The Secrets of Cats PDF Free
The Secrets of Cats PDF Free
The Secrets of Cats PDF Free
THЄ
Cats
ΟF
A WORLD OF
ADVENTURE FOR
Richard Βellingham
This adventure was made awesome thanks to our Patreon patrons at patreon.com/evilhat—thanks guys!
INSIDERS
Alan Daniel Linder Jack Joshua Reubens Misdirected Robert Kemp
Alan-Michael Krauklis Stephenson- José Luis Mark Rod Meek
Havens David Carr Porfírio Productions Roger Edge
Alexander Gräfe David Dorward Jacob Moffitt Katie Ramsey Morgan Ellis Ryan
Alexander R. David Ellis James F Keith Stanley Nick Bate Ryan Singer
Corbett David L Kinney Thunberg Ken Nick Reale Sanchit
Amethyst Lynx David Reed Jason Kenji Ikiryo Nicola Urbinati Sarah Vakos
Andrew Sier Donald Wheeler Jason Blalock Kevin Jiyang Li Nicolas Scott Hamilton
Anne-Sylvie Dustin Jason Cotton Kurt Zdanio Marjanovic Sean
Betsch Evermore Jason F Larry Hollis Osye Pritchett Sean O’Dell
Antero Garcia Eden Brandeis Broadley Leif Erik Furmyr Pablo Martínez Sean Smith
Arlo B Evans Edgardo A Jason Tocci Marc Mundet Merino Selene O’Rourke
ArthurDent Montes Rosa Jean-Christophe Mark Miller Patrick Ewing Shane Russom
Bastian Edward Cubertafon Marshall Smith Patrick Sharif Abed
Clarenbach MacGregor Jeff Craig Marty Mueller-Best Shervyn von
Ben McKenzie Elsidar Jeff Xilon Matt Anderson Paul Shawley Hoerl
Brandon Burger Amhransidhe Jere Krischel Matt and Nykki Paulo Rafael Tim L Nutting
Brett Abbott Emmanuel Jeremiah Boersma Guariglia Timothy Carroll
Brian Allred Eneko Zarauz McCoy Matthew Escanhoela Troy Ray
Brian Chase Frank Jeremy German Matthew Pavel Zhukov Ulf Bengtsson
Bruce Frédéri Jeremy Tidwell Broome Peter Burczyk William Huggins
C. J. Hunter POCHARD Jim Matthew Peter Gates William J. White
C.K. Lee Gavran Jin Shei Dickson Peter Hatch William Lee
Cerity Giuseppe Johannes K. Matthew Philip Nicholls William McDuff
Charlton Wilbur D’Aristotile Rasmussen Whiteacre Rafael Meyer Woodrow Jarvis
Chris Caporaso Graham John Beattie Michael Barrett Randy Oest Hill
Christopher Gregory Hirsch John Rogers Michael Richard Zach
Christopher Griffin Mitchell John Rudd Bowman Bellingham
Gunning Haakon John Wyatt Michael Rick
Dan Thunestvedt Jon Cambata Rick Jakins
Dan Moody Heron Jay Jordan Dennis Michael Riabov Rob Kirchner
Daniel Gallant Adkins Josh Flint Michael Shea Robert Hanz
ADVENTURERS
Aaron Brian S. Holt Daniel Hernandez Gabriel Whitehead Jason Mill Juanma Mark Harris Paul Olson Ryan Macklin Steven Whitelock
Adam Bruce Daniel Kraemer Garrett Jones Jason Pasch Barranquero Mark Widner Paul Stefko Ryan Olson Steven sims
Gutschenritter Bruce Harlick Daniel Ley Gary Anastasio Javier Julianna Backer Markus Haberstock Paul Tayloe Ryven Cedrylle Svend Andersen
Adam Hesselfeldt Bryan Daniel Markwig Gavin Jayna Pavlin Julien Delabre Markus Schoenlau Paul Yurgin Samuel Sławomir Wrzesień
Aidan Grey Bryan Gillispie Daniel P. Espinosa Geoff Jeff Tilotson Justin Markus Widmer Pavel Panchekha Samuel Phinizy Teresa Oswald
Alan Phillips Bryan Hilburn Daniel Roe Geoffrey Jeffrey Boman Justin Thomason Martin Deppe Pete Samuel Tevel Drinkwater
Alasdair Bryce Daniel Taylor Gian Domenico Jeffrey Collyer Jürgen Rudolph Mason Pete Figtree Steinbock-Pratt The Roach
Alejandro Caleb Figgers Darren Lute Facchini Jens Kaarchin Mathias Exner Peter Griffith Sarah Williams Thom
Alejandro Angel Carl McLaughlin Dave Glynn Stewart Jeremy Glick Kalle Saarela Matthew Cody Peter Kahle Sarn Thomas
Alexis Lee Carl-William David Gonzalo Dafonte Jeremy Hamaker Karl Naylor Matthew Gushta Peter Woodworth Schubacca Thomas Balls-Thies
Alistair Palmqvist David Bellinger Garcia Jeremy Kear Kean Stuart Matthew Miller Phil Groff Scot Ryder Thomas Maund
Allan Bray Carlos Flores David Bowers Graham Meinert Jeremy Wong Kenny Snow Matthew Whalley Philip Harboe Scott Acker Tim
Andrew Dacey Carlos Martín David Greg Park Jesse Kenny the Matti Rintala Larsen Scott Dexter Timo
Andrew Grant Chad Barber Buswell-Wible Gregg Workman Jesse E. Hamer Cabbage Maurice Strubel Philipp Pötz Scott Greenleaf Timothy Seiger
