with your Throne of Comfort, so we dont recommend
carting it around like a weapon.
Your Throne of Comfort could well be the object of someone else's Deep Yearning, and
vice versa.
Ties that Bind

The last bit of narrative juice you need to squeeze out of your head is to bond with the
other player characters. These steps work whether those characters are immortals or of
other splats.
Get to know the character to your left. Then pick one and work with that player on the
answer, describing how their character is awesome.
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They helped you make a little headway on your Deep Yearning. What did they
do? How long ago?
They defended your Throne of Comfort when you weren't able to. How were
they able to? How long ago?
They were involved in a moment in your Saga, and vice versa. What sort of
relationship did you have due to that moment? Is that relationship the same or
different today?
The Story Master may ask follow-up questions, like What did that decision cost you?
Both of you can come up with answers.
For two or three players, that's enough. For four players, the ones sitting across from
one another should just write a single bond together. For five or more players, write a
bond with the person two lefts from you. (If you really want to get nuts, write a bond
with everyone and have them all write their own bond with you. The rules police won't
stop you from making up more stuff.)
If you have a different, preferred way of bonding characters together, feel welcome to
use that instead! Backstory Cards (from Ryan Macklin and Brooklyn Indie Games,
BackstoryCards.com) is an even better tool for doing this.
Character Elements
Every player character (and some major NPCs) are made up of a few components.
Essences: cosmological attributes that govern how you approach action
Domains: meta-skills linked to overarching concepts of competence
Knowledges: weird shit you know that you can leverage
Edges: special talents and advantages
Imperfections: weird flaws and disadvantages
Form & Psyche Wounds: tracks for how fucked you are, either physically or
spiritually/psychologically
Anguishes: conditions afflicting your body and spirit
Pneuma: power to wield the mystical energies of the Darkest Cosmos, with or
without consequences
Things to Remember: notes about key things your character has to deal with that
came up in play
Essences
All beings in the Darkest Cosmos are made up of four inherent Essences. These core
Essences go by many names, but the game itself calls them: Cunning, Finesse, Potency,
and Tenacity. There's a fifth Essence possessed only by those of supernatural and
exceptional mortal natures: Apeiron, the stuff the Darkest Cosmos is made of. Each
Essence fits a particular range of intents and modes, and each comes with downsides
that could happen as a result of failure of success alike.
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Potency is about in-your-face action. It's direct, blunt, all about displays of power.
Actions involving Potency include using physical strength, brute intimidation, psychic
imposition, etc. Of the four classical elements, Potency is Fire.
On the other hand, Potency is loud and obvious. When you use Potency for an action,
it's not subtle. People will notice. It'll likely leave evidence or an impression. Those you
shove around will come back for vengeance later, with more force than you (or a clever
plan) used to make sure they can overcome you. That is, if they don't just immediately
turn to rash or violent action right then.
Finesse is about being fluid and flexible, in mind as well as body. It's indirect and
instinctive. Actions involving Finesse include rapid movement, quick reaction, and most
things delicate. Classical element: Water.
On the other hand, Finesse is flashy and memorable. Unlike Potency, it can be subtle
and quiet, but if noticed it leaves an impressiona good impression if successful, a
humiliating one when not. Witnesses of your finesse may talk, with word spreading to
folks you'd rather have not known about you. Or they'll study you for weaknesses after
seeing how badass you are.
Cunning is about being observant and quick of mind, in a deliberate manner opposed to
the instinctiveness that is Finesse. Actions involving Cunning include situation analysis,
quick thinking, and exploiting weakness through the unexpected. Classical element: Air.
On the other hand, targets of Cunning often feel humiliated, and using Cunning often
easy leads to overconfidence. People really hate it when they're tricked, conned, or
otherwise manipulated. Using Cunning against smart people leads to them trying to con
you back to make you look the fool and regain a sense of superiority. Using Cunning
against dumb people can mean getting punched in the face for making them feel small
and demeaned.
Tenacity is about being indomitable and unrelenting, whether that's bracing for an
ambulance coming to hit you, beating back psychic compulsion, or spending hours
brute-forcing your rival's computer password. Actions involving Tenacity include
resisting attacks and manipulations as well as long and tedious tasks (which are best
handled as a single die roll, then moved on from). Classical element: Earth.
On the other hand, Tenacity is passive and focused. When you put your guard up or
push yourself to a single task, your metaphorical (or literal) flank is exposedyou aren't
defending other stakes. And even when successful, that action can mean losing ground
elsewhere as the cost of enduring that moment.
Apeiron is about tapping into the heart of darkness and power in moments of hubris or
desperation. Anything can be an Apeiron-fueled action. In fact, if you don't like having
failed an action you attempted with a normal Essence, you can always call upon Apeiron
to bail you out, at a cost.
On the other hand, Apeiron is chaotic and weird, and all supernatural beings take
notice. When you fuel actions with this trait, you're tapping into a whirlwind of cosmic
forces you don't fully understand to attempt some action in a grand fashion. Shit's
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gonna get funky. Even success likely leaves you shaken or scarred. Failure well, let's
just say you don't want any part of that badnessincluding being near someone who
uses it poorly.
Domains
Characters in Katanas & Trenchcoats don't simply have skills that delineate what can
and can't be done. One instead measures their command in different domains of metainfluenceor Domains for short. Each Domain holds a wide breadth and strange depth
mortals often find baffling. For instance, one who is strongly connected to the Fight
Domain could be both an MMA champion and a medalist sharpshooter. One strongly
connected to Perceive is a revealer of truth, whether through words spoke, written, or
unuttered.
The core nine Domains are:
Fight: Making people being less alive than they were a moment ago, or keeping yourself
from that same fate.
Forge: Making and breaking thingsphysical, technological, and metaphysical.
Intuit: Investigating circumstances, happening upon a realization, seeing through
deceptions, suddenly knowing things you shouldn't.
Heist: All forms of cheating and breaking into thingstheft, hacking, bypassing astral
wards, etc.
Hide: Not just hiding from plain sight, but also sneaking around, stashing something,
concealing emotions, and other deceptions from normal and mystical sense.
Impose: Forcing yourself upon a situation, like breaking down a steel door with your
bear hands (specifically relevant to werebears), stopping some con going down, or
bullying your way into a vampire guild meeting.
Influence: Playing with minds, by getting people to like/trust you, lying convincingly,
pushing their buttons, etc.
Move: Getting from point A to B by running, driving, piloting, etc. It's making the
Darkest Cosmos part around you, like water parting around a shark made of jet engines.
Perceive: Finding hidden truthsthrough your casual senses, decoding/cryptanalysis,
arcane methods, etc.
In rare cases, some characters may have access to a fringe Domain beyond these.
What You Do with Essences & Domains
When you act (see p. XX), you describe what you're doing, and the Story Master tells
you which Domain and Essence to roll. (Unless you're using Apeiron, in which case you
lead with that declaration. The SM rarely tells you you're tapping into the darkness
that's up to you, though that topic is its own post.)
[IMMORTAL BETA NOTE: More on how each Essence/Domain combination can be used
is forthcoming, but I'd like to see what playtesters come up with first.]
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Knowledges
Knowledges are detailed on p. XX.
Edges
Edges are detailed on p. XX.
Imperfections
Imperfections are detailed on p. XX.
Form & Psyche Wound Tracks

Wound tracks are part of the overall conflict rules, and are detailed on p. XX.
Anguishes
Anguishes are part of the overall conflict rules, and are detailed on p. XX.
Pneuma Track
The Pneuma Track is part of the Pneuma rules, and is detailed on p. XX.
Things to Remember
This is a section for you to write down really key stuff you need to remember about stuff
directly going on with your character. It could be anything from "I owe a favor to the
Tenth Acolyte of the Raven Queen" or "I found a strange box that someone bought off
of eBay, and it's probably not totally haunted at all (or so the SM says)."
Your Characters Stats

Once you know your characters deal, you can get to the numbers part of character
creation.
Rating Essences
Pick your strongest Essence. It can't be Apeiron, so pick one of the others. That Essence
is rated at 3. (That means when you use it for an action, you'll roll 3 dice. And some
character options require an Essence at a minimum level.)
Pick two other Essences to be rated it at 2. The last two are rated at 1.
Quick Version: Pick your strongest Essence to be 3. Leave the rest for play.
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Rating Domains
Your splat's Ultimate Domain is rated at 3. For immortals, that's Fight. (Like with
Essences, that means when you use it for an action, you'll roll 3 dice. And some
character options require a Domain at a minimum level.)
Pick another Domain to be rated at 3. Pick three more to be rated at 2. The rest are
rated at 1.
Quick Version: Pick the other Domain to be 3. Leave the rest for play.
Choosing Knowledges
Characters start with some predefined Knowledges by your splat (for immortals, that's
Immortal Lore and Damascus Steel Production), and two more Knowledge slots beyond
that to be filled in by you.
Knowledges are covered on p. XX.
Quick Version: Fill Knowledges in later. Honestly, we recommend you leave at least one
blank for now if youre filling the rest of your character out.
Choosing Edges
Characters get two Edges. Pick from the list on p. XX.
Quick Version: Pick one and leave the other for play. Or dont pick any, and reveal them
in play.
Choosing Imperfections [Optional]

Characters can take Imperfections if they like. See the Imperfection section on p. XX.
Quick Version: Dont come up with any yet, then add as youre inspired. That said, you
cant add an Imperfection that would contradict what your characters done unless you
show in play how that makes sense. (Like suddenly being blinded and taking an
Imperfection around being Permanently Blinded.)
The Rest of It All

Once you've got all of your story, intertwined relationships, and the above stats figured
out, you're ready to get rocking. The rest of the character sheet is standard.
Five Form Wound boxes

Five Psyche Wound boxes
A clear Pneuma track
No Anguishes
An empty Things to Remember section
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Being an Immortal
The secret of your kinds origin is lost to time, as mysterious as the Darkest Cosmos
itself. Youve appeared in every era of humankind, carrying the memory of eternity, the
triumphs of humanitys greatest victories and the burdens of its tragic failures. Youre
the best and worst of everyone, at once the ultimate badasses and the ultimate terrors.
The Rebirth
Every immortal starts as a pure mortal that dies from a violent act, only to rise again
hours or days later. Instead of having a soul that moves on as a spirit or claimed by some
unearthly faction, the Force Apeiron takes that soul and somehow turns it into an
endless font of lifevery much the opposite of what it does with vampires.
When this twisted soul returns to the body, the body heals, and the mind knows all
about their new nature along with supernaturals and the Darkest Cosmos overall.
Theyre drawn to find their first Awesome Sword, to form their first Throne of Comfort,
to pursue their Deep Yearning. And other immortals are driven to find them. Thus
begins their grand adventure.
Inherent Immortal Attributes

All immortals possess the following attributes.
Masters over Death

Immortals cant die by normal meansimmune to the ravages of age, disease,
privation, and injury. You might get hurt, but youll always recover. Immortals can die
from a violent act, but it rarely sticks. You might brush off the wounds after the scene is
over, you might appear in or near your Throne of Comfort if your body is completely
destroyed (and your Throne of Comfort isnt under someone elses control), or you
might just dramatically enter a scene hours or days after your body mysteriously
disappears.
The only way you can die for goodperma-killed in the lingois if another badass
immortal or other supernatural cuts off your head in climatic moment once the Cosmos
decides you have the right to perma-kill, and succeeds as willing your essence into
themselves. This makes rivalries between your kind very personal and dramatic, and it
means youre all very good at fighting with swords. Speaking of swords
Awesome Sword
Each immortal is bonded with an Awesome Swordwhich could be weapon they held in
death, one they found in an auspicious moment, one that just looked really cool while
wandering the world, etc. If you want some inspiration for describing your weapon, see
the Armory section (in future draft). Your Awesome Sword is always a Greater Weapon,
and is only vulnerable to destruction when the immortal is defeated by a rival or
outright perma-killed.
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You can summon and banish your sword at will, so its trivial to get it past airport
security; see Summoned Weapons (p. XX) for how this works.
<SIDEBAR: Bending the Sword>
Yes, your Awesome Sword doesnt have to be a sword. Any melee weapon works. The
rules are still going to consider it a sword.
Sure, you can have twin weapons as your Awesome Sword. Take the Twin Awesome
Swords Edge (p. XX).
</SIDEBAR>
<SIDEBAR: Summoned Weapons>
Like most rules in Katanas & Trenchcoats, the rules for dealing with summoned
weapons follows story logic, not strict twink bullshit. If someone disarms you by
knocking your weapon from you hand, you cant just make it disappear and come back
to youthe Cosmos likes to see people diving for their knocked-away sword. Likewise, if
someone makes a big deal of using sorcery to steal your sword, thats pretty cool drama
(and you should ham that up to earn Grandeur).
That said, you always know where your Awesome Sword or other summoned weapon is,
and when it being out of your possession is no longer interesting, the Cosmos lets you
have it back.
</SIDEBAR>
Youre not stuck with the first Awesome Sword you find. If the weapon is broken, the
bond can be transferred to a new weapon; the old one cannot be repaired, as the
Darkest Cosmos wont let you forget that moment of failure.
If you want to simply change to a different weapon as sword fashion changes, you can.
Once a century, the bond between an immortal and weapon can be transferred, so
choose wisely. No one wants to look like a fool for 80-some years by picking a silly
weapon that goes out of fashion in a generation.
Lords of the Duel

