Order Member

Time: Passive
Effect: Buff

You are a member of an Order. If the Order did not already exist in the story, give it a name.

If they do not already exist in the story, you will also work with your GM to introduce two new characters to the story that the GM will play:

• The Leader of your local chapter. Starts as an Adept with a Variant.
• A Rival in the Order. Starts as a Commoner with a Variant, but becomes an Adept with a Variant when you reach Level 7. Your Rival can start friendly or antagonistic, you decide.

Every member of your Order has undertaken an Oath that determines your way of life. Use the Flavors below to build the laws that underpin your Oath, then come up with a central phrase that represents that Oath.

Flavor (Choose 2):

• Destruction.
  • You have sworn to bring the end to something. Work with your GM to name a Vile Thing -- be it a type of creature, an ideology, etc. -- that is relevant to the current campaign.
  • If a Vile Thing gets away or you choose to let it go, you will need to Atone.
  • You can call for aid or the GM can choose to have your Rival show up when the Vile Thing does. Your Rival will try to destroy it before you or your allies do. If your Rival makes the final blow, they will receive recognition instead of you.
  • Gain the following Ability:

• Greatness.
  • You have sworn to become great in something. Work with your GM to name an aspiration -- be it a great warrior, a powerful wizard, etc. -- that is relevant to the current campaign.
  • Gain a Fighter Ability, a Rogue Ability, a Mage Ability, or a Spell Ability relevant to your choice and gain one Upgrade on that Ability.
  • The GM may add your Rival to an Encounter. (Feel free to suggest moments for them to appear.) Below are suggested Encounter twists involving your Rival:
    • Opposing Contract. Your Rival took up an opposing contract. If the GM provides no other goal, you will need to get your Rival down to one Vitality before the other goals of the Encounter are completed. If you do, your Rival surrenders and leaves, granting you recognition instead of them.
    • Contest. Your Rival shows up with a similar goal. The GM will announce a contest, be that a number of kills or some other measurable goal. If you fail to beat your Rival, you may need to Atone and your Rival will receive recognition instead of you.
• Obscuring.
  • You have sworn an oath to keep something hidden or secret. Work with the GM to name the Hidden Thing -- be it a type of creature, an ancient knowledge, etc. -- that is relevant to the current campaign.
  • Increase your Deception by 1 if it is less than 5, otherwise increase your Insight by 1 to a max of 5.
  • You know a special Order Language that only you and other Order members know. This special Language has no Language Family, and thus cannot even be partially understood by the uninitiated. You can teach others single-word signals that they remember until the end of the Episode.
  • If ever the Hidden Thing is exposed or stolen away, you will need to return it to obscurity, get it back, or (if those options are not possible) confuse the truth surrounding the thing in some way. Failure will result in you needing to Atone. Your Rival may succeed where you failed. If so, they will receive recognition.
• Protection.
  • You have sworn to protect something. Work with your GM to name the Protected Thing -- be it a creature, a deity, a geographical location, a group of people, etc. -- that is relevant to the current campaign.
  • You gain the Protect Ability with both Sacrificial Upgrades.
  • When a Protected Thing is in danger, you will need to protect it. Failure to do so will mean you need to Atone. At any time, you can choose to have your Rival arrive to help and get the Protected Thing to safety, protecting you from having to Atone, but they will receive recognition instead of you.
• Seeking.
  • You have sworn to seek out and attain something. Work with your GM to name the Sought Thing -- be it a type of knowledge, an artifact, a type of creature, etc. -- that is relevant to the current campaign.
  • Whenever you Investigate, you can ask one question from any list on the Ability. If you do, the answer comes from your Rival as they show up to tell you or leave a hidden rune or mark behind. It will also be clear that your Rival is ahead of you on tracking down the Sought Thing.
  • The GM may present chances to learn more about the Sought Thing or to gain the Sought Thing. The choice will come at some cost to you, like giving up something or siding with someone you may not want to side with. If you refuse, you will need to Atone and your Rival will likely later show up having gained the Sought Thing or info in your stead. They will likely not share it with you.

You should always stive to obey your Oath as it is laid out. If you fail to hold up your Oath, you could be made to Atone or, if you fail bad enough, you could be Excommunicated from the Order.

If you need to Atone, you may choose one of the following or the GM may demand another option. You cannot do the same Atone option twice in a row:

• Almsgiving. Choose one Fine Item to be unavailable for the next Episode.
• Fasting. Start the next Episode with a stack of Exhausted.
• Flagellating. Start the next Episode with one less Recovery.

If you are Excommunicated, you can choose a new Social Ability to replace this one or change your choices for this Ability, as you join a new Order.

Upgrades:

• Leading(1). Requires 1 Order Point.
  • You gain an Apprentice. Name them. They have one Beat per Round and take their Turn at the same time that you do. Your Apprentice is a Commoner with a Variant. (Alternatively, you can choose another creature that would fit better so long as it has the Easy or Moderate tag.)
• Leading(2). Requires 5 Order Points.
  • Your Apprentice has two Beats per Round instead of one.
• Elder. Requires 10 Order Points.
  • You can take command of your local chapter, becoming the Leader.
  • Work with your GM to decide what will or did happened to the previous Leader.
  • The GM will determine what happens to your Rival. They may become an underling, gain a similar promotion, become more of an enemy, etc. If they are no longer in the picture, other members of the order will take the place of your Rival.