Andrew Lloyd Charles Chapman David Gatt Gustavo Joanna Kent Snyen Max Kaehn Philippe Marichal Scott Krok Todd Estabrook
Andrew Loch Charles Kirk David Goodwin Campanelli Joe Kevin Flynn Mel White Philippe Saner Scott Martin Todd Grotenhuis
Andy Arminio Chip Dunning David Maple HFB Joe Patterson Kevin Harrison Michael Phillip Webb Scott Puckett Torolf de Merriba
Angus MacDonald Chris & Brigid Hirst David Millians Heather Joel Beebe Kevin Lindgren Michael D. Piers Beckley Scott Thede Trevor Crosse
Anthony Popowski Chris Challacombe David Morrison Herman Duyker John Kevin McDermott Blanchard Porter Williams Scott Vondrasek Trevor Stark
Antoine Pempie Chris Edwards David Olson Hillary Brannon John Bogart Kevin Payne Michael Hill R. Brian Scott Scott Wachter Tyler Hunt
Anão é irmao Chris Heilman David Rezak Howard M John Buczek Kevin Veale Michael Hopcroft Rachael Hixon Sean M. Dunstan Tyson Monagle
Arlene Medder Chris Kurts David Stern Thompson John Clayton Kieren Martin Michael McCully Ralf Wagner Sean Smith Udo Femi
Arne Baben Chris Lock Davide Orlandi Huston Todd John Fiala Krista Michael Thompson Raun Sedlock Sergio Le Roux Urs Blumentritt
hauserheide Chris Nolen Denis Ryan Ian Charlton John Hildebrand Kurtis Peterson Mighty Meep Raymond Toghill Seth Clayton Victor Allen
Asier Serras Chris Turner Dianne Ian Noble John Lambert LarrxX N’Gham Mike Esmailzadeh Reynaldo Seth Hartley Vincent Arebalo
Athalbert Christian Lajoie Didier Bretin Ian Stanley John Petritis Les Simpson Mike de Jong Ricardo Gesuatto Seán Harnett Vladimir Filipović
Augustas Christoph Thill Dillard Ibon Presno John Portley Lester Ward Mitchell Smallman Rich Palij Simon Browne Warren P Nelson
Vaitkevičius Christopher Allen Don Arnold Gonzalez John Taber Lindsey Wilson NPC CAST Richard Greene Simon Brunning Wayne Peacock
Austin Stanley Christopher Doug Blakeslee Indi Latrani John Tobin Link Hughes Naomi McArthur Richard Lock Simon White Whitt
Aviv Sigmund Douglas Irene Strauss John William Lisa Hartjes Nathan Barnes Richard Warren Simon Withers William Carroll
Barac Wiley Christopher Smith Doyce Testerman Ismael McDonald Lobo Nathan Reed Rishi Agrawal Sion Rodriguez y William Chambers
Bastien Daugas Adair Dragoș Costache JP Johnathan Wright Loren Norman Neal Dalton Rob Voss Gibson William Johnson
Beket Christopher Drew Shiel Jack Gulick Jon Rosebaugh Louie Perez Nessalantha Robb Neumann Stacey Chancellor William Keller
Benjamin Welke Stone-Bush Duncan Jackson Hsieh Jon Smejkal Lowell Francis Nicholas Pilon Robert Biskin Stan Shinn Winston
Bill Christopher W. Eirch Mascariatu Jaime Robertson Jon-Pierre Luca Agosto Nicholas Sokeland Robert Daines Stefan Feltmann Crutchfield
Björn Steffen Dolunt Eric I Jake Linford Jonas Richter Lucas Bell Nick Robert Huss Stephan A. Terre WinterKnight
Blackdere Chuck Eric Poulton James Crowell Jonathan Lukar Nick Townsend Robert Rees Stephanie Bryant Yong
Blake Hutchins Cody Marbach Erik Ottosen James Heide Jonathan Finke M Kenny Olav Müller Robert Zasso Stephen Caffrey Zeb Walker
Bo Bertelsen Cole Busse Ernie Sawyer James Husum Jonathan Hobbs M. Alan Thomas II Oliver Scholes Roger Carbol Stephen Holder Zed Lopez
Brad Davies Colin Etienne Olieu James Rouse Jonathan Lee M.H. Owen Duffy Roland Stephen Hood Zonk PJ Demonio
Brandon Metcalf Corey Brin Evan Jorgenson James Schultz Jonathan Rose Manfred Owen Thompson Ron Stephen Rider Sonriente
Brandon Wiley Craig Andera Fagner Lima James Stuart Jonathan Young Marc PK Ron Müller Stephen Waugh
Brandt Craig Mason Florent Poulpy Jamie Wheeler Joonas Iivonen Marcel Lotz Pablo Palacios RoninKelt Steve Ela
Brendan Conway Curt Meyer Cadio Jan Stals Jose A. Marcel Wittram Paolo Castelli Ross Hellwig Steve Gilman
Brent Ritch Cyrano Jones Florian Greß Janet Jose Espinoza Marcus Paolo Cecchetto Roy Steve Kunec
Brett Ritter Dain Francisco Jared Hunt Joseph Formoso Mario Dongu Patrice Hédé Roy LaValley Steve Radabaugh
