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GM HANDBOOK
Magister’s Guide
CREDITS
The Magister’s Guide
A Spire Gamesmaster Sourcebook
Published by Rowan, Rook and Decard 2021
Written by Grant Howitt and Christopher Taylor

Layout by Mina McJanda and Lone Archivist
Edited by Christopher Walz
Illustrations by Adrian Stone
For more Spire and details on other RRD games, go to

rrdgames.com
Copyright © 2021 by Grant Howitt and Christopher Taylor.

Published by Rowan, Rook and Decard Ltd.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any
means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or
mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the
publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted
by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher
at the address below.
Rowan, Rook and Decard

15 Tufnell Court, Old Ford Road E3 5JJ, United Kingdom
www.rowanrookanddecard.com
[email protected]
First printing. Printed in Latvia by Livonia Print. ISBN:

978-1-913032-21-0
3
CONTENTS
NEW SYSTEMS 5
Liberty 5
Advancement Beats 8
Acquisitions 10
Safehouse 13
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL FOR EVERY CLASS 17

Azurite 18
Bound 20
Blood-witch 22
Carrion-Priest 24
Firebrand 26
Gutter Cleric 28
Idol 30
Inksmith 32
Knight 34
Lajhan 36
Masked 38
Midwife 40
Mortician Executioner 42
Shadow Agent 44
Vermissian Sage 46
ESSAYS AND ADVICE 49

Just the Basics 49
Preparing for a Game of Spire 50
When to Roll, and When Not To 53
Creative Use of Skills 55
Magister’s Guide
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to The Magister’s Guide – this is a collection of advanced, supplemental and/or optional
rules that you can choose to slot into your game of Spire, as well as a collection of advice and general
thoughts on how best to use the material presented in the book.
In the four years since release, we’ve done a lot of thinking about how the core rules can be
adapted, expanded and changed to better tell stories set in the city of Spire.We’ve come along a long
way as designers, too. We hope that we can take what we’ve learned in the development of our other
titles and return to Spire with a more confident hand, giving you more options than ever, and making
your games as good as they can be.
We’ve been continually amazed by the support and enthusiasm that our community has put behind
Spire – we sketched out a strange and dangerous world, gave you the keys, and let you run wild. What
you’ve built and the stories you’ve created have been wonderful to see. As we draw back further from Spire
and increasingly trust other writers to expand the game, the project has gathered its own momentum. It’s
beautiful to watch something we built grow, change, and evolve outside of our control.
Now: here’s a bunch of extra stuff to jam into your games. Go have fun with it.
– Grant & Chris