For every immortal, the Fight Domain (p. XX) is your Ultimate Domain. At character
creation, Fight is always rated at 3.
Additionally, when you use Fight against a non-immortal being while wielding your
Awesome Sword, you get an additional die for that action or reaction.
Along with that, when youre in the middle of or pursuing a fight, you can channel
Pneuma to achieve ridiculous physical feats of sudden action, like jumping from a car
onto a freeway onto a helicopter hovering yards overhead.
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Ancient Memories
When it comes to having long memories, there are two sorts of immortals: those that
have been around a long time and those who have through dark sorcery come to
possess ancient knowledge even though theyre new to the game. That means every
immortal, whether thousands of years old or just became an immortal yesterday, has
the same two Knowledges:
Immortal Lore
Damascus Steel Production
You get more Knowledge slots to fill in at character creation. Have those relate to
prominent adventures in your past lives or historical periods you particularly admired.
Mystical Talents
Your immortal nature means you have the potential of wondrous sorcery. The wickedest
of your kind perform supernatural feats mortals only dream ofpossessing psychic
insights, becoming one with shadow, and even commanding elemental forces. But at
the basics, all immortals can do the following:
Sense the presence of other supernatural beings, earthly and otherwise. They
just get a feeling that one is nearin the same building, around the corner, or
otherwise near enough to cause a scene. They cant tell whats there, just that
someones there. (They cant sense exceptional mortals, however.)
Resist the effects of any sorcery attempting to be done to them.
Use their blood to aid in ancient rituals.
Some immortals can do more than this, as theyve learned specific ways of focusing
their Apeiron-fueled nature. If you want to do something more than thischannel the
earth or lightning, blend into shadow, play with death and the spirituallook over the
Mystical Talents Edges.
Raging Passion
When the Darkest Cosmos creates an immortal, it links the immortals endless life with
their emotions. When pursuing your Deep Yearning, defending your Throne of Comfort,
or dueling against your nemesis, your emotions are heightened. Once per scene when
you channel Pneuma (p. XX) in such a situation, gain an additional die.
Related to raging passion, a word about love and sex: immortals cant procreate. Thus,
most relationships with mortals end in heartbreak, leaving you an eternal, brooding
solitude. It also means you get freaky without worrying about the typical biological
consequences. (STIs are for mortals. Youre good to go.)
Kickass Wardrobe
This final attribute isnt inherent to immortals, but is a pretty good generalization. When
youve been alive for generations, three things happen:
You tend to accrue some pretty sweet garb.
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You tend to have a hell of a savings account you can use to buy cool threads.
Youve seen enough patterns of fashion to know whats in.
So youre going to look good, whether youre in monastic robes, ripped punk gear, or
flawless Armani.
Well, good isnt quite the word, and heres where the supernatural parts comes in: if
you look out of place in a situation, its not out of place in an awkward, fashion-clueless
way. Your immortal nature means if you project confidence and wearing your iconic
look, people believe you belong there no matter how youre dressed.
<SIDEBAR: Immortal Attributes tl;dr (a bullet list w/ page references)>
Immortal Houses
Although immortals leave behind home and family upon becoming aware of what they
are, they become part of a new family, what they call their Genus, commonly known as
the immortals House. Written into their eternal souls, their Houses define a great deal
about immortals. Since immortals come by their undying natures in different ways,
initiation to their Houses is the long process of self-selection that can stretch across
decades or even centuries. Eventually, though, most immortals find having a network of
assistance, reinforcements, and camaraderie is all but essential to eternal life.
The five primary Houses are each named for animal emblems, and each House has an
Archon, loosely considered the leader or spokesperson for that House, although
leadership of any House is by assent of its members, and Archons who hold the reins of
leadership too tightly often lose the title, and sometimes their heads as well.
[IMMORTAL BETA NOTE: Archons to come, once we work out the details with those
backers.]
House Buffs: Each House conveys a buff to its immortalsthat commonality is
something you can expect from all of them, and adds to their reputation. Some grant a
bonus die in certain situations, once per session. Those bonus die recharge on a critical
hit in those situations, provided that bonus die wasnt involved in the roll. (No getting to
use your better odds with that die to recharge itself.) Bonus dice dont count as
advantages. Other sorts of buffs describe situations for using them.
House Canis
Immortals of the House of the Wolf are lone wolves outside the pack of humanity.
Social creatures forever separated from society, Canids find some purpose for their
state, whether safeguarding their (metaphorical) descendants, fulfilling an oath, or
preying upon mortal sheep. Immortals say, A Wolfs loyaltyand enmitycan be
forever.
Canis Buff: Once per session, take a bonus die to a Fight action when up against
significantly greater numbers or odds.
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House Corvus
Sly, cunning immortals known for skill in all things arcane make up the House of the
Raven, from the battlefield haunters of Europe and to the oracles of the Mediterranean
and the tricksters of North America and Asia. Dark are the Corvids souls, darker still
their lore, the saying goes. They know everything, or at least act like they do.
Corvus Buff: Once per session, channel 1 mote of Pneuma to get a weirdly specific
Knowledge about anything arcane or mysterious. This doesnt require a roll or other
risk, and the Knowledge lasts until the next sunrise.
House Felis
Those of the House of the Cat move easily in darkness, unseen, unheard. They are
stealthy and sometimes cruel hunters and thieves able to appear and vanish almost at
will. Felids are first-class sensualists who can resist everything save temptation. Curiosity
may kill a cat, but satisfaction always brings it back. Thats not a mortal saying; that was
always about Felis, and has since found its way into mortal parlance (although none can
say who told them).
Felis Buff: Once per session, take a bonus die when stalking or preying on someone or
something with Heist, Hide, or Move.
House Orphis
The House of the Serpent may or may not have been responsible for the Garden of
Eden, but they certainly act like they were. Orphids are masters of disguiseshedding
their metaphorical skinsand deception, speaking with forked tongues. They were
feared and worshiped in ancient times and have never forgotten, or allowed anyone
else to forget it. Some in House Orphis associate their emblem with legends of dragons
and the dragon power within the Earth they can wield, although wielders of such
power seem to have kept it secret over the centuriesif it exists at all.
Orphis Buff: Once per session, take a bonus die when discerning a secret (p. XX) or
keeping a secret from being discerned.
House Ursus
The House of the Bear may seem like a gang of hulking berserkers, but they are fierce,
proud warriors as well as wise healers and protectors, from the Americas to Asia and
their ties with Artorias, the bear-king of Camelot. They're also linked with the outlaw
biker culture, particularly in North America. An Ursine is slow to anger but an
unstoppable force when unleashed, especially the legendary she-bears. Never awaken
a sleeping Bear, immortals say.
Ursus Buff: Once per session, take a bonus die to attacking someone who has genuinely
angered you (either as part of your saga or in play). Refresh is based on an action roll,
not a damage roll.
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Lesser Houses
Over the millennia, Houses rise and fall. There are Houses other than todays five
primary, and though those Houses dont have the same prestige in the supernatural
world or influence in the mortal world, immortals who belong to them tend to make up
for this lack of support by being individually fierce.
House Pistrix
The psychopaths who call themselves House Pistrix are shunned by all right-thinking
Immortals who understand that the proper way to dispatch an enemy is beheading
them in the street. The Sharks insist on biting heads off, which, seriously, is just gross.
Pistrix Buff: Once per session, take a bonus die to the damage roll when being
unnecessarily vicious. Refresh is based on an action roll, not a damage roll.
House Acerodon
House Acerodon, by contrast, is a vanishingly small house of very little reputation.
Mostly they just hang around all day. Some say they have extensive connections with
Vampires, but this is probably an old wives tale.
Acerodon Buff: Once per session, reveal a connection with an NPC (on-screen or
suddenly needed) at no Grandeur cost. This refreshes if that NPC bites you in the ass.
The Unhoused: House Bufo

Not truly a House as it wholly lacks any structure, government, or membership rolls,
House Bufo is a catch-all term for those immortals who have not yet chosen a house
or who have been cast out of the House of their choosing. Named for the toad, which
cant decide if it should live in the water or on land, Bufo is as often a pejorative as it is a
description of a loner immortal.
Bufo Buff: None specific to them. Take the Buff based on the House that you refused or
that refused youthats the House you should have been in.
Lost Houses
<FORMAT NOTE: THIS WHOLE SECTION SHOULD BE IN DIFFERENT BODY STYLE>

Even among immortals, some institutions die out. Still, their legacies may endure in the
form of hidden relics in timeworn ruins.
House Gallus
Long ago made extinct, the Hens prided themselves in using subtle pressure, diplomacy,
and guilt to keep Immortal society from collapsing in on itself in an orgy of blood-soaked
violence. That all ended in an orgy of blood-soaked violence after which the
membership of Gallus was almost entirely perma-killed. Gallus was thereafter
considered a Lost House.
House Anatide
A century after the destruction of Gallus, the Immortals saw the rise of House Anatide.
Led by the dynamic Donald, they scooped up the unhoused with promises of power and
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grandeur. Their firebrand leader, prone to exaggeration, promised We shall fly! A few
short years later, the entire House disappeared, the only clue a scribbled message on
their meeting house wall: South!
House Meleagri
Now yet another house, this one calling itself Meleagri, claims to be the Anatide
returned, and even claims House Gallus as its distant ancestor. Whether Meleagri
intends to placate their fellow immortals into a stupor like the Gallus or enact some
hare-brained scheme for the exaltation of its membership a la Anatide remains an
unanswered question.
Your House
Choose which House your immortal comes from, and use the buff from your House
when you get to the Powers part of character creation. Then choose one:
I am loyal to my House, and they have my back. So I dare you to fuck with me.
I am loyal to my House, but shit's complicatedmy nemesis is also of my House
I have betrayed my House, and man do they want to get revenge.
I was betrayed by my House, and man do I want to get revenge.
I dishonored my House, and seek redemption.
I fled my House, and must uncover the conspiracy within that sought to permakill me.
Or something else super-rich and emo or interesting.
Work that story element into your Saga below, or no one will particularly care about or
remember to use that element.
Being Unhoused
If youre of House Bufo (p. XX)a.k.a. youre a special snowflake without a House
instead pick the House that courted you in your early days. You rejected them. Choose
one:
Someone of that House took being rejected personally, and holds a grudge to this day.
Someone of that House has recently taken to trying to recruit me again, for some reason
I cant fathom.
Or something else super-rich and emo or interesting.
Your Saga
The tale of your life is the proof of your dark sexiness, and the proof to everyone at the
table that your imagination rules. Each immortal Saga has six parts: Personal Tragedy,
Badass Rep, Inner Deal, Start of Eternity, Origin Story, and Historical Influence.
Personal Tragedy
Making a compelling immortal character begins with a little angst. Describe what haunts
youemotionally, physically, ecumenically. What makes you brood? Whats the wistful
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tale that gets you laid when you tell it to strangers? You have a good Personal Tragedy
when you-the-player also start brooding, because good roleplaying is true to life.
Badass Rep
What do other immortals say about you? What are you known for? What kind of
reputation do you have? What kind of front do you put forward? Your characters rep
can get you laid, so make this crazy badass. Its not Interesting Rep. Not Notable
Rep. Its Badass Rep.
Inner Deal
This is where you get to really plumb the depths of character. What are you like on the
inside? What motivates you? What are your hidden passions, your ambitions, your ideal
self, revealed only in soliloquy just before getting laid? If this is the same as your Badass
Rep, thats bad roleplayingfix that. Mystery is dark and sexy. Being on the nose is not.
Start of Eternity
How old are you really? What year were you born, and what part of the world do you
originally come from? If you don't want to answer this, let's assume you're at least a
century old until revealed otherwise.
Some people who like to work chronologically start with this bit and Origin Story below.
But these are less important than making sure you really get who your character is
today.
Origin Story
Hollywood wouldnt keep making movies about your kind if you werent dark and sexy.
How did you become an immortal? Basically, youve got three ways to take this: badass,
tragic, or badass and tragic. Choose wisely, and create an awesome story. If it overlaps
too much with your Personal Tragedy, make one of them differently awesome.
Historical Influence
What historical events did you participate in? Whats your secret influence on history?
What famous people have you slept with? The SM might give you some bonus Grandeur
Points if you find an event on Wikipedia that no one at the table knows about and
incorporate it with style. Thats good roleplaying.
If you happen to be very new at being an immortal, that doesn't mean you didn't have
some influence before Apeiron embraced you. Or your historical influence could be
tightly focused to the community around you rather than something grand. (Which goes
for all immortals.)
<BOXED TEXT>No Burden of History
Dont treat Katanas & Trenchcoats like a baneful academic thesis. Hate researching
about time periods just to get a sense of how your character has lived? Dont. And dont
let anyone push you into doing that.
</BOXED TEXT>
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An Immortals Deep Yearning & Throne of Comfort

Immortals want things from others and they want to keep what they have dear safe.
Those are covered as your Deep Yearning and your Throne of Comfort. They're also
connected to others in the supernatural community,
Immortal Deep Yearnings