Brian Dan Behlings Frank Beaver Jason Bean Joshua Mark Patrice Mermoud Russell Hoyle Steven Code
Brian Koehler Dan Hall Frank G. Pitt Jason Best Joshua Ramsey Mark A. Schmidt Patrick Gamblin Ryan Burpee Steven D Warble
Brian Kurtz Daniel Chapman Frank Jarome Jason Lee Waltman Juan Francisco Mark Diaz Truman Paul Arezina Ryan D. Kruse Steven K. Watkins
Brian McDaniel Daniel Hagglund Frédérick Périgord Jason Lund Gutierrez Mark Gedak Paul Baldowski Ryan Lee Steven Maloney
THE
SECRETS
OF CATS
A WORLD OF
ADVENTURE FOR
development by
LEONARD BALSERA
and ROB DONOGHUE
editing by
JOSHUA YEARSLEY
Evil Hat Productions and the Evil Hat and Fate logos are
trademarks owned by Evil Hat Productions, LLC. All rights reserved.
That said, if you’re doing it for personal use, knock yourself out.
That’s not only allowed, we encourage you to do it.
For those working at a copy shop and not at all sure if this means
the person standing at your counter can make copies of this thing, they can.
This is “express permission.” Carry on.
6
Feline Magic
Human magicians use the principle of sympathy to cast spells on a subject
through a picture or effigy. Similarly, feline magic uses the link between some-
thing’s name and the thing itself. Knowing the True Name of your target will
make your magic easier to perform and more powerful.
Discovering the True Names of our enemies is a critical part of our work. This
is an easy task for most humans because their True Names are the same as their
given names. They’re careless and often speak their full names aloud or leave
them lying around on pieces of paper for those of us with Seeking to find.
Sapient animals and supernatural creatures are much more cautious with their
True Names—finding them out can be arduous indeed. Even spirits that were
once human learn to adopt new names or titles. You might find their True Names
written on tombstones or old papers. Otherwise, you may have to befriend the
target, trick them, eavesdrop on them, or interrogate them or their allies.
Our most potent magics must be fueled by blood sacrifice. To lengthen and
empower our spells, we will kill a small animal like a bird, mouse, frog, or rat
and pour its life force into our spells. Of course, no decent feline would sacrifice
a sapient animal.
There are four schools of magic. Each of us can only ever master one school For more,
and unlock its most powerful abilities, but experienced cats usually have some see “Magic
ability with all four. Skills” on
page 13.
• Warding is the school of protection and defense. A master of the art is
accorded the title of Warden.
• Naming is the school of manipulation and control. A master of this school
is known as a Namer.
• Shaping is the school of self-transformation, and a master is called a Shaper.
• Seeking is the school of seers and oracles. A master is known as a Seeker.
Quick Reference
Creating a cat in The Secrets of Cats is very similar to creating a character in the
Fate Core System:
• Refresh: 3—up to two points can be spent on additional magic or
normal stunts.
• Aspects: High Concept, Trouble, Burdens, True Name, Free Aspect.
• Skills: One Great (+4), two Good (+3), three Fair (+2), four Average (+1).
The skill options are Athletics, Burglary, Deceive, Empathy, Fight,
Investigate, Lore, Notice, Physique, Provoke, Rapport, Stealth, Territory,
and Will, as well as the magic skills: Warding, Naming, Shaping, and
Seeking.
• Magic Stunts: Pick 3. Exclusive stunts require the high concept to con-
tain the relevant title (Warden, Namer, Shaper, Seeker).
• Normal Stunts: Pick 3.
• Stress: 2 mental boxes, 2 physical boxes. Will and Physique increase
stress as normal.
• Consequences: 1 mild, 1 moderate, and 1 severe. Superb Will and
Physique provide extra mild consequences as normal.
Richard describes how the group finds a shoeprint outside the old
mine that’s relatively small and has an animal footprint on top of it.