5
NEW SYSTEMS
LIBERTY
In the Strata sourcebook (and specifically the The easiest way to determine whether a
Better The Devil scenario), we introduced a new crime is serious enough to warrant marking
mechanic called Control which represented stress to Liberty is to consider whether it
the ongoing efforts of the disgraced drow noble makes aelfir citizens feel threatened. Stealing
house Starys to cement themselves as the rulers supplies from a drow-owned cafe doesn’t
of Spire – when player characters knowingly or bother the high elves, but breaking into an
unknowingly aided Starys, they marked stress Amaranth conservatory and making off with
to a shared resistance called Control. Control the family jewels has dozens if not hundreds of
fallout, rolled for as normal, consisted of things powerful citizens calling for increased guard
such as cultural shifts, loss of freedoms, patrols and harsher punishments for thieves.
unfavourable marriages, and smear campaigns. Some districts – Derelictus, Red Row, Perch,
This offered a different flavour of oppression and so on – are considered “lawless” by the city
from the usual aelfir oppression (which was as a whole, and crimes committed within their
also happening alongside it). boundaries do not mark stress to Liberty.
Liberty is an evolution and development of However, many of these places have their own
the Control mechanic, and – like all the rules in way of keeping the peace, and reprisals can be
this book – are optional. It represents the efforts quick and fierce – we suggest using Reputa-
of the state to suppress and actively sabotage tion stress and fallout instead.
rebellion. Unlike Shadow resistance, which If you wish to present the loss of Liberty as
focuses on being investigated or punished by the something which must be perpetually fought
authorities, Liberty is a broader measure of against – rather than a punishment for rebel-
overall oppression – and because this is a game lious or criminal acts – then you can mark
about the player characters, it will worsen or stress to Liberty whenever the characters Lay
improve as a result of their actions. Liberty is a Low (Spire, p. 10). Similarly, if other crimes
resistance shared between all players and kept take place in the orbit of your characters (i.e. a
track of by the GM. named NPC performs obvious criminal acts)
When the player characters commit a crime you can opt to mark stress, but taking control
and that crime is discovered (whether or not out of the players’ hands can be frustrating if
they are implicated), mark stress to Liberty – handled poorly, so be careful.
D3 for minor infractions, D6 for serious
crimes, and D8 for truly grievous acts. Roll for
fallout as normal.
6 Magister’s Guide
LIBERTY FALLOUT
MINOR MODERATE
LIGHT IN DARK PLACES. The GM ARMED AND ARMOURED. Additional funds
choose a district or neighbourhood to are devoted to militarising the city’s law enforce-
apply this fallout to. Loud overclocked ment agencies. Any official Council agent (City
magelights and smoking gas-lamps now Guards, Black Guards, Solar Paladins, etc)
illuminate the district throughout the increase their Armour rating by 1 and carry
night, making it hard to conceal your pistols (D6, Ranged, Reload) unless they were
movements. All Sneak and Steal already armed with something more impressive.
actions in this area have a minimum
difficulty of 1. BAD INTEL. Infiltrating the Ministry, agents for the
aelfir disseminate inaccurate or dangerous inform-
NO CONGREGATION. Drow may now ation throughout the organisation in an attempt to
not gather in groups of 5 or more unless undermine their enemies. The GM should provide
they are at church or work. increased information on behalf of the Ministry,
some of which is useful and some which isn’t; the
PAPERS, PLEASE. Drow moving players will have no way of knowing what’s true or
between districts in Spire are required to not until they investigate themselves. Failing to
provide documentation at checkpoints follow orders due to suspicion will upset their
and have it stamped – unless they sneak Magister and the Ministry in general.
in, which causes its own problems.
BOUNTY. The reward for actionable information
POUND THE PAVEMENT. City Guard on malcontents is significantly increased. When a
patrols are increased throughout Spire, player character marks stress to Shadow, they
with vital resources hurriedly realloc- mark 1 additional stress.
ated to arm and armour the agents of
the Council. Once per session, should BRANDING. In addition to fines and durances as
they desire, the GM can introduce a punishment for crimes, the city now requires that all
City Guard patrol into any situation. drow criminals are branded or tattooed on their
hands, forearms, neck and face with symbols repres-
UPPED STICKS. Rent hikes, brutal enting their transgressions. While some Red Row
policing measures and unemployment gangsters go to great lengths to fabricate impressive
spread through the city like wildfire. and intimidating brands, to the majority of the inhab-
Choose an individual-level NPC bond itants of the city, this is dehumanising and cruel.
connected to one of the player charac-
ters – they move away from the area, CLOSED THOROUGHFARES. After dark,
and are no longer accessible. travel between districts is forbidden to drow
unless they are in the company of an aelfir.
Moving between districts requires an Evade
check – or a Deceive check for one of your
number to successfully pose as an aelfir citizen.
New Systems: Liberty 7
CRACK DOWN. Gangs of malcontents, SEVERE

rebels and general ne’er-do-wells are ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP. Organisations
rounded up and arrested, beaten into who are suspected of collaborating with the
compliance or driven out of the city. Choose Ministry are dismantled or destroyed to make
a street-level NPC bond connected to one of an example to others. Choose a city-level
the player characters – the organisation is NPC bond connected to one of the player
broken up, the bond is no longer accessible. characters – they are no longer accessible.
CURFEW. Drow may now no longer be out of PLAINCLOTHES PALADINS. The