Choose one of the following, and fill in blanks as called for: I want...
To finally perma-kill my age-old rival, __(person)__.
True acceptance amongst by kind, which means true acceptance from
__(person)__.
To claim or reclaim __(object/status)__, which (I believe or heard) is held by
__(person)__. Alternatively, __(person)__ continue to interfere with my pursuit.
Peace and quiet which means I need to deal with __(person/group)__ because
they're assholes about not leaving me alone.
To uncover who wronged me so long ago by __(way you were wronged)__.
Immortal Thrones of Comfort

Choose one of the following, and fill in blanks as called for: I will fight to protect
My homea __(place of power/ley line nexus/hellmouth or portal to a
domain)__ that's is mostly secure, except for __(how people can get in)__.
A prized relic (that isn't my Awesome Sword). Its name is __(name)__ and I
acquired it by __(winning a wager/stealing it from a formidable
being/humiliating my nemesis/accepting it from an otherworldly being)__.
My social status within the supernatural community, as a __(formidable business
executive/very well-connected favor broken/badass not to be fucked
with/scholar supreme)__.
My personal relationship with __(name)__, who is a __(mortal/supernatural
from a rival faction)__. They're my __(lover/spouse/ward/sidekick), and they
__(know/don't know)__ that I'm immortal.
Dramatic Action
This section starts with the rules of any action, then gets into how individual actions
work.
A Moment of Action
Announcing Actions & Responses
First, you announce what youre doing in the moment, like Im cutting that luchador
mask right off your face! or Im scaling the wall like a freakin monkey! Thats your
action.
If someone doesnt want you to achieve that, they respond. If your action targets
someone, they respond. If another character attempts to interfere, then they respond.
Or the Darkest Cosmos could cause the world to interfere, thus effectively responding
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itself. The responder says what theyre doing or what makes it hard for you to pull off
your action.
If no one responds, then what you say happens and we don't bother with the rest of
these rules for that moment.
Figuring Out Rules & Dice

Everyone involved decides what sort of actions and special rules theyre bringing to
bear. A fight uses the rules from the Fighting Others section, for example. Any section
that isnt especially covered falls until the Pushing to Achieve rules.
Then everyone involved assembles their die pool, starting with the Essence and Domain
relevant to their action or response. The Story Master tells you which Essence and
Domain apply. Total up the rating on those (each typically being between 1 and 3), and
you'll roll that many dice when the time comes.
If you disagree on which attributes apply, voice it and either clarify your action to use
the attributes you want or convince the SM they're wrong. Ideally, you all will be on the
same page most of the time.
The Keep It Fresh Rule: If you're using the same Essence and Domain pair that you used
last time you rolled in this scene, you'll lose one success after rolling unless youre
using Apeiron. Apeiron is always encouraged.
Using Apeiron: Apeiron has dangers inherent to using it The SM can never force you to
use Aperion, but will tell you if your action is clearly using thatin which case you can
proceed with rolling Apeiron or describe your action differently to use a different
Essence. (The effects of using Aperion are its own topic.)
Adding Advantage Dice
If you have an advantage you want to usea situational one established, something
from an Edge, a weirdly specific Knowledge, etc.you can choose to use that before
rolling for one more die. You can use up to two advantages on a roll. If an advantage is
stackable, it doesnt count as one of your two advantages.
Once you use an advantage, its exhausted for the scene. Other people might be able to
use the advantage after you if its situation-based and not centered on your character. If
an advantage is ongoing, then it doesnt get exhausted. Character-based advantages are
never ongoingyou have to keep changing those up.
What Story Masters Roll
If you're using a full character writeup, follow those same rules for gathering dice.
Otherwise, roll your basic NPC stat for that sort of action (if a supernatural NPC is
directly responding) or roll dice for the Darkest Cosmos (if its intervening against the
actor).
Rolling Dice & Determining the Outcome

Each participant rolls dice. Each die that comes up 7 or higher grants one success.
Compare your number of successes with your opponents. Whoever has more successes
wins. Subtract the lower number of successes from the higher to get the actions result:
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3+ successes = critical hit!

1-2 successes = normal hit
Tie = weak hit for the aggressor
No successes for anyone = dramatic setback interrupts the moment
If one player loses to another player, the one who lost describes the winner's victory.
If you lose and skimp on the awesome, thats weaksauce roleplayingexpect to get
called on it. Plus, you want others to sell your badassery when you win, yeah?
Otherwise, it's up to the table convention to whether the player or Story Master
describes the outcome. Some default to whoever lost narrating the moment, others
prefer the Story Master to handle that, and still others flip-flop.
<BOXED TEXT>When a Weak Hit is a Normal Hit
Sometimes as a Story Master, a player will roll a weak hit, and youll be stumped on
what the difference in that situation between a weak result and a normal result is. This
can happen when the rules are flexible, like Discernment (p. XX). When that happens
and you dont want to take a moment to contemplate how to make the situation more
complicated, screw it, just treat that as if a normal hit was rolled and move on.
Dont do this for combat, though. Those results arent ambiguous.
</BOXED TEXT>
Sorts of Actions & Responses

With the structure of an action/response out of the way, lets talk about what you can
do that merits being challenged by another.
The basic action is called a Push. Thats when youre trying (or pushing) to accomplish
something that isnt specifically in a rule or character option elsewhere, like breaking
open a door or trying to push someone into a disadvantageous position. If you succeed:
Normal hit: You get what you want. If that was to achieve some concrete goal,
awesome. If that was to somehow better position yourself or another person for
a different action, you create an advantage.
Weak hit: You get at least some of what you want, or you get all of what you
want at a cost. The Story Master outlines the cost or mitigation.
Critical hit: You get what you want and then some. If you are angling for an
advantage, it becomes stackable or ongoing (determined by the SM). If you
arent, then you also get a normal advantage for the action.
<BOXED TEXT>Confused by a Critical?

In some cases, neither the story master nor the player will know what to do with a
critical hit result. That can come in the form of a possibly sarcastic question or
comment, like I guess I critically vaulted over the fence made of animated razor wire
and bees. So I look awesome doing it? If you have no idea related to the action, let the
Darkest Cosmos drop an unrelated boon on the character. After all, its entertained, and
rewards such spectacle.
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If you still have no idea, then the character has some nebulous advantage they can use
during that scene (or the following one, if that scenes over), provided they can justify
how that success fuels a follow-up moment.
</BOXED TEXT>
The basic reaction is Defend, which can look like avoiding (dodging a sword swing),
resisting (being a wall of will against a psychic assault), or other reaction that doesnt
inherently attack back. If the aggressor fails, that means you succeeded.
Normal hit: Shit doesnt happen to you, or you might offer success to the
aggressor at a cost. (Typically, the second option is for the Story Master, but you
play how you prefer to play.)
Weak hit: Theres no weak hit in succeeding, since that means the aggressor
succeeded.
Critical hit: Aww yeah! You also get an advantage.
The other core reaction is Counter, is where you react by doing the same sort of violent
thing to the person doing something to you. You attack the aggressor at the same time
they attack you. You do some supernatural manipulation back at the person trying that
on you.
If the aggressor gets a weak hit, so do you. You do that weak hit to each other.
If you get a normal hit or critical hit, you do that actions effect against them.
This speeds up the action and makes violence dangerous even for those starting a fight.
Bring it on.
Oh, you can also just Give In, which means the other side gets a critical hit without
having to roll. Or the Darkest Cosmos will step in on your behalf because it doesnt want
the aggressor to win without a struggle.
Situational Advantages
If you earn an advantage in an action, heres how that plays out:
First, you can note those advantages down as little statements about whats true right
now in the scene. Some folks like to write them down on index cards and throw them on
the table. They could be Ive cornered you in the bar, youve got nowhere to run, Ive
hacked your mechadrones targeting system, hahahaha, or even Ive used my fey
sorcery to make you invisible, go wild.
Second, while the advantage exists, it changes or limits what characters can do. Being
pinned down means you cant just freely move aroundyou have to address that
advantage if you want to by taking an action to nullify it.
Third, those statements are true until one of three things happens: those negatively
affected by it or dont want it to persist push against it and succeed, whoever is
benefitting from that advantage does something to make it no longer exist or be valid,
or when we all stop caring about it (typically when a scenes over or when it naturally
expires).
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Fourth, you get to use an advantage for a die once in a scene, but unless the advantage
is fleeting, it persists as mentioned above. Using the die doesnt negate it. Conversely,
keeping that advantage die unused doesnt give the advantage any extra power against
being removed, so you should use it before the advantage goes away.
Sometimes, an advantage is fleeting. That means its going to go away quickly
definitely when someone uses it for a die, and possibly when the person who positively
or negative affected takes their next action (even if they dont use the die).
Refreshing Instead of Creating: If you get to make a new advantage, you can instead
refresh a spent die on an existing advantage. Thats useful when youre basically making
the same advantage over again or youre feeling stumped on how to word an advantage
you werent expecting to make.
Many Moments of Action

Dramatic encounters rarely involve just one person acting and everyone else being
hapless targets. To put some structure behind it, follow these rules.
First, everyone important in a scene gets to go once around before someone goes again.
If for some reason a person cant act, they get skipped. Simple as that.
Second, start with whoever seems to be acting first. Remember that you can counter a
violence action with the same violence action, so youre not inherently disadvantaged
by letting someone go before you.
If theres no clear person who is going first, everyone who might be going at the same
time makes a speed roll: roll Finesse (if more physical) or Cunning (if more cerebral) +
Move. Whoever has the highest die goes, with ties going to the next highest and so on.
Reroll if theyre all ties.
Third, use story logic or seating around the table to determine who goes next. If
multiple characters who can still go really want to go at the same time, they can do a
speed roll to determine who goes next.
Continue until that conflict is over.
Fighting Others
Trying to inflict physical harmor Form Woundson someone is fighting, and the Fight
Domain exclusively covers that (barring a special splat ability or an Edge).
This section covers the action of attacking, and is pretty simple. The consequences of
violence are covered in the Wounds & Anguishes section on p. XX.
Attacking
Attacking is a type action specifically for combat. When you describe the action, and roll
the Essence used + Fight, and succeed:
Critical hit: Maximum damage with your weapon
Normal hit: Basic damage with your weapon
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Weak hit: Minimum damage with your weapon; if the damage is 0, you create an
advantage instead
Damage & Weapons
Everything is a weapon in Katanas & Trenchcoats. Weapons come in two types: Greater
and Lesser.
Greater Weapons (like an immortal's sword) do 1+3d damage. Minimum is 1.

Lesser Weapons (guns, fists, doorknobs, everything else) do 0+2d damage.
Minimum is 0.
In some situations, a lesser weapon can become a greater weapon. A stake is a lesser
weapon against non-vampires, for example, and a Quad Laser Cannon is a greater
weapon for the technomage who created it.
When rolling damage, each die adds to damage if its a success. This isnt an action roll,
though, so advantages and special tricks that boost rolls dont affect damage unless
otherwise stated.
<BOXED TEXT>So Im jumping from one semi to another while lunging at a foe
Some cinematic actions involve more than one domain, with a typical case being about
moving and fighting at once. The Story Master has two ways to handle these cases
where theres a lead-up to an action that isnt the same Domain as the action itself:
1. If the lead-in moment is just cool color, dont roll for it. Here, dont bother with
Move, because Fight is whats actually important. That said, if you fail the Fight
roll, you could play it as though you really failed the Move part, and be hanging
off of the edge of the semi. (Which is probably worth some Grandeur to play up.)
2. If another character or the Darkest Cosmos is actively using the lead-up action as
opposition, then the character has to overcome that resistance. But that roll
doesnt count as their actual action. That said, if they fail the first roll, their
action is done. Maybe theyre hanging off of the semis side, or maybe they
landed in a way that looks more like a badass standoff but not an immediate
attack.
Use that second option if players are trying to circumvent Domains with shitty ratings by
mixing them in with actions based on higher-rated Domains.
</BOXED TEXT>
<NOTE>
If youre attacked multiple times in a round, you roll to defend separately for each
attack.
</NOTE>
Discerning Secrets
Immortals arent just badasses in trenchcoats hiding really cool cutlery. Immortals have
seen some shit. In fact, the weight of all the dark corners of the world and human nature
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that they have seen may define the Immortals as a group even more than their
sharpened blades and inescapable style. It only follows that they know where to look to
find the secrets hiding on the underbelly of the Darkest Cosmos.
Discernment is the mechanic that undergirds the immortals keen senses of perception
and cynicism. Its how you discover the secret impulses of antagonists, the shameful
holds that shackle pawns to masters, the hidden entrances, and desperate escape
routes built into any lair.
Means of Discernment
To find out something, youll need a way to look. This can be a working knowledge of a
piece of technology or enchanted relic in question, a shared history with a rival, or even
a good first impression with an unsuspecting mortal. It can be a tactical advantage like
standing on the roof overlooking a compound. It can be the long, careful appraisal of the
minion who is escorting you in chains down endless corridors to meet his foul master.
Your means of discernment requires a combination of proximity, knowledge, and time.
You can usually skimp on one (a quick, close examination of familiar technology, a
leisurely consideration of a distant but well-known phenomenon, a long and grueling
interrogation of a stranger) but not two.
Getting two might require some finagling on your part as you scale a wall to get a good
vantage or remain undetected long enough to see what you need to see. Appropriate
Knowledges may also deliver one of these three requirements. You can also help others
gain these requirements in a team effort, with the exception that you cant lend
Knowledges. If youre the one who understands these things, youve got to be the one
in the room.
Once youve lined up your two requirements, youre ready to roll.
Discernment can make use of any Essence, and often uses the Domains of Intuit or
Perceive. Other Domains are more often used to acquire the proximity, knowledge, and
time in order to make the Discernment roll.
Keeping Secrets
Few denizens of the Darkest Cosmos want their secrets spilled, of course, and the target
often rolls to Defend. This may be the loyal minion remaining true to his master
(Tenacity + Impose), the countermeasures on a technomages VTOL (Finesse + Forge), or
the barrage of threats and intimidation to keep a prisoner in line (Potency + Influence).
The spidery string-puller trying to maintain the secrecy of her network of spies and
informants might roll Cunning + Heist.
The Act of Discernment

When the discerning character succeeds:
Normal hit: you get the information youre looking for.
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Weak hit: you need to get closer, consult an expert, or spend more time,
whichever was the third requirement your means of discernment that you didnt
have. Or you may discover, but at a cost.
Critical hit: you get the information you are looking for, and can apply it as an
advantage in the future.