It’s obvious to Peter that the impression was made by a kid’s sneaker
with a decal on the sole, but his cat Swift thinks it must be a small
human being followed by an unknown animal.
Trouble
Your trouble causes drama in your life. You might be curious to a fault, bad-
tempered, or a sucker for flattery. Perhaps your Burdens won’t let you leave the
house, you’re haunted by an old enemy, or you live with a mean dog. Or maybe
there’s a fear or habit that you struggle to overcome.
Burdens
This aspect details the Burdens in your life. In less cat-centric terms, Burdens are
the people your cat is dedicated to protecting, whether an entire neighborhood
or a single homeless person. If you’re a stray, pick a person or people whom
you sometimes visit and think are worthy of protection. Describe them in an
interesting way that suggests invokes or compels—cats call people Burdens for
a reason! While you might accumulate more Burdens throughout your life, you
begin with a Burden of one person or group of people.
Rod is struggling to come up with a True Name for his Warden, Black
Paw, so he discusses his character’s early life with the group. He
describes that Black Paw was forced to sacrifice his brother’s life in
order to save his Burden. Black Paw upheld his duty over his own sib-
ling’s life, so Rod chooses a True Name of Oath-Keeper.
Free Aspect
This aspect can be anything you’d like. For example, you could establish a rela-
tionship with another PC and invent some shared backstory, but you don’t have
to if nothing comes to mind. Write this aspect in the “Other Aspects” category
of your character sheet.
Swift once protected Black Paw’s Burden, Lily, while Black Paw was
busy elsewhere. Because of this mutually beneficial relationship, Swift
chooses I’ll Scratch Your Back If You Scratch Mine as her free aspect.
Tack defeats a malevolent rabbit called The Lop in a fight and opts
to steal part of his territory. Tack writes down Stole the Area in Back
of The Lop’s Hutch and The Lop writes down Tack Stole the Area in
Back of My Hutch. These aspects stay in play until The Lop wins his
turf back.
CAT TIMEKEEPING
The smallest time interval recognized by cats is the
nap—about 15 minutes, the length of an average cat
nap. A sleep is about an hour long. Longer periods are
measured in half days, days, weeks, months, and years.
Wardens can lead a chorus of cats to improve an existing ward. Each cat in the
chorus must have Warding at Average (+1) or better, but need not be a Warden.
Every cat in the chorus must sing for at least one sleep. If interrupted, you must
begin again from the start. When you finish the song, the ward gains an extra
free invoke per cat in the chorus. Regardless of the ward’s designated threats, any
cat in the chorus can enter or exit the warded area and can extend this permis-
sion to anyone they choose.
17
Naming Stunts
Harm: You’re proficient enough with Naming to directly harm an enemy within
one zone of you. Speaking your foe’s True Name to a small animal in your paws,
you wound the animal to inflict identical but larger injuries on your target. This
is a Naming attack, defended with Will or Naming. Scale does not apply to this
stunt (page 20). The small animal won’t die unless you inflict a consequence
on your target, and you may limit attacks made with this power to one shift of
stress. You can be disarmed if a compel or an advantage created makes you acci-
dentally kill the animal or let it escape.
DIRECT CONTROL
Animate and Control both let you assume direct control over a
target—an object or being, respectively. Once you assume control
of a target, you can control it from any distance, but you must take
an action to enter or leave direct control. While directly control-
ling a target, you experience the world from its perspective and
can use their body as if it were your own, using its skills for physi-
cal actions and your own for mental actions. This level of control
requires complete concentration and prevents you from using
your own body—including defending yourself or perceiving your
surroundings. You will sense any physical interference, though,
and can return to your body on your turn in the next exchange.
Scale Rules
The scale ladder has the following rungs:
Insect < Mouse < Rat < Cat < Dog < Human < Tiger < Horse
When attacking or defending creatures of different scale, apply the following
bonuses:
Swift wants to grow to the size of a tiger. That’s three rungs up the
scale ladder, so the opposition is Fantastic (+6).
Disguise (Exclusive): This stunt lets you change your physical appearance to
exactly match that of any other cat, including coat pattern, scars, and deformi-
ties. To adopt a disguise, create an advantage using Shaping with passive opposi-
tion based on how well you know the other cat:
Familiarity Opposition
You’re working from a description Legendary (+8)
You saw them once at a distance Epic (+7)
You met them once Fantastic (+6)
You’ve met them a few times Superb (+5)
You see them around all the time Great (+4)
You meet with them regularly Good (+3)
You’re good friends Fair (+2)
They’re right in front of you Average (+1)
If you know the target’s True Name, then you automatically succeed with style.
If you succeed at a cost, the details of the disguise are somehow imperfect—
modify the disguise aspect to reflect this—but the disguise is otherwise perfect.
To fool anyone who knows the target, you’ll still need to roll Deceive.
You can also use this power to create a disguise based on an imaginary cat. In
this case, the opposition is based on how much the disguise looks different from
you, starting at Average (+1) and increasing by one per difference in appearance.