their homes after sundown unless they are Paladins of Brother Harvest begin to use
going to or coming from a place of work or underhanded tactics to track down their
performing official business on behalf of an enemies. Anyone could be a Paladin in
aelfir noble. Documentation is required to disguise carrying concealed weaponry and
prove they are allowed to be outside, and few ready to strike down Ministers with specialist
lords or workplaces will be forthcoming in training, shock tactics and gory miracles.
giving adequate documentation.
SANCTIONED KILLERS. As ARMED
KICK IN THE DOOR. Drow houses, temples AND ARMOURED but: agents increase
and businesses are frequently raided by the their Armour rating by 2, and they carry
guard, ostensibly searching for illicit mater- shotguns (D6, Point-Blank, Ranged). All City
ials but really just looking to throw their Guard are now masked, if they weren’t before.
weight around and show the dark elves who’s
boss. Every time the player cell makes use of TURNED. The cell’s Magister has been turned,
a house, temple or business operated by and now works for the aelfir. As BAD
drow, roll a D6. On a 2, they’ve recently been INTEL, but the player characters are actively
raided. On a 1, they’re raided when the manoeuvred into an untenable situation, and
player characters are present. may be targeted by Ministry Silence Operat-
ives after being burned as rogue agents.
PREVENTATIVE MEASURES. Patrols and
raids for contraband are increased. If a char-
acter is in a public area and is carrying a long- RECLAIMING LIBERTY
bladed melee weapon or any type of firearm It’s hard to remove Liberty fallout given the
without adequately concealing it, it is confis- vast, institutional nature of the aelfir oppression
cated by armed guards. Knights of the North in Spire – once changes have been made,
Docks are permitted to carry long-bladed navigating the multiple bureaucracies required
weapons, but only within the Docks. to undo them properly is nightmarishly difficult.
Players have a few options for more immediate
PROPAGANDA CAMPAIGN. The aelfir and less structural solutions, however (many of
begin a concerted effort in newspapers, pulp which can be established as plotlines or
novels and popular theatre to remove the Acquisitions – see p. 6 for more info):
image of the noble, exciting revolutionary
from the minds of the public – and reinforce BURN IT DOWN. Attacking the local source
the concept of Ministers as terrorist of the problem (guard posts, lighting rigs,
murderers who want to destroy the efforts of Paladin staging posts, propaganda print
so many hard-working drow. When a player shops) can temporarily suspend the fallout in
character marks stress to a Bond, they roll an area and allow the cell to operate
two dice and pick the highest. normally. These acts are definitely criminal,
so will usually result in marking stress to
QUALITY CONTROL. Drow require official Liberty and cause the situation to escalate
permits and passes to perform even basic until operations become untenable.
labour tasks; the official pitch is that the city is
eager to educate the populace and ensure MAKE IT LOOK LIKE AN ACCIDENT. If
good quality work, but in reality, it just makes no-one important realises that a crime takes
it harder to get work. When a character marks place, it doesn’t count as a crime. Arranging
stress to Silver, they mark 1 additional stress. “tragic accidents” or “temporary malfunctions”
is an art form, requiring no small amount
SHOW OF FORCE. Durances to the City of social engineering to make it appear as
Guard are doubled this year, resulting in twice though the element breaking down was
as many police officers trained half as well as simply a matter of course – and, while
usual. Double the number of City Guard in morally and logistically tricky, it is theoret-
any encounter, but reduce any stress they ically possible to murder or silence anyone
inflict by 2 (to a minimum of 1). who might dare to speak out against you.
ADVANCEMENT BEATS
In Heart: The City Beneath, we replaced the
broad advancement system of Spire (“change TYPE AND LEVEL
something in the city, and gain power”) with Unlike in Heart, player characters in Spire share
something more focused and controlled – beats. a common goal – glorious revolution and
In short, beats are challenges, goals or dethroning the cruel Spiral Council. This leads
achievements that a player selects at the end of a to two broad types of beat.
session and pursues throughout the next one (or Shared beats affect the whole group, and are
multiple sessions) – if they achieve those beats, accessible by any of the players. They can
they can advance by selecting a new ability from represent an official mission granted to them by
the ones provided by their class. Once a player the Ministry, goals they’ve decided upon them-
has achieved (or “hit”) a beat, they cross it off selves, or shared misfortune. Viewed together,
their list – they can’t achieve it a second time. they’ll form an outline of a campaign. Shared
Each character has two beats “active” at the beats can be used as many times as there are
start of each session – these are the events that characters, but only once by each character.
they’re signalling to the GM that they want to Personal beats are distinct to each character
happen. Players are free to pursue as many and reflect their development, story arc and rela-
different beats as they desire but can only claim tionships with NPCs and each other. Personal
a maximum of two per game and one per situ- beats can only be used once.
ation; this limit is in place to reduce the overall There are three levels of beat, each associated
mental strain on the GM and avoid proactive with advancements of the relevant grade – low,
players advancing too far past passive ones. medium and high. A player can expect to fulfil a
Heart uses Callings – tragic motivations chosen low beat the session after they select it if they put
by the players at character creation – to provide their mind to it (and you provide suitable oppor-
beats. While some beats are aspirational for the tunity); medium beats should take 2-3 sessions
character (“claim a valuable item,” “make a and high beats are the sort of thing you’d take
friend”) they often aren’t things that they would 4-5 sessions to achieve. Alternatively, you can
want to happen to them. Instead, they’re strictly think of the level as associated with the import-
things the player is choosing to pursue – events ance and gravity of the beat, or how much they’d
such as “take minor Blood fallout” or “betray transform the person who underwent them.
someone who cares for you.” We’ve provided some examples of beats below to
Beats have worked really well for Heart so, while give you an idea of how to balance them.
Spire’s advancement system as it stands works well, As a guideline, you’ll need more low
we wanted to offer some rules for using beats in advances than medium and more medium than
your games of Spire.You’ll have to create them high, and you’ll need more personal beats than
yourself, rather than choosing from a list, but we’ll shared ones.
do everything we can to make the process as
straightforward as possible.
New systems: Advancement beats 9
CREATING BEATS IN SPIRE

