There are three distinct eras for the characters to play in. They can play as children, as adults, or as strange post-human members of the Coven. You can start play as children, age into adults, and become members of the Coven via using the Life-Path system, or you can jump right in to the era of your choice.
Each character type is defined as a “playbook”, or a set of skills and approaches befitting a stable role identity your character takes. Playbooks may be changed as a result of role-playing, growth, or through table-talk with the Storyteller. This is gone into more detail in the Role-Playing Guide.
They are not meant to be “hot-swappable”, that is, they are not meant for multiple playbook switches during a single session for the sake of mechanical advantage.
Each era has eight possible playbooks for the characters. You’ll begin by choosing one of these playbooks, appropriate to the era of the story. These are briefly described below.
If you would like to know more about a specific playbook, click or tap on the name of the playbook in the brief description.
Childhood:
Brawler: Kids who learned how to use both force of will and force of fist to their advantage.
“As much as I hate it, the only language everything understands is violence…”
Crackshot: Kids who developed keen abilities to scout, track, and hunt from a distance.
“Keep the land clean, keep yourself busy, you’ll be fine…”
Science Nerd: Kids who harness technical knowledge to build, dismantle, and analyze complex objects.
“Building something is just destroying it in reverse…”
Curfew Dodger: Kids who have a knack for moving silently, breaking and entering, and minimizing attention.
“Quick and quiet means no trouble for us…”
Smooth Talker: Kids who get past barriers through storytelling, deception, arguing, and narrative control.
“No need for fists. All it takes is a few words…”
Mastermind: Kids who are skilled at seeing broad social patterns and specialize in negotiation, favors, secrets, or vendettas.
“So many webs to weave, so many players to direct…”
Creepy Kid: Kids who have been exposed to the supernatural and can harness its powers at a cost.
“The world is so much more than we thought. We need to face it…”
Spirit: Kids who have passed away, but refuse to move on due to unkept promises.
“The momentary barrier of death is but a veil…”
Adulthood:
Enforcer: Adults who specialize in blunt-force approach, intimidation, and violence as a means to an end.
“Let’s keep this civil. I’ve got places to be.”
Survivalist: Adults who specialize in living off the land, traps, precision, and on-site procurement.
“Being prepared isn’t enough. It has to be second nature.”
Researcher: Adults who specialize in parsing complex research, building materials and objects, and using labs.
“Through material understanding, we know the impossible.”
Infiltrator: Adults who specialize in entry, subterfuge, exits, and the reassignment of on-site assets to off-site parties.
“Security protocols are just the universe’s way of inviting me in.”
Counselor: Adults who specialize in relational repair, persuasion, negotiation, and psychological understanding of others.
“Once you know the motivation for action, the possibilities radically open.”
Archivist: Adults who specialize in curation, program organization, implementation, and delegation of skill.
“We’re all pieces on the board. A little nudge is all it takes.”
Magus: Adults who specialize in the study of occult practice, the collection of mystic artifacts, and exorcism.
“We have yet to pierce the Will that defines our lives.”
Wraith: An adult who passed away and is now existing within the pleroma between worlds, seeking to change their fates.
“One last thing before all fades away.”
The Time Wastes:
The Tusk: A witch who re-purposes the overwhelming force and finality of Time into a muscle wielding the hammer to reshape minutes.
“Bright intention made into a relentless shove, for I am a Tusk of Rebellion.”
The Fang: A witch who re-purposes the sharp and cruel edges of Time into a clever dagger with which to carve out our seconds from Their clutches.
“Blooded focus honed into an impossible edge, for I am a Fang of Rebellion.”
The Iris: A witch who re-purposes the myriad tides of knowledge within Time into a chain-breaking method that is the foundation of hope and skill despite Their Will.
“Unflinching curiosity snatched from temptations thrall, for I am an Iris of Rebellion.”
The Talon: A witch who ferrets out the secret folds of the Labyrinth itself and gains access to the impossible in order to steal away the measurement of our lives from the Labyrinth.
“Angles as doorways rendered into a liberation succeeded, for I am a Talon of Rebellion.”
The Shriek: A witch who re-weaves the logic and circuitous sentences of Time into a tapestry with which to heal and re-claim the mind from their endless Will.
“Tooled words re-worked against despair’s call, for I am a Shriek of Rebellion.”
The Instinct: A witch who feels the obscured connections between us, repudiating the sundering of Time, and cultivates the energy between to enable those who fight its Will.
“Bonds unsundered and sheltered from consumption, for I am an Instinct of Rebellion.”
The Howl: A witch who harnesses the buried betrayal as an engine to fight the advent of its Time, and uses that betrayal as a knife against their Will.
“Thirteen cries are ours to reflect, for I am a Howl of Rebellion.”
The Echo: A witch who refuses the clean shuffling and dismissal of Death, living in the moment of death and continuing to fight against their Will.
“Remnant of once was and promise of what’s to come, for I am an Echo of Rebellion.”