Shadow Form (Exclusive): Whispering your name to the darkness, you trans-
form yourself into a shadow, gaining Shadow Form for the rest of the scene. To
attempt to transform, use Shaping with Fair (+2) opposition. If you fail the roll,
you still become a shadow, but the transformation warps your mind; you gain a
negative aspect—like Cruel Streak—for the rest of the scene. In this form you
can see in total darkness, you’re completely invulnerable to physical sources of
harm, and you can attack spirits (with Fight). Because you exist in two dimen-
sions, you can slip through the narrowest crack and travel almost anywhere.
However, you can’t travel outside of shadows or darkness, can’t attack or interact
with anything physical, and can be hurt by spirits and light. Though you’re a
shadow in a shadow, you aren’t invisible; you’re darker than your surroundings,
and your eyes still shine with reflected light. You may, however, invoke Shadow
Form to aid your Stealth rolls.
THE SECRETS OF CATS 21
Seeking
Cats are curious and are always finding trouble. The truth is, if you’re skilled in
Seeking, you can find almost anything—so long as you know what you’re look-
ing for. Experienced users of this art can find their way into a sleeper’s dreams,
and Seekers can even leave their physical vessels to journey on the astral plane or
dream of future portents.
Using Seeking, you can become aware of the direction and
OOvercome:
distance of any specific place, object, or being for the rest of the scene.
When you use Seeking to look for a place or object, the passive opposition
depends on how well hidden the target is. If you only have a picture or descrip-
tion of the object, you have a Poor Link, which can be invoked against you. If
you’ve seen the target, no aspect applies. If you have a piece of it, you have a
Strong Link, which you can invoke.
When you use Seeking to find a being, they actively oppose you with Will or
Seeking. If your target succeeds with style while defending, she realizes someone
is seeking her and will know your direction and distance for the rest of the scene.
If you’re working from a description or picture, you have a Poor Link. If you’ve
seen your target before or know her name, then no aspect applies. If you have
a piece of your target, such as a hair, you have a Strong Link. If you know your
target’s True Name, you automatically succeed without a roll.
You can also use Seeking to remove aspects related to being lost or navigating
through a maze-like environment.
If you succeed with style, you also gain a feel for the target itself. This reveals
one of the target’s aspects to you and gives you a free invoke on it. You can only
ever gain this benefit once per target.
an Advantage: Seeking lets you find optimal routes when you’re
CCreate
chasing prey, trying to escape, or otherwise moving through an environ-
ment. You can create aspects like Shortcut or “I know exactly where I am.”
You can also create advantages related to finding things you need, as long as
it’s plausible. For example, in the woods you might create an advantage called
Abandoned Camping Stove.
GMs, if you wish to give players more control over the process, let them
choose the prophecy type before rolling.
You can’t seek a second prophecy until the first has come to pass or been
averted.
Nameless naps and decides to get a glimpse of the future. Laurie rolls
Seeking, rated Great (+4), and gets -+++ for a total of Fantastic
(+6), giving him five shifts. To determine the nature of the prophecy,
he rolls and gets -, so it’ll be about something horrible. Nameless
gets the prophecy “Die six to ten days from now.” Laurie spends
a shift to narrow the timeframe, so Richard amends the prophecy
to “Die seven days from now.” Laurie spends another shift to add a
word to the prophecy, hoping to find out who will die. Richard gives
him “Tack will die seven days from now.” Laurie decides to stop
there. With three shifts remaining, he succeeds with style, gaining a
second free invoke on the prophetic aspect.
Astral Projection (Exclusive): While your body sleeps, you can send your soul
traveling and take an Astral Form. In this form, no ordinary door or wall can
stop you, you can see in complete darkness, and you can fly at great speeds.
However, you can’t pass through natural rock, earth, or living things. The astral
realm is home to many anchor-less spirits that will take exception to you enter-
ing their domain, but just as many are useful sources of information. If you’re
within a few yards of a cat or another psychically aware being, it can see your
ghostly presence with Notice, opposed by your Stealth. You can invoke Astral
Form to help you on this roll. Your spiritual form can be harmed by spirits, crea-
tures in both the astral and physical realms, and other astral travelers.
On a success, you see a fractured vision of the event from the perspective of
the object or place. If you succeed with style, you can also ask one question,
which will be answered clearly. If you succeed at a cost, then you still receive
the vision, but you also take a mental consequence from the psychic feedback.
Tack sees from the perspective of the knife as it’s repeatedly lifted
and thrust into the victim, giving him a good look. He doesn’t see
much of the murderer from this angle, but he can see a man’s hand
gripping the knife hilt and a pair of Wellington boots on his feet. If
he’d succeeded with style, he could have asked “What did the mur-
derer look like?” and received an answer.
Viewing an event with very strong emotions inflicts a Great (+4) mental attack
against you, which you can defend against with your Will.