You can create all the beats for a campaign yourself, but this requires a great deal of effort on your
part and if you get it wrong, you end up with an advancement mechanic which doesn’t work
properly and can lead to player frustration. Much easier (and more efficient) is to gather the players
together once everyone’s made their character and talk through the beats you’re all interested in
hitting. The best option is to do it right after character generation, so the players are excited and
engaged to build some potential futures for their characters.
ACQUISITIONS
There’s a whole world of options available to
up-and-coming rebels in the city of Spire – ACQUISITION LEVEL
experimental equipment, connections to rich All you have to do is work out whether it’s a Low,
and powerful people, hidden magicks and Medium or High acquisition and go from there.
forbidden prayers, extortionate property Ultimately, the level of an acquisition is going to
rentals – but it’s not always easy to work out be a negotiation between you and the players, as
how to get them, and as the GM, how to give well as informed by the general tone of play at
them to the players. Acquisitions solve all your table and mutual expectations that have
these problems and more. already been established. In the following
Acquisitions are a means of adjudicating examples we assume a fairly pulpy, free-flowing
what it will take for a player character to get tone where characters don’t have to worry about
something – anything – that isn’t an advance paying their rent or affording enough to eat unless
listed as part of their character class (or one of they suffer appropriate fallout – if your game is
the extra advances they have access to). Using more grim or more luxurious than the default,
acquisitions, a player can ask for: you can adjust up or down as appropriate.
Some things aren’t important and don’t require
• Abilities from a class other than their own a roll or any sort of associated drama; these you
• Access to an extra advance can give to players instantly as a matter of course.
• Equipment (built or purchased)
• Consumables (made or purchased) LOW ACQUISITIONS are easy to access and
• Bonds unlikely to result in major complications. If
• Removing fallout they’re equipment-focused then they’re
• Favours probably cheap, legal or not terribly illegal,
• Access to property or accommodation and easy to make. Removing most Minor
• Safehouses fallout, Individual-level bonds, and Low
• Other mechanical and story benefits advances are all Low acquisitions, too.
MEDIUM ACQUISITIONS are the sort of