When the defender succeeds:
Normal hit: you keep your information secret
Critical hit: you give your opponent misinformation that can lead them to make
bad conclusions or put them in a vulnerable situation

<SIDEBAR>You Want to Know What?
Story Masters: whatever challenge you set up for your players, one of their favorite
tactics is to approach it exactly sideways from how you expected them to respond. They
will look for vulnerabilities and secrets in places the SM never imagined they would
consider.
When they do this and roll a nice hit on Discernment, its the your job to serve up
something both juicy and actionable. Never tell players theres nothing for you to find.
Thats bad roleplaying. Refrain from silly impulses, which will trash the tone of your
game quicker than an irritable cat with attachment issues who just found his owners
open suitcase on the bed. If you need time to think, cut away to something else and
come back to deliver the goods when youve thought of something good. Or ask the
players what they expected to find, and riff off of that.
</SIDEBAR>
Reading People & Situations

Reading situations is similar to discerning secrets, except the former is about prying
something someone is trying to keep hidden from you, and this is about figuring out
what sort of advantages or perils are lying unnoticed.
Reading People
Reading people follows the same rules as discerning secrets from them, until you get to
what happens when you roll dice. Reading people falls until Intuit.
If the person reading succeeds:
Normal hit: Ask a question from the list below. That information is an advantage.
Critical hit: Ask three questions from the list below. That information gives you
just a single advantage altogether, but thats still a lot of information.
Weak hit: Ask a question from the list below. That information is not an
advantage. They also get to ask a question from you, as they caught a glimpse of
your motives.
If the person being read succeeds:

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Normal hit: They get nothing out of you. Youre a cipher.

Critical hit: You get a sense of their motives. You get to ask them a question from
the list below, as if you were the one reading. That information is an advantage.
As the reader, you can choose not to ask your questions right away, but lose any
unasked questions if the situation dramatically shifts.
Questions You Can Ask
Are they being honest with me?
What are they really feeling right now?
What do they intend to do, right now or immediately after the scene?
What do they wish Id do, right now or immediately after the scene?
How could I get them to _____? (Something I want right now or immediately
after the scene.)
Three important notes to players and Story Masters: First, the answers are always from
the read persons POV. If they think theyre telling the truth, thats what you sense from
them, even if they dont know theyre speaking a lie fed to them from someone else. (If
you want cosmic-level truth sense, use Apeiron or be a ghost.)
Second, obvious answers are okay! Since the information gained is also an advantage,
obvious answers still helps the characters. But dont always give an obvious answer.
Make shit weird.
Third, show how characters know or learn this info. Is the person giving some sort of
tell, or do they let something slip? Think about how a viewer on TV might know what
the character discovers.
Reading Situations
Reading a situation is a bit like reading a person, except the Darkest Cosmos attempts to
misdirect you instead. (Though a sorcerous character or a character in their own Throne
of Comfort might resist against your reading.) This form of reading falls under Perceive.
Note: You wont get much detail about supernaturally obscured things, unless you use
Apeiron or have some innate ability (hi, ghosts) or mystical Edge that says you can.
If you succeed:
Normal hit: Ask a question from the list below. That information is an advantage.
Critical hit: Ask three questions from the list below. That information gives you
just one advantage die, but thats still a lot of information.
Weak hit: Ask a question from the list below. That information is not an
advantage.
If the opposition succeeds:
Normal hit: Hell, you can ask a question from the list below anyway. That
information is not an advantage, and they can ask a question of you as if reading
you.
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Critical hit: You can ask a question from the list below anyway. Do not trust the
answer, for its probably a lie. Either way, they get an advantage over you.
You can choose not to ask your questions right away, but lose any unasked questions if
the situation dramatically shifts.
Questions You Can Ask
What's my best escape route / way in / way past?
Who or what is most vulnerable to me?
Who or what is the biggest threat?
What should I be on the lookout for?
Whats hidden that I should sense?
Whats my adversarys true position?
Whos in control here?
As with reading a person, obvious answers are okay and show how characters know or
learn this info.
<BOXED TEXT>I dont know what to ask, but I think something shady is up and my
character is awesome.
If you want to discern something, read a person, or read a situation because you get a
sense that somethings going on under the surface, you can roll for the action and tell
the SM if you succeed to treat it like they asked for the roll.
Story Masters: the players are practically begging for you to throw something hinky at
them when they do this. Heed their call.
</BOXED TEXT>
Story Master-Prompted Discernment & Reading

The rules for all sorts of discernment and reading are player-focused to give players a lot
of tools to push their agendas and make themselves be badasses, but they dont get to
have all the fun here! As a Story Master, you can offer for players to suddenly have an
instinctual sense to read a situation. Those are good moments to offer a sense unknown
dread, but if you offer this then there must be something looming that they want to
know.
There are two ways to use this: to drop some impending hidden threat or an obscured
plot point.
For a hidden threat, give information about the threat if the character succeeds, along
with how or why they know that threat exists. (Or let them come up with how they
discover that.) If they fail, things get fun: tell the player whats going on that their
character doesnt know about, as a micro-scene. Let them come up with why they dont
notice the danger, like if something else has their attention or focus.
The classic case for this: the sniper making a bead on a character. In a TV show, we see
the snipers crosshairs all while the character isnt aware of the danger. Players, when
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the SM does this, thats an opportunity to embrace the hidden danger for some
Grandeur.
For an obscured plot point, success means they find something interesting and get to
look cool in that moment. Failure also means they find something interesting, but with
some complication that still moves the story forward. That complication could be partial
info, some sort of cost, or being put into a disadvantageous position. (If you cant come
up with what that complication would be, theres no roll, just tell them the info.)
As with player-triggered Discernment, advantages are gained with successes. The
opposition or the Darkest Cosmos should get advantages against them if they fail.
Influencing People
Not all conflict in Katanas & Trenchcoats is dueling swords in the moonlight. Plenty of
conflict comes from playing on emotional and mental connections to convince someone
to do what you want, like seducing an angelic sentry from his post or intimidating a
vampire into giving up his prey unharmed.
The difference between influence and combat is that combat is about taking hold of
someone's fate by making them helpless, and influence is prompting someone to make
one tiny decisionjust onethat they otherwise wouldnt. Combat takes effort and time,
and is messy. Influence isn't messy in the moment, though the aftermath can get
interesting.
Influence is a contest between the con and the mark: the con does the influencing,
prompting the mark (or marks) to make that one fateful decision. The decision that the
con wants the mark to make is the request.
Can You Even Do It?

If you want to influence someone, you need three things.
Does your mark (or marks) have a reason to hear you out? If you hint at or outright
state that you have leverage over them, like blackmail or a hostage, then they have
reason to hear your request. If there's a hint of desire or interest in an offeringyes,
that includes seductionthen your target has reason to listen. (And honestly, who in
the Darkest Cosmos isn't pansexual?) And naturally, supernatural abilities can force
someone to hear you out.
If you don't have any of that, there's no foothold for you to influence them. So find
something: see Discernment, above.
Is your request immediate and possible? The only thing that these rules can get you is
one quick (and often poor) decision, made in the moment, at your prompting. You roll
to get your mark to do something right then, right thereso make it good, because once
the consequences start falling, youll want to be two steps ahead again.
Long-term manipulation is a complex and delicate affair that involves building
relationships or maintaining leverage, both of which inevitably incur surprise costs. You
cant Influence someone to suddenly shift their loyalties or adopt a new outlook on life.
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Influence is fleeting, and people are really good at changing their minds when they're
not in the moment.
Is your mark (or marks) fighting against your influence? There needs to be resistance
for there to be a roll. If they agree, then they're no contestthey just do it because they
want to. Go you! You didnt even need the dice!
Only if they have reason to refuse you and are trying to stick to that, then we go to
these rules.
The Act of Influencing

Manipulation is a Push action using (surprise) the Influence Domain usually.
Sometimes you can use Impose for intimidation and bullying or even Heist for
misdirecting attention. Explain what you say and how you say it. Keep in mind the
requirements above. Presuming they want to refuse, we get to rolling dice.
Typically, refusal involves the Tenacity Essence with either the Intuit Domain (to focus
on the intentions behind the request), the Hide Domain (to conceal the marks response
from even themselves), or the Impose Domain (to be steadfast in resolve).
When the con succeeds:
Normal hit: The mark goes along with your request for now.
Weak hit: The mark requires an additional nudge (a promise, a down payment, a
peep show) to go along with your request.
Critical hit: The mark goes along with your request and is excited to do so! Gain
an advantage for maintaining their amenity in later scenes.
When the mark succeeds:
Normal hit: You are able to turn them down.
Critical hit: You see through your motives or find a deep well of resistance,
gaining an advantage for later.

<SIDEBAR>The Discerning Con
If you know what a given characters Yearning, Throne, or Bonds are, then you have a
pretty good idea what kind of request theyll be amenable to take. A solid Discern action
can establish a strong foundation for a follow-up Influencethe right request, after all,
may not involve the marks resistance at all.
Story Masters can absolutely have NPCs Influence player characters into actions that will
fulfill their Yearning, Throne, or Bond actions. In fact, take a step back: the StoryMaster
can absolutely set up an entire scenario just to offer the player characters devils
bargains that play on their innermost desires. Betraying that housemate that youre
nominally working with but who betrayed you in the past, after all, is like a win-win at
least in the moment. The player character gets their Psyche refresh as normal, which
may be all the motivation they need to hand over those keys, push the red button, or
walk away from a conflict.
</SIDEBAR>
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Oh Fuck No.
Even when you fail to resist a well-placed Influence roll, you may still refuse to comply
with the requestat a cost. The con has managed to dig down deep inside you and find
something that you really want to do. To deny that request in that moment is to deny
yourself. Thus, the cost is reckoned in damage to the Psyche.
Denying a critical hit Influence roll inflicts three Psyche wounds; denying a normal hit
inflicts two Psyche wounds; denying a weak hit inflicts just one. After taking those hits,
however, you are free to act however you please in that moment.
This is why, by the way, requests that you refrain from pursuing your Yearning, Throne,
and Bond actions are all but toothless. No matter how poorly you roll to resist such a
request, you can always take Psyche wounds to refuse it, perform that action, and
refresh the Psyche wounds by performing that action.
Wounds, Anguish & Death

Physical conflicts involve giving and taking Wounds. Emotional and soulful conflicts
involve giving and taking hits to Psyche. And both lead to characters taking Anguishes
lasting markers of pain and defeat.
Form Wounds
Characters in the Darkest Cosmos are always getting into trouble, with the odd flesh
wound here and feet full of glass shards there. Whatever, all that just makes you look
awesome. But when two badasses throw down and get physical, we have to deal with
Wounds.
Normal Wounds
Most Wounds that youll enjoy are normal Wounds: katana cuts, bullets, blunt force
trauma, flamethrowers, poison gas, rabid dog bites, and the like. Mark normal Wounds
with just a single slash in a Wound Box on your character sheet.
All normal Wounds heal after a few minutes of downtimeanything that isnt combat,
chase sequences, room-sundering sex, etc. Wounds knit up without leaving scars (unless
you dig scars).
Hardcore Wounds
In certain, special moments, the Wound from an attack is one that won't simply go away
at the end of a fight. These Hardcore Wounds happen because of attacks infused with
Apeiron, backlash from channeling Pneuma, being taken out, or some other
circumstance.
When you take a Hardcore Wound, put a slash on top of a normal Wound, making an X.
Or mark a new Wound box with an X if you dont have any normal Wounds.
Hardcore Wounds don't disappear right away. They only go away when you clear off an
Anguish (p. XX). Related, at the end of a scene where you take a Hardcore Wound, you
also take an Anguish for that Wound.
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Weapon Types (a.k.a. "How Many Wounds?")