Adventure Overview
During the height of the silver boom, a man called Ezekiel Morton killed his
three partners, stealing the silver nuggets they were keeping as proof of a new
claim. He was caught by the friends and family of his victims, who sealed him
up in a mineshaft with his ill-begotten silver and left him to starve to death.
There his spirit has rested ever since.
Last night, four kids tore through the boarded-up entrance to the mine and
went down the shaft. Breaking through a crumbling wall, they found Morton’s
rat-gnawed skeleton clutching the four nuggets. This was unbelievably cool, so
they each took a nugget as a souvenir. This woke Morton’s spirit from its slum-
ber, angered by their theft of “his” silver. The ghost possessed a horde of large
and cannibalistic albino rats living in the mine, forming a Rat King to hold its
consciousness and magnify its powers.
Now it sends its rat minions into the town on a mission: find the nuggets and
take revenge on the thieves and his murderers’ descendants. Each of the players’
Burdens is one of these potential victims.
32
The Beginning
Yesterday our heroes were dealing with strange, unpleasant beasts that took
advantage of the shallow border between worlds to cross over and pursue their
malevolent agendas. To break the ice and get the players thinking in character,
spend a few minutes discussing the threat each dealt with last night.
At around 11 pm, one gigantic albino rat with a hunched back and tiny ves-
tigial eyes comes scurrying into each player’s neighborhood. If not intercepted,
the rats get into the PCs’ homes and start to poke their noses into everything,
making a hell of a mess and freaking out anyone who sees them.
They mutter to themselves about “the shinies,” and search through laundry,
under carpets, and so forth until they’re interrupted.
If attacked they’ll put up token resistance and then flee—for now.
Fuscus
High Concept: Guardian Bat
Trouble: Pacifist
Other Aspects: A Fine Specimen, I Command Many,
Manners Matter
Skills
Great (+4): Notice
Good (+3): Flight, Provoke, Empathy
Fair (+2): Rapport, Investigate, Deceive
Average (+1): Will, Physique, Stealth, Lore
Stunts
Shriek (Notice): Fuscus emits a near-deafening, high-pitched sound that
can knock a nearby target unconscious if they can hear it, which cats can.
He can use Notice to attack a target in the same zone. He can choose to
attack multiple targets in the zone by splitting his shifts among them.
Ultrasound (Notice): Fuscus can see in absolute darkness using echoloca-
tion. This also lets him detect heartbeats and other physiological signs,
giving him +2 to Empathy when detecting emotional states and +2 to
Lore when diagnosing injuries (2 stunts).
Stress
Mental: 3 Physical: 3
Notes
Fuscus is a particularly large brown bat with silky fur and powerful wings.
His eyes gleam red in the darkness, and he always looks like he’s wrin-
kling his nose up at something. He’s polite and conducts himself with a
sense of brittle dignity, wrapping his wings around himself like a martial
cloak. He’ll happily talk with those approaching the entrance to the
House Across the River, but won’t let anyone pass under normal circum-
stances. The other bats, all non-sapient, obey him without question. If he
orders them to attack, treat them as an environmental hazard that attacks
everyone in up to two zones once per exchange with Good (+3) Fight.
It’s impossible to take out the swarm without using an attack that affects
their whole zone, though they can be driven away with fire.
34 FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE
WHAT’S UP WITH FUSCUS?
He’s being controlled by the Rat King (page 43). He lets servants of
evil pass in both directions, but bars their enemies. A Seeker using Astral
Projection sees this control as a black malaise around the bat’s head.
Those in the astral plane can attempt to break the Rat King’s control
over Fuscus, engaging in a contest of Will opposed by the Rat King’s
Clever. If the evil wins, the astral traveler takes a moderate mental con-
sequence. The PCs can also get around Fuscus by beating him in a fight,
sneaking across the top of the bridge, or finding other routes—which
probably involve swimming.
Hieronymous’ Price
If the PCs ask Hieronymous where the rats are coming from, he asks them to
fetch a glowing fungus from the edge of the woods at twilight tonight. This
seems straightforward until an eerie, glowing mist falls and an ethereal hound
appears, who sets off in pursuit of the PCs. Escaping the hound is a contest
of Athletics opposed by the hound’s Great (+4) Hunting. Any cat the hound
catches takes a consequence. After that, the hound lets them escape, lesson
learned. Once the PCs return with the fungus, the owl directs them to the mine.
Local History
If the PCs have already been to the mine, Jezzabella will suggest they speak with
The Burning Ghost at The Burnt Place to see if he can identify the spirit in the
mine from his knowledge of local history.
The Burnt Place (The Old Mining Museum)
Gutted in a fire some 50 years ago, this boarded-up shell of a building is still
waiting to be rebuilt by its owners. Humans shun the place, believing it haunted
by the arsonist who died in his own conflagration. The cats of Silver Ford know
that the haunting is genuine. They also know the angry ghost has a long memory
for town history, which makes him useful on occasion.