ROLLING FOR ACQUISITIONS thing you’d need to put some serious thought
Pursuing Acquisitions takes time and can draw into, and that open you up to moderate risk as
unwanted attention from the authorities; you get your hands on them. Equipment is
players can roll to earn an Acquisition once per expensive, rare and difficult to make (most
game without incurring stress (unless they property starts at this level) or the sort of thing
mark any due to the roll itself). However, that’d get you thrown in jail if discovered on
players can opt to act recklessly and mark D3 your person. This category also includes
stress to Shadow to make another roll. removing Moderate fallout, making Street-
Acquisition rolls assume that player charac- level bonds and earning a Medium advance.
ters are weighing up the odds and taking the
safest possible route to get what they want. HIGH ACQUISITIONS are top-tier stuff,
Players can do something stupid and requiring a lot of orchestration to pull off
attempt a riskier, more effective action to without suffering terribly as you push
resolve the situation more quickly. Increasing yourself beyond your limits and get arrested,
the difficulty of a roll by 1 means that the roll burn out from the stress, go broke, lose all
counts as 2 successes rather than 1 for the your friends or die. Equipment is the best-of-
purposes of Acquisitions; increasing it by 2 the-best one-of-a-kind, bonds are City-level,
means that it counts as 3 successes. advances are High; you could theoretically
use High acquisitions to remove Severe
fallout, but Severe fallout tends to be the sort
of thing that kills you or otherwise perman-
ently takes you out of the running, so you’d
have to be pretty clever to pull it off.
New systems: Acquisitions 11
Some things are beyond the limits of even High

Acquisitions – a seat on the council, ownership STRESS AND DIFFICULTY
of a district, control of the Allied Defence Force, Like any other challenging situation, acquisitions
etc. With these, you can either tell the players have the capacity to inflict stress on characters
that it’s out of their reach within the limits of ac- involved. It’s up to the GM to determine the
quisitions and the sort of thing that should be amount of stress marked for any given event; as a
the focus of a campaign, negotiate down to a rough guide, average folk inflict D3 stress,
High-level version of the acquisition, or set up professionals inflict D6 stress and strange or
multiple High acquisitions chained together to especially dangerous operators inflict D8 stress.
make it all work. (Multiple High acquisitions On a failed roll, players mark stress to their
chained together is just a long-running subplot, character and the action fails – they’re free to
but at least the outcome of success is clear.) try again if they’d like, as each time they roll
they open themselves up to marking more
stress and suffering fallout. You might want to
rule that each player can only roll once for a
given acquisition each game to represent their
available time, or you might not – it’s up to you.
You can assign an increased difficulty to
acquisition rolls as you would any other roll,
but be wary of this – the higher the difficulty,
the more likely the action is to fail and the
longer the acquisition will take (and the more
stress the characters will suffer). High diffi-
culties can lead to player frustration and
abandoning acquisitions, rather than characters
getting what they want at a cost.
Choosing the right resistance depends on the
approach that the player used. A Carrion-Priest
attempting to scare Mortician punks off
contested territory could mark stress to Blood;
a Vermissian Sage researching occult secrets
could mark stress to Mind; a Azurite
bargaining for cheap malak could mark stress
to Silver; a Knight fixing fights at the Range
could mark stress to Reputation; a Firebrand
riling up public opposition to a planned factory
could mark stress to Shadow.
LOW. A single successful dice roll is required

to complete the acquisition. Talk through the
situation with the player to determine the
most appropriate combination of skill and
domain, have them roll the dice, then apply
stress and check for fallout as appropriate.
Example: Gillian, playingVaunt the Azurite,