When it comes to fighting, weapons come in two categories: Lesser and Greater.
Greater Weapons: Some weapons are always Greater Weapons, like an immortal's
sword. Other weapons can situationally become Greater Weapons, like a wooden stake
to a vampire, a magical blast, or most weapons hunters might prepare. To determine
how many Wounds you do with an attack from a Greater Weapon, roll three dice, count
up the successes (7+) from them, and add 1 (3d+1).
The minimum damage is 1.
Lesser Weapons: Everything that isn't a Greater Weapons is a Lesser Weapon, including
guns (usually), fists (usually), knives (usually), boring swords (usually), etc. To determine
how many Wounds you do with an attack from a Greater Weapon, roll two dice and
count up the successes (7+) from them (2d+0).
The minimum damage is 0. If you roll 0, you generate an advantage instead. If you roll 0
twice in a row against the same foe, the second time does 1 Wound.
"So You Lost a Limb"

For immortals, vampires, and the like, little things like missing fingers, toes, ears reform.
More serious dismembermentslike an armed lopped offmight take as long as a day
or three to unfuck; otherwise, immortals would be all stumps.
For extraordinary mortals, they avoid that sort of permanent damage unless they have a
cool, convenient way to recover from it (like technomage prosthetics).
This narrative rule is here because you're playing awesome characters, not people who
are prone to permanent mundane limb-loss.
Psyche Wounds
Whereas Form Wounds cover physical harm, Psyche Wounds covers assaults of the self,
mind, spirit, whatever you want to call itthat intangible thing that makes us who we
are. Or more to the point, it covers the inner strength we have to use to keep from
being someone else's pawn.
The sort of stuff that can harm your Psyche includes: resisting influence, being spiritually
attacked, failing to contain channeled Pneuma, and turning your back on your Throne of
Comfort or Deep Yearning without an equally strong motivation.
The structure for Psyche Wounds works like Form Wounds: you have normal and
Hardcore ones. Much of the time, youll take Hardcore Wounds when you take Psyche
Wounds.
Getting Taken Out

If you don't have any more Wound boxes to check off for one of the tracks, you're
vulnerable in that regard. If you're forced to check off another Wound box and can't,
then you're taken out of the fight. For supernaturals, this tends to mean being killed, but
for them death is a temporary condition. For mortals, this means being knocked
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unconscious, presumed dead, etc. Alternatively, the victor can make a demand of you,
provided the fight is actually over and not still going on because of other active
participants.
If your Form is vulnerable, the next time youd check off a Form box, youre defeated
for immortals that means youre dead (just normal dead). For beings that cant casually
die, that means youre severely out of the action in some other way, but otherwise
follow the rules for coming back into the story after death. The victor can also choose to
offer you a concession
If your Psyche is vulnerable, the next time youd check off a Psyche box, you're utterly
crushed, and have to make a choice between completely caving to someone else's
demandseither the person who crushed you or demands from the Darkest Cosmos
itselfor die as if your Form was taken out. Heartbreak and betrayal is rough in Katanas
& Trenchcoats.
Anguishes
Anguishes are conditions of the Form or Psyche that mark pain and defeat. They're
handled as words that describe persistent issues for your character. At the end of a
scene where you have to take an Anguish, you look over the action that happened in
that scene, pick an appropriate or interesting Anguish, and customize it to your liking.
The sort of Anguish you take determines how you're able to recover from it, and it
describes how others might exploit your weakness while that Anguish is active.
You have two Anguish slots.
Taking an Anguish
When you take an Anguish, start by picking one of the following words:
Injured (or Crippled, etc.)
Humiliated (or Dishonored, etc.)
Enraged
Terrified
Then turn that into a short phrase that describes the lasting outcome of that scene. That
could be "Grievous leg injury" or "Lost face to the Archon" or "Chilled by that prophecy
the Darkest Cosmos put into my head."
Write that down in an empty Anguish slot. It starts with no Clear marks (see following
section).
If you already have an Anguish, you can alternatively choose to escalate the wording of
an existing Anguish rather than take a new one. It has to have at least one Clear mark.
Rewrite the Anguish and remove the Clear marks off of it.
Dealing with an Anguish

If you're gonna take an Anguish, you best believe the Darkest Cosmos is going to make
you suffer. While the Anguish is active, it's true for your characteryou need to play to
that. And it's something foes can exploit against you, as an advantage die.
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But that's actually good for you, because the only way to clear off an Anguish is for it to
inconvenience you or be used against you. The Cosmos wouldn't have it any other way.
There are three ways to make that happen, and each time it does you mark a check next
to the Anguishthose are Clear marks.
Someone uses your Anguish against you in a die roll by claiming it as an
advantage. You can only get one Clear mark per scene this way. Fun fact: you can
tell someone and they're using it as an advantage and give them a die to get the
Clear mark. You don't need to wait for them to decide to use it on their own.
You show genuine vulnerability while someone else attempts to address your
Anguish. You need to get pretty emo here for this to be worth a Clear mark. You
can only get one Clear mark per session this way.
You make a dramatic story decision based on your Anguish that really screws you
over. You can only do this once per session, but if it's really, really detrimental,
the SM might decide it's worth two Clear marks.
When an Anguish has three Clear marks, at the end of that scene it's cleared off. Briefly
show or narrate that you've recovered at that scene or in a following scene you're in,
and erase that Anguish. Then decide if that means you've cleared off all your Hardcore
Form Wounds or Hardcore Psyche Wounds. If you don't have any Hardcore Wounds,
then congrats: you just don't have that Anguish anymore.
Running Out of Anguishes

If your two Anguish slots are filled, neither has any Clear marks on them, and you're
forced to take a third Anguish, that permanently scars you. Pick one:
Your story is over. Period. Perhaps you're perma-killed. Perhaps you just ride off
into the sunset (or sunrise, for vampires) and are never heard from again.
One of your Anguishes is just a permanent feature, which could be a pre-existing
one or the one you'd take instead. Write it down in Things that Happened. If
you're moving a pre-existing one over, write your new Anguish in that slot.
So try to avoid that.
<BOXED TEXT>Story Masters: Hit Hard for Anguishes
If the characters are continually succeeding without taking any Anguishes, thats a cue
to hit them harder. Thats what the Darkest Cosmos wants you to do. Listen to the
Darkest Cosmos; its your friend.
</BOXED>
Death
Enough normal damage will kill you, but death is a temporary condition for many
supernaturals. Your body is disabled and will die at the end of the scene; it might selfimmolate, dissolve into dust or mist, or just sit there like a lump of meat. Youre out of
the action for a scene or two, and then you can make a glorious re-entrance.
That said, death has a cost: you mark a Hardcore Wound in both Form and Psyche. This
doesnt cause any further Anguishes to happenyouve probably already had that
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happen from the conflict, and if you didnt then you probably entered that conflict in a
bad way to begin with.
If one of those tracks is already full of Hardcore Wounds, then dont bother with that
one. If both tracks are, sorry to tell you this, but youre perma-dead. The Darkest
Cosmos has drunk pain and misery from your story and has had its fill.
Death & the Mortal Condition

For those who cant casually die (immortals, vampires, otherworldly beings), when the
rules say you die, you follow the spirit of those rules rather than have your character
literally die. That could mean being near death, or barely escaping with your life, or even
being presumed dead as no one saw what happened with your body.
Perma-Killing Another
Getting to perma-kill another character is a big deal, and aside from killing them when
they cant take any more Hardcore Wounds, the rules for perma-killing involve getting
the Darkest Cosmoss permission to wholly sunder the Apeiron in another.
To perma-kill someone, first you have to kill them like normal, in a way that could
justifiably end them for all time. Then you have to dump Grandeur into the moment,
because this is a dramatic spotlight for you. It costs 50 Grandeur to perma-kill someone;
you can borrow Grandeur, but you have to pay for at least half of it. Thankfully, there
are some ways you can bring that cost down that play into what the Cosmos wants of
you.
Did this foe defeat or utterly crush you in a past scene? Drop the cost by 10.
Is this a climatic moment in the story? Drop the cost by 10.
Are you defending your Throne of Comfort or pushing on your Deep Yearning?
Drop the cost by 10.
Is this your nemesis? Drop the cost by 10.
All of those stack, even if theyre the same reason (like your Deep Yearning being to kill
your nemesis). The Story Master might come up with other reasons to drop the cost, or
perhaps even reasons to increase it.
Pneuma: Wielding Apeiron

Every denizen in the Darkest Cosmos who holds Apeiron can reach out and grab Darkest
power. But it's like drinking nitroglycerin distilled from the blood of Vin Dieselit's
awesome, you might explode, and that makes it even more awesome. We call this
"channeling Pneuma."
What You Use Pneuma For

There are two cases where you channel Pneuma:
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Power an ability connected to your splat, and Edge you have, or some other
character option on your sheet. (Such as an immortals Lord of the Duel power
for extra-human physical acts or a Technomages technoarcana.)
Use supernatural power relating to your splats vibe to give you more dice for an
action or reaction, or to reroll failed dice.
In both cases, you figure out how many motes of Pneuma youll channel (well get to
that in a moment) and roll for whatever youre doing. Once the moment is resolved, you
check to see if channeling Pneuma has harmed you.
Note: You can't channel more than 10 motes of Pneuma in a single moment.
Fueling Supernatural Abilities

All forms of sorceryimmortal and vampiric talents, sorcerer and technomage abilities,
etc.require channeling Pneuma. To attempt the action, you must channel 1 mote of
Pneuma. You might have to channel more, if that option says so. As far as Pneuma is
concerned, that's all.
Note that with many blatantly supernatural actions, you must use the Apeiron Essence
in your roll, unless the rule you're using allows otherwise. For instance, sorcerous Edges
that tell you they're linked to one of the other Essences means you can use that Essence
as well.
Enhancing Die Rolls

If you're up against some serious odds and want to increase your chances, you can get
more dice for 1 mote of Pneuma per die (in addition to motes you're channeling if
you're fueling a supernatural action). How many dice depends on the Essence and
Domain you're rolling.
If you're using Apeiron, you can go all the way to channeling 10 motes of Pneuma to get
those extra dice. Have fun with that.
If you're using your Ultimate Domain with a different Essence, you can take as many
extra dice as that Domain and Essence combineessentially, doubling your die pool
before counting in any other advantages. You still can't go over 10 motes, so that might
limit you.
Otherwise, you can get up to three extra dice, provided that doesn't take you over 10
motes.
Rerolling Failed Dice

Maybe you don't want to outright risk everything at once. That's coolyou can channel
Pneuma to reroll failed dice. You can reroll as many failed dice as you could have added
to your roll as described above, but each die requires 2 motes instead of 1.
Yes, you can stack this with enhancing die rolls, as long as you don't go over 10 motes.
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Pneuma Corruption
Character sheets have a Pneuma track, which you use to know how likely a given
moment of channeling Pneuma will harm you based on how many motes of Pneuma
you're channeling at that moment. Handling corruption is a little fiddly because
channeling Pneuma is about increasing risk, so bear with us here.
Once the action resolvessuccess or failurego to your Pneuma chart. Mark off the
box that corresponds to the number of motes you're channeling. If it's already marked,
go to the next highest one that isn't marked. If there isn't one (because you've already
marked a lot including the 10), you don't need to mark any. You're already pretty
fucked.
Then take the highest number you have marked. That's likely the box you just marked,
but not always. Roll a die. If it's that number or lower, you fail to contain the channeling
of Pneuma in you. If it's not, congrats! You're okay for now.
Taking Pneuma Damage

If you fail to contain the Pneuma, you take damage. Choose between taking a Hardcore
Wound or a hit to Psyche. If you failed and you rolled a 9 or 10, you take both.
On the very faintly bright side, the box you just checked clearsfailing to contain the
Darkest energy means you don't need to escalate that risk. You've already lost there. (If
you're good at keeping track of things, you can choose to not mark the box right away,
and only do once you've rolled. Some players are good at that, and others aren't. Go
with what's easier for you to remember.)
Since you resolve success before checking for this, any success you got is still valid even
if this damage would take you out of the fight. That includes defeating someone in a
duelyou just succumb to your wounds or assault to your Psyche right after you resolve
your victory.
Recovering Pneuma
There are two general ways to bleed off your corruption and remove marks on your
Pneuma track: Good and Vile. Each splat goes into specifics.
"Good" ways involve centering yourself, such as spending a night meditating in a
wellspring of power (there's a dojo in Darkest Vancouver that gets rented out for this,
and some Thrones of Comfort are also wellsprings) or engaging in your numbing revelry
(you know, getting wasted all night with your friends). It takes quite a bit of time out of
the action, where other shit can happen that you'll have to deal with later. Each day you
do this, uncheck your highest box.
You can also uncheck your highest box by just refusing to channel Pneuma for a full day.
That's the Darkest Cosmos starting to lose interest in you because you're not playing
with it. If you do this and center yourself, you get to uncheck two boxes.
"Vile" ways mean playing into the Darkest Cosmos's desires, and such ways clear every
box you have in that moment. Each splat has something different they can do to make
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this happen. Immortals can behead and drain a pure mortal of their, well, lack of
Apeiron, and clear their boxes if they leave the corpse where they were killed. (Yes, I
know by writing this that some PCs will do that. That's Katanas & Trenchcoats for you.)
Knowledges
Interesting characters know some unusual stuff, whether it's occult lore, inner workings
of street gangs, how to hotwire cars, esoteric Romanian history, or anything else you
can think of. In Katanas & Trenchcoats, those are called Knowledges, and every
character has some.
Knowledges are brief phrases that describe, broadly or narrowly, something you know
really well that most people don't have the slightest clue about. They're never about
typical stuff like how to tie your shoes, deal with some blowhard boss, and other boring
mortal stuff. They're meant to be interesting, because you should be interesting. This is
one of the rules bits that draws heavily from how TV shows work.
How Knowledges Work