The face of The Burnt Place is Scarlet, a legendarily bad-tempered cat who
makes the museum her permanent home despite—or perhaps because of—its
ghostly resident. Scarlet claims a wide swath of territory around The Burnt Place
and resents visitors unless they bring suitable gifts.
GMs, if you’re short on time, consider letting the cats just collect and
return the nuggets themselves. You can make things more challenging
by requiring them to persuade the spirit to be satisfied with this and
return to his slumber.
The PCs need to find the kids first. They can do the do the legwork using
Investigate or Territory, and they can get help in many ways:
• Hieronymous Screech can assist with his oracular ability, but will want
payment.
• If Fuscus is cured of the Rat King’s influence, he’ll describe the kids in
enough detail for one to be found with Seeking.
• If one of the PCs’ Burdens was involved in the theft, then the PCs might
discover a nugget in his or her possession.
Once the PCs find the children and the nuggets, they must lead the kids back
to the mine. Using Dreamwalking to persuade them is a logical approach, but
more overt methods like using Control also work.
3. Collapse the mine’s entrance
Trapping the Rat King’s minions inside the mine will neutralize the Rat King
for now because he’s permanently anchored to the mine. The PCs can persuade
humans in a dream to collapse the entrance, or they could try to use Animate on
a large object to the same effect. Either way, they’ll have to fight off rats and bats
near the entrance until the collapse begins.
4. Use Morton’s True Name to seal him
If the PCs handle The Burning Ghost with tact, they may discover Morton’s
True Name. If so, they can gain control over him using Naming or Warding.
Understanding his history might give them the edge they need to defeat him in
a mental conflict and get rid of him that way.
Complications
If you’re running Black Silver as the beginning of a campaign, or if you want to
stretch it over more than one session, here are some complications you can drop
into the story:
Betrayal: Jezzabella’s second-in-command, Sable, has come to realize that cats
shouldn’t be fighting monsters but rather using them to gain power. If a few
humans happen to come to sticky ends, well it’s all for the greater good, isn’t
it? Why should cats work themselves to the bone to protect ungrateful humans
anyway? What he does, he does for cat kind. Once he hears of the Rat King,
Sable will see the potential for a very beneficial relationship. He won’t want the
players to interfere, but he also won’t want to give away his true nature.
The Shriveled One: (page 31) This ghost is a former warlock, executed for
witchcraft, who wears a noose around his desiccated neck. He had never harmed
the other villagers, but false witness was borne against him. He now appears to
punish or torment those who bear false witness against others. He especially
despises cats because he was betrayed by his own feline familiar. If the players
lie during their investigation, he might arise to hunt them down. He can be
temporarily “killed,” appearing to fall to pieces and melt away, but he can only
be permanently killed by someone who has never lied.
Unlucky Kid: One of the kids who stole the silver from the mine disappears
with his or her nugget. The child fell prey to The Red Leaf Killer (page 31),
an out-of-towner who visits Silver Ford regularly to perform the magical ritual
that maintains his eternal youth. Can the players save the kid and—and retrieve
the nugget if needed—before The Red Leaf Killer leaves town for another year?
45
Threats
Monsters are real, and they’ve got an appetite for humans. Whether for their
flesh, souls, innocence, or something else, humans are like a walking buffet bar
for creatures of darkness. Here are a few of the things lurking out there, waiting
to take a bite.
Spirits
Spirit is a blanket term for ghosts, forces of nature, and other intangible enti-
ties that are essentially engines of will contained within ectoplasm shells. Rather
than skills, spirits use the approaches from Fate Accelerated Edition. Spirits have
only one stress track—spiritual stress—which is based on Forceful, though
some may also be able to possess corporeal beings and use their bodies. Many
spirits have stunts that affect the real world, but they always cost stress. If a spirit
is taken out, it is dispelled and can’t manifest again until the next new moon. To
kill a spirit permanently, you must also destroy their anchor, an object or place
named in one of their aspects that lets them reform in the real world. Some
spirits—usually those associated with emotions or nature—don’t have anchors,
making them particularly vulnerable. Spirits with anchors can be seen by cats
and other spiritually aware beings when they’re within a few yards, but can stay
hidden by rolling Sneaky opposed by Notice.
Below are some sample spirit stunts:
Haunt (Flashy): You press against the barrier between worlds to exert minor
influence in the real world. By taking one stress, you can create an aspect like
Ghostly Apparition or Whispering Voices with Flashy for the rest of the scene.
Pyrokinesis (Forceful): Taking at least one stress, you concentrate on a flam-
mable object to make it burst into flame. If you attack a living target with this
power, each point of stress you take after the first increases the Weapon value of
the attack by one. The target of this attack defends with Physique.
The Burning Ghost tries to set Swift on fire. Marking off his fourth
stress box, the Ghost attacks her with a Weapon:3 attack.