Knowledges have two sorts of uses: broad uses and weirdly specific uses. Broadly
worded Knowledges justify being able to do actions that other characters couldn't do or
would be disadvantaged at doing. When a Knowledge is weirdly specific, that grants an
advantage when that Knowledge applies. That difference is flexible, so each group can
handle Knowledges differently in different situations.
Beyond Knowing
Really, Knowledges go beyond what you know, and cover the question of "why/how do
you know that?" Knowledges also include details about your character, which can take
the form of:
Inherent knowledge (immortals know immortal lore, technomages know
technoarcana)
Past experiences (including past lives, like being alive in 17th century France)
Scholarship (occult lore, ancient history you didn't live through)
Networks and relationships (understanding criminal syndicates or corporate
power structures)
Other background details not listed here
So when you come up with and use your Knowledges, play with why and how you know
these things.
Implied, Minor Knowledge

Questions like "can I speak French?" aren't important questions here. But if something
like that becomes a concern for your character and your background doesn't just
immediately answer it, reveal Knowledge that would imply that minor element, like
"France during Napoleon" or "Trafficking in Priceless Stolen Art," and say "well of course
I spent some time in Paris, so I can speak French." That's because Katanas &
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Trenchcoats is way more interested the question of "Where/how did you learn French?"
than just "Can you speak French?"
Or the Story Master might just shrug and say "Yeah, you speak French, that's cool." if
the pacing that night is moving so fast that no one wants to stop to deal that question,
then come back later to address it. That also happens in TV shows, to reveal surprising
knowledge without disrupting the pacing of the scene.
Knowledges Define Your Cosmos

The more esoteric and cosmic a Knowledge is, the more you as a group are defining
things that are true about your Darkest Cosmos. Maybe suddenly someone in the group
has "The World Before This Reality" as a Knowledge. Bah, suddenly your Darkest
Cosmos has a reality before this one, whatever that means.
Getting Knowledges
Each splat starts with some Knowledges, and characters have two more Knowledge slots
they can fill in right away or leave for later.
Revealing Knowledges by Having Flashbacks

You can use the flashback rules (see Grandeur, p. XX) for how to bring a flashback into
play. Describe what in your past allows you to fill in an empty Knowledge slot, then
write that Knowledge down.
You can use flashbacks to define a weakly written Knowledge into something more
interesting, such as explaining why "Occult Lore" is really "I was the Prime Student of
the School of Apotheosis." This is useful when you want to stretch what your Knowledge
means from a simple phrase into one that involves character history or relationships
suddenly important to the story.
Beseeching the Darkest Cosmos for Knowledge

Need to know something your background can't justify, like how to ritually banish a
demon? (Which, by the way, angels, demons, and hunters already know inherently.)
Already used up your Knowledge slots, but need to know how to defuse a complex
bomb?
The Darkest Cosmos is more than happy to hook you up. To simply ask for knowledge
out of nothingness is like that scene in The Matrix where Trinity requisitions knowledge
of how to fly a helicopter from Tank if she ended "I need a pilot program for a Bell 212
helicopter" with "and also maybe put some dynamite in my brain, surprise me."
Doing so is covered with the Apeiron Essence and the Intuit Domain, with the action
about pulling just the information you want out of the aether. Failing means you the
Knowledge you want for a scene, but at a costpsychic backlash, losing some other
Knowledge (like how to speak English), some disfigurement, leaking a toxic being unto
the world, etc. The SM gets to decide what happens. Succeeding gives you temporary
Knowledge that's weirdly specific, fading away after a scene or two. Critically succeeding
means you retain that Knowledge forever, at a further cost: you also take a Hardcore
Psyche Wound.
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Sample Knowledges
Take these as written or use them to figure out your own ideas. Strike the ones that
aren't true for your Darkest Cosmos.
17th Century France: Politics of the era, fashion in clothes and in combat, archaic
French curses, how to seduce French students today.
Already Half-Buried: A knowledge of all things subterranean: the network of sewer
tunnels under Darkest Vancouver, the location rave parties in abandoned subway
shafts, and the nature of Immortals who shun the daystar.
Ancient Mariner: Know your way around ships from canoe to Destroyer. Read shipping
charts. Understand marine wildlife behaviors. Bargain with beings, Immortal and
otherwise, who inhabit the Deep.
Annunaki Codex: Talk radio hosts prattle on about Annunaki this and Annunaki that, but
youve learned precisely the role they played humanitys creation. Your knowledge gives
you insights into healing and harming, precise methods others only discover by accident.
Babushka Network: You have the soul of a babushka; wherever do you keep it? The old
ladies, they see, they know, they tell you things. Helpful things. Dark things.
Blood-Hound: You can tell a lot about a person from their blood. No really. A lot. From a
sniff or taste you absorb genetic information about the subject and can track recent
movements.
Books and Backrooms: Go over a ledger or international trade agreement with ease.
See where things just dont add up. Evaluate the odds of anything from an election to
the track.
Being a Mechanic at Mike's Shop: Fixing and chopping up cars, knowing who you can
price gouge, American college basketball and the NBA, where to hide weapons for quick
access, local gangs, car wizard culture.
CSI LARPer: Walk through a crime scene and deduce the order of events, know the
places to get forensic evidence tested, and find that one clue the law missed.
Damascus Steel Production: Everything thats worth knowing about swords, sword
making, sword culture, all things sword-like. Also covers ancient and modern Damascus,
as well as the global steel industry.
Darkest Vancouver: The city's true secret history, all about the political factions and
major players, places to hide or hunt, ley lines and hellmouths, fixers of all sorts, where
to find the best poutine in town.
Ear to the Ground, Eye on the News: Know the current power players, mortal and
Immortal. Take advantage of old feuds, know when to offer a favor, and broker you way
out of tough spots with a little information.
Hacker, Cracker, Phreaker: Encode and decode messages electronic, inscribed, and
occult. Foil a cyber attacker, learn the true meaning of Leonardos notes, and interpret
the patterns of those crows circling your apartment tower.
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Immortal Lore: Many of the deep secrets about being an immortal, the history of
immortals, the Houses, etc. Also covers basic secrets on other splats (like that vampires
really hate stakes and technomages are freaky), sorcery, the Darkest Cosmos, Apeiron,
and related weird shit.
Latter-day Alchemist: Obtain and safely use arcane ingredients for potions. Mix ordinary
chemicals to create explosions. Your skill gives you connections to the underbelly of
pharmaceutical experimentation in Darkest Vancouver.
Listen to Their Body Talk: Call people on their bluff in interrogations and poker
tournaments. Recognize a pecking order instantly. Anticipate a drawn sword.
Living Eyes Wide Open: Recall minute details of historic events. Know someone who
was there when it happenedand lives a block away. Date materials and clothing. Pick
fights with archaeologists.
Soul of the City: Follow a trail of minor disorders left by your target. Predict (or cause) a
traffic jam. Blend seamlessly in a crowd. Quote census, crime, and other statistics of the
top of your head.
Star Whisperer: Know how to use everything from your centuries-old astrolabe to deep
space probes. Provide occult insights from the stars. Know cultural lore and various
forms of astrology. Sense when the moon goes dark.
Walker of Sacred Groves: Know where to find the closest sacred site, urban or arboreal,
along with appropriate rites. Sense the source of stranger powers. Recognize and repair
defilement.
Bullshitting Knowledge
Heres the dirty little bit about Knowledges: if you can bullshit the Story Master into
buying your justification of why a Knowledge fits a situation, then it does. Maybe your
immortal wanders the world with a bokken because a steel blade is too boring for them,
and they say hey, I use a wooden weapon, so for me Damascus Steel Production really
means stuff about trees and the logging industry, ecology, along with the normal DSP
stuff about swords and sword culture, etc.
Id buy that. As you test the bounds of what Knowledges end up meaning in your game,
youre establishing your tables personal canon. Hell yeah.
But the Story Master doesnt have to take your bullshitting as justification for weirdly
specific (advantage dice-granting) situations.
Edges
Edges are advantages, feats, stunts, and talents that are so sweet that most denizens of
the Darkest Cosmos can do them. Each Edge tells you what it does and how it works, as
well as the required Essence, Domain, or other character element.
Each Edge tells you what it does with the rules and the story, any requirements for
taking or using it, and what splat attribute it connects to if any. Some Edges are more
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focused on the story, and others on specific rules bit. Don't discount the pure story
Edgesclever players are great at using them to create situation that can exploit, for
getting better positioning in the story, advantage dice in a roll, or some sweet Grandeur.
Diversify: You can't take more than one Edge that connects to the same splat attribute.
If you want Twisted Firestarter (linked to the Immortal attribute of Mystical Talents),
you can't also take Harbinger of Storm (also linked to that attribute).
Losing Access: If during the course of play you suddenly cant meet an Edges
requirements, you lose access to that Edge until you resolve that. Losing access to the
attribute the Edge is linked to counts as losing access.
Partial List of Edges

Advanced Psychometry
When you touch an object, you can tap into its Apeironic resonance to get glimpses of
its historywhat it's been used for, who has held it, who made it. This lets you use
Discernment against the Cosmos itself in those circumstances, using Apeiron + Perceive.
The SM can (and should) also throw random visions at you when you aren't expecting
them, but never in some completely irrelevant, trolling way.
Linked Aptitude: Mystical Talents
Armor of Passion
When something truly meaningful is directly at stake, like your Deep Yearning or Throne
of Comfort, you can take 1 more Wound in a fight before youre beaten. (SMs, expect
the player to bullshit ways of making everything about their Throne or Yearning. And
then make them suffer for it when they lose fights.)
Linked Aptitude: Raging Passion
Blink of Fashion
You're always dressed for the moment, and are the most fashionable of immortals when
you want to be. Show up in a scene, and you're either dressed to impress or you're
dressed to make a point about how much you don't care about impressing people.
Either way, you own every red carpet you want on.
People think that's because you have impeccable taste, but you know the truth: you
have the power to quick-change in the blink of an eye. By channeling 1 mote of Pneuma,
describe the new outfit you're wearing.
For uses that don't convey any story advantage, you can argue with the SM that you
shouldn't have to channel Pneuma. That's definitely true if you show up in a scene and
haven't described what you're wearing yet.
Linked Aptitude: Kickass Wardrobe
Cloak of Shadows
You have a really sweet cloak, coat, cape, or similar infused with Apeiron. By channeling
1 mote of Pneuma while wearing it, you can disappear and reappear at will, provided
theres something cool for you to disappear aroundthe shadows, a passing truck, a
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crowded dance floor, etc. If a character tries to find you after youve disappeared and
you have to roll dice against that, that Pneuma counts as an extra die.
For purely cosmetic, flavorful uses, you can argue with the SM that you shouldn't have
to channel Pneuma. To do more than make yourself disappear, like another person or
the car youre riding in, you must channel at least 5 motes of Pneuma, possibly more if
the SM declares so.
Deadly Hanzo Steel
Every Immortal bears an Awesome Sword, but yours is told in story and in song (and is
known about as part of Immortal Lore). If you tell a story about your sword while
attacking, take an extra die for that action. Your sword might also be more famous than
you, meaning it'll figuratively open doors for you.
Linked Aptitude: Awesome Sword
Etheric Pockets
You're a wandering supernatural-of-holding, and can always draw something useful out
of one of your many pockets, pouches, purses, or patches, as though it was always
there. The object has to be able to fit in that pocket or pouch, or the talent doesn't
work. The first time you do it in a session, channel 0 motes of Pneuma. To do it after
that, channel 1 mote of Pneuma. If whatever you're bringing out is pretty implausible
something that would definitely have been noticed before, like a bunny kicking around a
purse or a lit cigar burning in a pocketadd at least 3 to that Pneuma cost.
Harbinger of Storm
You have a mystical connection with stormsthunder, lightning, all that jazz. Along with
stuff like having storms build above you during tense, dramatic moments, you can call
upon the power of that thunder and lightning to fuel your actions. And lightning can
never harm you unless it's wielded by someone just as badass.
This is an elemental immortal sorcery linked to the Cunning Essence. While a storm is
active, channel 1 mote of Pneuma to call down and wield its lightning or cause
shockwaves with its thunder. This can augment sudden, violent action (such as from
Fight or Impose).
I Have a Type
Weirdly, you're one of the people in the Darkest Cosmos who isn't pansexual. Describe
who you're into: men, women, vampires, brunettes, people without vowels in their
name, anyone bathed in full moonlight, etc. Whoever isn't of that type will always fail to
seduce you.
If you're gonna use this Edge to get hyper-specific about it to protect your character,
bad news: having a hyper-specific type is a kink, and you're even more vulnerable than
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normal to your type. They always have an advantage when trying to seduce you. And
your Story Master knows it.
Some of you are thinking "But I want to be straight without taking an Edge." Okay, cool.
You're mostly straight (or gay, or whatever), but a dark, sexy person laced with Apeiron
will still turn your head. Or you have a type, but haven't left that "experimental" stage of
live yet. Or you're lying to yourself. Not that we're judging. You do you.
<SIDEBAR>"So I can harass players who don't take this Edge, right?"
Who actually thinks that?! No. NO. Bad person.
</SIDEBAR>
Linked Aptitude: Raging Passion
Twin Awesome Swords
Your Awesome Sword is actually two swords. You can wield them akimbo, throw one
while holding onto the other, and other flashy things. You can summon them one at a
time or all at once, and it's nearly impossible to disarm you. (Though if both swords get
disarmed, ham that moment up for some Grandeur.)
Linked Aptitude: Awesome Sword
Twisted Firestarter
You have a love affair with fire that can't be tamed. If there's a fire near you during a
tense, dramatic moment, it rages higher. You can flare and twist that fire around to your
whim. And fire can never harm you unless it's wielded by someone just as badass.
This is an elemental immortal sorcery linked to the Potency Essence. When you're near
fire, channel 1 mote of Pneuma to call it to you or move it around as a weapon. This can
augment sudden, violent action (such as from Fight or Impose).
You Can Take it With You
Whenever you return from death, you can bring something back with you, as long as it
can be held in one hand. It can be something you had on you when you died, or it can be
something lost to antiquity, but not something that already belongs to someone else.
Linked Aptitude: Masters over Death
Zeno's Step
An ancient philosopher taught you how to sneak past space itself. Once per session, you
can silently and instantly walk up to a few meters without ever having occupied any of
the space between there and where you started. Youre here, then youre there. Note
that you cant walk out of bindings or chains, because bondage is hot.
For purely cosmetic, flavorful uses, you can argue with the SM that you shouldn't have
to channel Pneuma.
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Imperfections
Imperfections are opportunities to become a unique snowflake by declaring what
hampers youwhether a physical flaw like having one eye or one arm, or a
metaphysical flaw like missing an attribute others of your splat have.
If you take an Imperfection, you're telling the Story Master that you deserve Grandeur
when you make a cool deal of that imperfection getting in your way during a scene.
Likewise, you got to play to that Imperfection; breaking it might be worth docking
Grandeur, if you're that sort of group.
What Aren't Imperfections

Social flaws aren't Imperfections. There's no "My character is an asshole because I wrote
it down on my sheet" here. The bullshit resume answer of "My flaw is I'm a
perfectionist" isn't valid here either. Come up with an actually interesting flaw or GTFO.
Grandeur
An important part of Katanas & Trenchcoats is playing to an overly dramatic tone, and
that's where Grandeur comes in. Each player has a pool of Grandeur points ("Grandeur"
for short) that they gain in the course of a session and can spend during that same
session to take control of the story.
Players have 0 Grandeur points at the start of each sessioneven sessions that end in
cliffhangers or anything like that. If you want Grandeur early, start playing to the hilt
right away. And Grandeur is something players have, not charactersGrandeur is about
what players contribute and ways they can alter the story, not about character aptitude
or special powers.
Earning Grandeur
When a player delivers an amazing moment of playwhatever that ends up meaning
for your group that sessionthey might deserve a Grandeur point. That could mean:
Delivering an especially potent line of dialogue that makes everyone at the table go
damn!
Committing to a foolish action for the same of drama, in an entertaining way.
Making everyone at the table laugh in a way that heightens enjoyment (rather than
distract from the story).
Declaring a revelation about your character that delightfully complicates the current
situation.
Come up with something cunning or clever that impresses others at the table, whether
flashy or subtle and unexpected.
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Those are just broad examples. Any moment where a player should get a little bit of
extra recognition for being the awesome to a story is a moment for Grandeur.
Getting Fiddly
Earning Grandeur isnt strict or dogmatic. Grant Grandeur as it feels right for your group.
Or stop granting Grandeur to someone who is on a roll and others arent getting much
opportunity to do so. (Id give you Grandeur there, but youve already earned five in
the last hour, and lets spotlight some other players.) Use this rule to enhance and
guide the vibe of your game.
Callouts
Just because Grandeur comes from the Story Master doesnt mean players cant call out
for Grandeur, especially if theyre calling out for someone elses contribution. Kate just
brought some awesome at the table with her shit-talk against the Guildmaster. Wheres
her Grandeur? And unless the Story Master has some really compelling reason to say
no (in which case they need to state that), Grandeur that awesome player up.
And no, you dont get Grandeur for calling out that someone else deserves Grandeur.
What If Someone Isnt Earning Grandeur?

You look around the table, and everyone can tell that one player isnt getting any
Grandeur love from the Story Master. That means theres some problem going on! (And
is part of how a Story Master can use Grandeur to keep tabs on the game.)
Story Masters, ask yourself these questions in such moments:
Are you judging that person based on the contributions of others? Maybe that
person is shyer, or slower with the witticisms, or just has a different sort of
personality than those who are getting the limelight. Judge each person based
on their own contributions; dont compare them to others.
Is your bar for rewarding Grandeur too high? If others at the table are enjoying
those moments, chill and reward Grandeur.
This all presumes said player is actually engaged in the game. If theyre just on their
phone the whole time, meh. (Unless theyre doing something cool like livetweeting your
game, in or out of character. Meta stuff like that could also be worth Grandeur,
especially if it brings you a smile after the game as you go back to read their feed.)
If the player brings up not earning Grandeur, take a moment to talk about that. Ask
them what they think was worth Grandeur. Ask yourself why you didnt give any away.
Were you distracted to in the moment? Did you see that as being weaksauce?
<BOXED TEXT>I Keep Forgetting to Award Grandeur. Help!
Its okay! Being aware of Grandeur flow is a skill, one meant to help you keep track of
how the session is playing out. If you keep forgetting to award Grandeur, bill in a
moment between scenes to figure out if anyone should have received Grandeur. Dont
feel like a failure if youre not always doing it in the moment; even the most skilled Story
Masters get swept up in awesome moments and have to remember after the fact.
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</BOXED TEXT>
Earning Grandeur Means Character Growth

If the group as a whole earns at least 10 Grandeur points in a session, every player gets
to give their character 1 XP. It doesnt matter if one person earns all of that or if
everyone contributes roughly the same amount; everyone wins together.
Heres the thing: that shouldnt be a problem, but if the Grandeur isnt flowing, theres
probably something wrong. Maybe the Story Master has drastically different
expectations than the players. Maybe the Story Master is being harsh or not paying
attention. Maybe the players are tired. If getting 10 Grandeur in three or so hours is a
struggle, take a few moments to see what you all could do to make your game sizzle.
Spending Grandeur
Players can spend Grandeur to contribute to the story and session in useful, convenient,
or dramatic ways beyond what the rules say their characters can do.
Add a Scene Element: For 1 Grandeur, add some detail to the scene, like there being
some conveniently placed oil barrels or it suddenly starting to storm. If the addition isnt
terribly interesting or is too silly, the Story Master can refuse (and the Grandeur isnt
spent) or charge more. If the detail is about someone elses Throne of Comfort, they can
refuse. If its about your Throne of Comfort, you probably shouldnt be charged
Grandeur for it unless its really over-the-top.
Note: These scene elements cant be used as advantages themselves, but can give
permission to try some action just as anything describes in a scene would. But really,
this is to add drama in a direction a player wants it to go.
Embellish Your Own Success: For 1 Grandeur, you can add a detail about a triumphant
moment. Remember, the people who lost gets to sell how amazing you are, so this is
how you get to add to it. You could cause a ridiculous special effect to happen, like
lightning to strike down, pyrotechnics, exploding masonry, doves flying off, etc.
Whatever it is, its fleeting and wont grant an advantage or any other game effect. Like
with adding scene elements, the SM could charge more as warranted.
Declare a Connection: For 3 Grandeur, either announce that you clearly know someone
relevant to a situation (like saying of course I know the owner of the nightclub we need
to get into, so screw waiting in line) or establish a prior connection with an introduced
NPC (like That random assassin is totally an ex-lover of mine).
If the connection isnt especially complicated, then its not especially dramatic. The SM
might ask something like Whens the last time you broke the nightclub owners trust?
or say Yeah, and that assassin took the job for half price, because its you. If you want
a clean, uncomplicated connect, the SM is well within their rights to raise the Grandeur
cost. But really, keep it messy and youll increase opportunities for getting that
Grandeur back.
If you can make a case for tying the connection to one of your Knowledges, you might
get it free if you keep it messy and don't overly abuse this rule.
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Reveal a Flashback: For 3 Grandeur, interrupt the moment with a flashback as a microscene. This is one way you can establish a new Knowledge (provided you have a free
Knowledge slot), or use it to justify some dramatic twist. If you have an empty
Knowledge slot, you can do one flashback for free per session to fill in that slot.
<BOXED TEXT>Can I use a Flashback to Get Advantage Dice?
Advantage dice come from two sources: things on your character sheet and actions
youve made involving dice. You can use a flashback to position yourself to do
something you couldnt otherwise, but no extra dice.
</BOXED TEXT>
Narrate Your Own Success: If you have at least 3 Grandeur, spend it all to take the
narration of your successful action for yourself, rather than let the other person sell how
amazing you are.
Retcon a Character Detail: If you have at least 3 Grandeur, spend it all to retcon some
detail about your character that's already been established. When doing this, describe
the retcon in a ridiculous fashion. Pretend the other players are watching this as a TV
showthey should find the retcon fairly ludicrous.
You can use this to change stats on your sheet: swap two Domain ratings around (except
for your Ultimate Domain), swap two Essence ratings around (except for Apeiron), or
swap one Edge for another. However, if you do this, you can only go forward: you can't
change those stats back via retconning.
Deliver a Time-Halting Soliloquy: If you have at least 5 Grandeur, spend it all to pause
the action to deliver a soliloquy. This could take the form of a flashback, a heartfelt plea,
a lengthy declaration of vendetta, a spontaneous eulogy, a moment of pure emo, etc. It
had better be good, because you're dropping all your Grandeur on it. Time literally stops
for this; any effects that are time dependenta magic that guards you until sunrise, a
bomb countdown, etc.pause, because that's drama. Also, no one can do anything
during this time except be transfixed by the moment, also because that's drama. Time
itself is transfixed by your words.
If your character is perma-killed, you get to do this for free.
Perma-Kill Another: See the rules for that in the Death section on p. XX.
Other Possible Uses: You might find some other situation where you think "That should
cost some Grandeur to introduce." That's cool; do that. Grandeur is flexible.
Sharing Grandeur
Players can give each other their Grandeur, if they want, but that Grandeur has to be
used right away. You can't share your Grandeur to get out of dumping excess for a
retcon of soliloquy.
Advanced Use: Docking Grandeur

The least-used rule (ideally) with Grandeur is for the Story Master to be able to dock
someone a Grandeur points for being excessively off-tone. But here's the thing: this
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technique only works if it's a joke itself with someone you have a rapport with. And it's
as much of a spotlight tool as granting Grandeur.
For example:
GM (as mortal NPC): "Wait, how can you be here? I watched you die yesterday!"
Jay (in character, quoting Monty Python): "I got better!"
GM (out of character): " Seriously?"
Jay (out of character): "Yeah." <marks off a Grandeur point>
The group laughs.
In that situation, the GM and Jay already have enough rapport that Jay accepted he
broke the tone before the GM could say that cost Grandeur. But more than that, the
GM and Jay turned that into its own joke, and the rest of the group enjoyed that
moment.
That's how docking should work. If you dock because you're not happy with something,
or are trying to bully the group, you breaking the SM rule of not being an unwanted
asshole.
And docked Grandeur doesn't count against the amount of Grandeur earned for the
purposes of XP, even for you.
Changing Your Character

You want to make your character more awesome on paper? Hell, maybe you want to
just change something youre not excited about anymore? Heres the section for you!
Advancement
Lets start with how characters become more powerful, because lets face it, folks who
wield Apeiron always hunger to be more awesome. And players hunger to be more
awesome.
If you want to roll more dice, get more Edges, etc., then hold two things in your
blackened heart:
The Darkest Cosmos rewards those who play its game.
Advancement only happens during play, by revealing that growth or hidden talent in a
scene.
Over play, you earn XP for various moments and situations. You spend XP to unlock new
or better character options as theyre used in play.
Earning XP
XP is figured out at the end of a session. Go over these questions for yourself:
Did you pursue anyones Deep Yearning or defend a Throne of Comfort? You
dont need to have been successful about it; doing it is enough.
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Did your relationship with another protagonist dramatically change over the
course of this session? (The first session where characters interact together
doesnt count.)
Did you hamper yourself through an Imperfection? Not the Story Master or
someone else, but you bringing up that story complication on your own.
Did you massively fail against the Darkest Cosmos? The Darkest Cosmos likes
getting its ego stroked, and will reward you for it.
If you answered one of those questions with yes, you get 1 XP. If you answered two or
more, you get 2 XPno more than 2, though, unless this is somehow a climatic session
ending a story arc, in which case you get 1 XP per question answered yes.
Of course, others can call bullshit on your answers, as you can theirs. Thats especially
true if you think someone is selling themselves short.
Bonus XP: If as a group you collectively earned at least 10 Grandeur Points, everyone in
the group gets 1 more XP.
Buying Advancement Moments

You can buy one advancement per scene, whether a typical, big, or micro scene. (Hint:
you can introduce micro-scenes for advancement purposes.)
Increasing an Essence by 1 costs 3 XP [times] the new rating. Two caveats:
You cant make Apeiron higher than all other Essences. Thats forbidden to nonTranscendent characters.
If the difference between this new rating and the rating of your lowest Essence is
more than 3, doing that costs 3 more XP. The Darkest Cosmos will let you minmax, but not for cheap.
Increasing a Domain by 1 costs 2 XP [times] the new rating. One caveat:
You cant make any other Domain exceed your Ultimate Domain.
Gaining a new Edge costs 3 XP [times] the number of Edges you already have.
When you spend XP, mark that XP as spent, but dont remove it from the total youve
earned, because
Continued Growth
As you gain XP, you unlock more Knowledge slots youre allowed to hold. Namely, you
get a new Knowledge slot every 10 XP, up to 50 XP (a new one at 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50.)
After that, you dont get new Knowledge slots, but you should have enough at that point
to just get really weird with how your various Knowledges work.
Revealing Advancement in Moments