Telekinesis (Quick or Forceful): Taking at least one stress, you set a number
of small objects moving in a chaotic pattern, creating an aspect like Whirling
Shards of Glass or Cloud of Soot on your zone. If you whip up something
dangerous like glass or metal shards, this will inflict an environmental attack on
anything trying to pass through the affected zone. This aspect lasts for a number
of exchanges equal to the stress you took to activate the power.
Telekinesis (Forceful): Taking at least one stress, you can psychically interact
with a physical target. You can use this to break a window, shove a person or
slap them with psychic force, lift a table, write with a pen, and so on. You can
continue to interact with the chosen object for a number of exchanges equal to
the stress you took to activate this power.
Roll Adjectives
-- Lonely, Hollow, Midnight, Lie, Fear/Fearful, Malicious
0- Night, Dark, Moonlit, Shadow/Shadowed, Haunted, Fearful
-+ Twilight/Twilit, Solemn, Mist/Misty, Hidden, Stealthy, Gray
00 Mystery/Mysterious, Enigma/Enigmatic, Paradox/Paradoxical,
Occult/Occulted, Weird, Strange
0+ Excitable, Dedicated, Keen, Hope/Hopeful, Happy/Happiness, Grin/Grinning
++ Daylit, Bright, Exuberant, Truth/Truthful, Fearless, Joy/Joyful
* For Multiple: Roll a Family or Group below & then again on above table
Roll Description
-- Cynical, Stingy, Jealous, Judgmental, Misanthropic, Creepy
0- Misunderstood, Witchy, Narcissistic, Lonely, Shunned, Devious
-+ Pessimistic, Argumentative, Unpopular, Unpredictable, Lazy, Depressive
00 Perfectionistic, Obsessive, Eccentric, Ingenious, Absent-Minded, Impractical
0+ Wealthy, Friendly, Generous, Optimistic, Approachable, Intuitive
++ Caring, Loving, Overprotective, Devil-May-Care, Cheerful, Wise
0
0 You choose 0 False Friend 0 Bravo Cat Awareness 0 We’re a
+ I’m Not + I Feel Your Pain + Caaaaaaaat! 0 Look Before Lot Alike
Dead Yet You Leap + I’ve Already
+ Skittish Won
Territory Athletics Stealth Physique
- Mysterious - Leaper - Prowl - Iron Constitution
- 0 It’s Not What 0 Death from Above 0 Stalk 0 Size Advantage
You Know + Offensive + Surprise! + Not Skin
+ Iron Grip Defense and Bones
Deceive Fight Rapport
- Ventriloquist - Pounce - Top Cat
-
0 Method Actor 0 Dangerous Moves 0 Totally Lovable
+ Lying to Myself + Scrapper + Snazzy Cat
Burglary Will
- Cat Burglar - Insatiable Roll three times on each table to get your stunts. For the
- 0 Getaway Cat Curiosity first, after you roll your four Fate dice, roll one more—or
+ Invisible 0 Iron Will you can roll five if one of them is a different color!
Pockets + Stubborn
Once you have your stunts, allocate your skill ranks to
Lore
- Literate
take best advantage of your cat’s special abilities.
- 0 I’ve Seen Your
Rolled the same stunt twice?
Moves Before
+ Many Lives
Pick another in the same box, or roll again!
0 + + + +
Control* OR
Prognostication* Cat Walk* Shadow Armor* Absorb*
0 Multitasking*
(Seeking) (Warding) (Warding) (Warding)
(Naming)
Change Size* Harm A Knack for Psychometry*
-
(Shaping) (Naming) Change (Shaping) (Seeking)
Astral Projection* Invisibility Dreamwalking
-
(Seeking) (Warding) (Seeking)
Disguise* Shadow Form* Stunts marked with a * are exclusive (page 13);
-
(Shaping) (Shaping) you can’t have exclusives from more than one
skill, and that (mastered) skill will need to
Animate* OR be your highest-ranked magical skill.
- Multitasking* If you roll the same stunt twice, pick another from
(Naming) that same (color-coded) skill; if you roll an exclusive
52 you can’t take, pick one from your mastered skill.
Threat Generator
0 + + + +
Were
Roll Motive Inciting Incident Creature Spirit
-- Power-Mad Someone Disappears Cat Demon
0- Psychotic Someone Is Hurt or Killed Lizard Nature Spirit
-+ Vengeful Physical Evidence Is Found Wolf Near-Human Ghost
00 Hungry Something Is Seen Or Heard Bird Inhuman Ghost
0+ Greedy Something Is Taken or Broken Fox Emotion Spirit
++ Misguided A Warning Is Received Spider Angel
Location Generator
0 + + + +
0 School Museum Shack Factory Mansion
- Store Bar House Apartment Block
- Warehouse Cemetery Cottage
- Library Hospital Roll one or more times below to
- Prison determine features of the location!
If rolling more than once on the second table, you only need one Condiiton;
if you roll another, pick a neighboring Obstacle or Secret on the same row.