There are a few ways to work advancement into a story:
What, you didnt know I could do that? Use a flashback or some exposition to
reveal something your character has clearly kept hidden.
The surprise twist, where even the character is themselves surprised by the
advancement.
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A retcon, where something your character couldnt do or do well before is

handwaved as being written differently.
Sharing Advancement Moments

If you relate/share an advancement scene, the advancement costs 1 less. That price
break is for everyone involved if it can be genuinely sold as related. Just 1 less flat, not 1
less per extra person.
[IMMORTAL BETA NOTE: Theres more to advancement, but this covers around 90% of
advancement.]
Changing Stuff You Dont Like

If youre not feeling excited by your Throne of Comfort, Deep Yearning, some Edge you
thought was cool but never comes up in play, whatever, then you can change it. It
doesnt cost any Grandeur to throw something away thats no fun, but like with
everything else in Katanas & Trenchcoats, you must have a scene that shows either the
change or even just establishing the new thing.
Thats it. Work with the Story Master about this, so they can help you get excited about
you character again.
The Shape of Play: Scenes

Katanas & Trenchcoats takes a lot of inspiration from TV, and the game works off the
idea of scenes: moments in time where characters are dealing with a problem or are
hamming up drama. Thats a pretty nebulous definition, but its a start. From there, we
can flesh out some useful details on making this nebulous idea work in practice.
But first, this section is that weird cross in RPGs between advice and rules. Theres some
necessary info here about the structure of Katanas & Trenchcoats, but its not dogmatic;
use story-based reasoning to handle the edge cases that come up.
Size of Scenes
Scenes come in three sizes: typical, big, and micro.
Typical scenes involve no more than half the protagonists, and should rarely take more
than 10 minutes to play out, 15 tops. At least half of the scenes in any given Katanas &
Trenchcoats sessions should be typical. (If you have an odd number of players, sure,
round up when we talk about half.)
Always have a reason for a typical scene. Is there an impending conflict? Is something
about to be revealed? In other words: what the hell is the point of that scene? What do
the various characters want going into the scene? NPCs always want something out of a
scene, even if its get the hell out of the scene. Once that reason is fulfilled or made
impossible, the scene has probably run its course; transition to another scene.
Why no more than half the players? Three reasons: One, having players waiting in the
wings for their spotlight helps keep scenes moving. Two, tightly focused drama happens
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when the number of participants in a scene is small. Three, drama can broaden when
characters who arent in a given scene are talked about, plotted against, or in some
other way affected by that scene.
Big scenes involve more protagonists, often all of them, and tend to last quite a while to
play out both because of how many people are involved and the scope of such scenes.
These are climatic scenes, either of the protagonists against some vast foe or the
protagonists against each other. (Or both at once.) That means you should definitely
know the point of these scenes when they happen.
Important: Never string two big scenes together. Ideally, stick to no more than one big
scene per session, but if youre playing for a very long session, get everyone involved in
typical scenes before having another big scene. Its fine for a session to have no big
scenes.
Micro scenes are a few seconds of narration, the point of which are to show in play
some justificationlike a flashback or a moment between two full scenes. One person
just describes what happens, maybe getting a little input from another person at the
table for some fun collaboration, and thats it.
If theres more than a couple lines of dialogue spoken, or if something happens to
create a conflict in that scene worth playing out, the micro scene instantly turns into a
typical scene.
Flashbacks (p. XX) are micro scenes can happen in the middle of other scenes, and dont
trigger the end of that scene.
Scenes & Transitions

Some rules talk about during the scene, in the next scene, etc., the most common of
which is when normal Wounds go away. So we have to talk about what makes a scene
end.
A scene isnt the same as a set. If you start with a fight in a bar, but your foe decides
their odds are better off running, and you give chase, thats a continuation the same
scene. The action is fluid. Theres no break in the moment for the character.
But if you let the asshole go, and go back to drinking with your buddies while the GM
shifts focus to another character, the moment has broken for the character. The scene is
over.
You can tell when this happens be transitions: the moment when in a TV show you
might see a different establishing shot of an exterior (which tells the viewer hey, time
has passed) or a new interior scene where we see a couple other characters for a
second or two before they start talking (which gives the viewer a chance to adjust to the
new scene).
Really, watch how many scenes starts with someone walking, looking at a book, opening
a door, whatever before they start talking.
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In a roleplaying game, that takes the form of starting to talk to different players,
describing a new location, asking what characters are doing, etc. before launching right
into the action. Those transitions mark when rules regarding the end, beginning, or
duration of scenes.
(Yes, sometimes there are intentionally jarring transitions. Those are legit, and count as
transitions for the purposes of these rules even when theyre being mindfucks.)
Cutting Back & Forth

Some Story Masters like to interweave multiple scenes together, playing part of one
scene, cutting to another scene midway through, and moving back and forth to keep the
pacing interesting and to play with various narrative tropes. And yes, those cuts arent
proper transitions that mark the end of a scene.
Starting a Session
There are two tried-and-true ways to start a session: unfolding drama and resolving a
cliffhanger.
Unfolding Drama: Have a protagonist or two get involved in a scene with just each other
or with some NPCs. Play that out scene. Then move onto another scene with one or two
protagonists who havent been in a scene yet, and repeat until all the protagonists have
been in a scene. (If you have five or more players, the last scene could sometimes use
someone who was in the first scene, to keep the pacing going.)
Once you have those scenes handled, look to what people want to do, and call for
scenes as they naturally occur.
Resolving a Cliffhanger: End the last session partway through or just barely beginning a
big scene? Handle that scene, then go unfold some drama as detailed above.
Being a Story Master

Running any roleplaying game, including this one, can seem intimidating and
overwhelming to some because of how nebulous "run a game" is as a concept. This
chapter is filled with tips, advice, and in some cases rules.
[IMMORTAL BETA NOTE: The full book will go into tools and techniques for being a Story
Master, including elaborating on everything in this section. We hope should be enough
to get most Story Masters going for the playtest.]
The Two Prime Rules

First, don't be an unwanted asshole to your players or to yourself. What "asshole"
means varies by group and by the moment, so "unwanted" is the key word there. I
guess you can extrapolate that to be a wanted asshole sometimes, so yeah, that works.
But if you're doing stuff that makes folks in your group feel shitty for coming over, or
you're running a game you hate because that's what your friends way, ice that shit and
own up to it.
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Second, use whatever works in this chapter and throw the rest out. Not everything here
is going to work for everyone, and certainly not all at once. But there's a caveat: if your
game doesn't seem to be firing off right, go back over the stuff you decided to not use,
and try them out. Note for those who don't catch it: this is second because you
shouldn't throw out "don't be an unwanted asshole."
Story Mastering in Bullet Points

Science tells us most of you will read bullet points and skim the rest of this second. So
we've broken down the advice into what you should do as a story master overall, and
what you should do moment-to-moment.
Guiding Lights for Story Masters: Keep these guidelines in mind as you're running the
game, and be conscious when you depart from them.
Be a fan of the characters and the story

When in doubt, fall back to '90s drama
Paint the world with a dark brushbrooding, intriguing, sexy
Ask questions about desires and past moments, and build on the answers
Sometimes disclaim decision-making and turn questions back to the players
Push characters together, even across social boundaries
Put characters at the center of conflicts personal and political
Give every named character a pressing drive or need
Treat everyone according to their station

Moment-to-Moment Actions to Live By: When you're in doubt as to what to do next, or
a scene takes too fucking long, this is your grab bag of tricks.
End the scene, abruptly or softly

Reveal a lead or looming threat
Ensue violence
Offer an opportunity, with or without cost
Have the Cosmos make itself felt
Introduce an entanglement
Assault them, with cause
Threaten them, their Throne of Comfort, or their Deep Yearning
Put them or someone they care about in a spot
Tell them requirements/consequences and ask what they do
Inflict a hardship to overcome, always with a possible boon (though you don't
necessarily need to know what that boon could be)

[IMMORTAL BETA NOTE: the full book will elaborate on these points, and we'll likely
alter the lists based on your feedback.]
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Kicking Your Game into Gear

Getting the action and drama started in a roleplaying game can be a bit difficult. There
are a couple solid techniques for injecting energy into the game.
First, your kickoff scenes should never involve every PC. Involve one or two, give them a
subplot for them, then cut to a scene that introduces a third or four in their subplot.
Weave all the subplots together to create conflict.
Second, those subplots should touch on Deep Yearnings or Thrones of Comfort, directly
or indirectly. If there's something else a character cares about deeply that would move
them to action, then you can use that in place if you like. In any event, give their
characters reasons to care about the subplot you're throwing at them.
Third, weave the subplots together to an overarching conspiracy that makes everyone
want to work together for their own reason, or bring them to a head so the PCs are in
direct conflict with each other. As the story progresses, you might find character choices
cause the story to switch back and forth between these two modes like a pendulum of
tragic awesome.
Take this three-player setup for example:
Two characters meet with a prophetic NPC who summons them. The SM asks each
player what would make their character respond to the summons, and works that into
the scene. That's when they find out some Bad Stuff is looming, and said NPC is worth
protecting.
Third character meets with someone who wants to make a deal with them to kill said
NPC for reasons that tie strongly to that PC's Throne of Comfort, and sweetens the deal
with a boon that would aid their Deep Yearning. He doesn't know the other two
characters are involved yet.
In the next substantial scene, the third character tracks down the NPC and finds she's in
the home of the second character, who is his friend. They have to make a decision on
which agenda they'll follow, whether through words or through a duel.
Should they duel, another agent behind the scenes makes the situation more
complicated for them, leading to both pain and potential story directions.
Should they not duel, the third character is breaking his compact and is immediately set
upon by dark forces for doing so, spurring the two to act together. That's when another
agent behind the scenes makes the situation even more complicated.
The Ultimate Antagonist

The Darkest Cosmos is the true antagonist in any Katanas & Trenchcoats game.
Everyone else against the characters (including the characters themselves) is playing
into the Darkest Cosmoss desire for juicy conflict.
Sometimes, the Darkest Cosmos gets in the way personally, when theres no character
to interfere in an action or a target refuses to defend themselves. That means at any
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point, the Story Master can decide to roll dice against a PC as the Cosmos itself. It cant
interfere if another character is interfering, but otherwise any action is fair game.
What does it mean to get in the way personally?
The environmentphysical or metaphysicalmakes life hard on the characters.
Nameless/minor NPCs make life hard on the characters. That includes groups.
The mentality here: you dont roll against a PC because some action is hard or because
some NPC is especially competent. You roll against a PC because the Darkest Cosmos
wants the character to suffer. For example, if an immortal is climbing a treacherous cliff,
they arent taking some action and rolling dice because the cliff is wet thanks to a storm,
or because the rocks are jagged, or any other bullshit. No, they roll because the Darkest
Cosmos wants them to worry about the moment and to pay a cost for enduring.
When rolling as the Darkest Cosmos, grab between 3 and 8 dice. To get a sense of what
those dice mean:
34 dice: The Darkest Cosmos doesnt want the PC to get away with some action
without a little struggle, but its not bringing the hammer down on them. Use
this for characters in the scene that are trying to do something worth interfering,
but they arent the central character in that moment, or if the scene feels
fleeting.
56 dice: The Darkest Cosmos wants the PC to bring their A game if they want to
handle the situation unscathed. Use this for characters that are central to the
moment, because they have the Darkest Cosmoss attention.
78 dice: The Darkest Cosmos wants to grind the PC into the ground right now.
Use this to flag that climatic drama is coming or is happening right now.
You can use even more dice when the characters are going up against
Transcendent beingsthe walking gods of the Cosmosunless the characters
have some leverage that truly hurts such beings. [More in Transcendent beings
to come in the full book.]
You can also use these rules to handle a group of minor foes fighting characters, or
when the Darkest Cosmos wants to keep a mortal from being eaten, or whatever
situations dont involve some NPC you stated up.
Costs vs. Failure: The key thing to understand is the Darkest Cosmos wants characters to
suffer, not necessarily fail. Sometimes failing is suffering, but often the point of this rule
is to introduce an unwelcome cost. For example:
That immortal climbing that cliff? If they fail, ask them what important thing they
drop into the cove below right before they reach the top.
Someone trying to perceive a strange threat? If they fail, ask: Do you want to
find out now but be distracted from the foe attacking you, or do you want to
focus on the fight and find out about this threat too late?
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More about Using the Environment & Minor NPCs

When deciding how many dice a treacherous cliff face is or a group of mortal weekend
warriors are, dont think about how challenging that is to typical mortals. The Darkest
Cosmos doesnt think like that. Maybe that sniper is just 3 dice, and the street punk that
should be a pushover turns out to be 6. The Darkest Cosmos likes messing with
perceptions and preconceived notions.
Though when you do screw with preconceived notions, show in the scene how that
unexpected twist is true.
END OF DOCUMENT ENJOY! J
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Last Updated: September 1st, 2016