wants to buy a gun (D6, Ranged, Reload).The
GM rules this as a Low level acquisition, so it’ll
only require a single successful roll. Setting up a
meeting and negotiating a price use the Compel
skill, and seeing as guns are illegal, the most appro-
priate domain is Crime.Vaunt has Compel but
not Crime, so Gillian rolls 2D10 and picks the
highest.The highest dice shows 7, soVaunt gets
their gun but marks stress.The GM doesn’t reckon
these guys are big shots, so asks Gillian to
mark D3 stress to Silver as the gun turns
out to be pricier than expected.
MEDIUM. Three successful dice rolls are
required to complete the acquisition. Ideally,
each dice roll should use a different combin-
ation of skill and domain; using the same
combination of skill and domain as a
previous roll increases the difficulty by 1. Be
creative in your application of skill and
domain combinations. Multiple characters
can (and should!) take part in the same
acquisition over the course of a single session
or multiple sessions.
Example:Vaunt is trying to arm a small

squad of rebels with guns – a more difficult
proposition than before, so the GM rules that
this is a Medium acquisition.Vaunt makes a
Compel+Crime check to set up a deal; their
associate, the Bound, keeps watch on the deal
from the warehouse rafters to make sure nothing
goes awry using Sneak+Low Society;
another companion, theVermissian Sage,
inspects the merchandise and asks sensible ques-
tions to make them seem like serious customers
with Investigate+Technology.
Vaunt and the Sage’s rolls go off without a
hitch, but the Bound rolls a 2 as their highest dice
and fails, marking D6 stress to Blood; the GM
rules that the arms dealer’s henchmen find them
and knock them about a bit, throwing them in
front ofVaunt and demanding an explanation as
to why a masked assassin was lurking in the
rafters. Anyone could attempt to get the third
success required;Vaunt opts to make another
Compel+Crime roll at difficulty 1 (as that
combination has already been used) and, luckily
for everyone involved, Gillian rolls a 7.The GM
rules thatVaunt marks D6 stress to Reputation
for looking like an amateur, but they get a fair
price for the guns and the acquisition is complete.
HIGH. Nine successful dice rolls are required

to complete the acquisition – a High acquisi-
tion is, effectively, three Medium acquisitions.
As with Medium acquisitions, each dice roll
should ideally use a different combination of
skill and domain; using the same combination
of skill and domain as a roll made in this
session increases the difficulty by 1. It can be
helpful (and fun) to plan out what the
different events in upcoming sessions will be.
New systems: Safehouse 13
SAFEHOUSE
Everyone needs somewhere to take off their
boots and fall asleep at the end of the day. For
the vast majority of drow in Spire this takes the
form of cramped flats, overcrowded terraced
houses and ad-hoc accommodation set up in
unfavourable locations such as disused factories
in the Works, unguarded Vermissian stations,
tent villages in Derelictus, and Perch which is
lashed and nailed to the side of the upper
superstructure and frequently falls off. But for
the Ministry’s purposes, you’ll need a safehouse.
In a city that’s trying to kill or arrest them at
every turn, providing a safe(ish) space for Minis-
ters to plot, regroup and recuperate is vital. Cells
without a stable location from which to operate
are frequently subject to unsustainable security
breaches as suspicious families and room-mates
stumble across illegal materials – and providing a
base allows the Ministry to have at least a rough
idea of where their Ministers are meeting and
how to keep tabs on them. Or eliminate them all
in one go, if need be.
Most safehouses are repurposed civilian struc-
tures with false walls, hidden doors and unob-
trusive silhouettes; they’re commonly located in
busy thoroughfares and inside other, larger struc-
tures which provide operatives cover upon entry
and exit. The more extensive locations have
hundreds of feet of winding tunnels, ritual ante-
chambers, multiple entrances, stockpiles of A false door in the manager’s office in a Works
equipment and emergency resources; most of factory (the Manager was killed and replaced
them are just half a pub basement walled off by with a Ministry plant six years ago) which
amateurs. Given the warrenous nature of Spire, leads, through a shoulder-scraping web of
expanding a safehouse is usually possible (if crawlspaces and vents, to a completely walled-
risky) and successful Ministers can see their off and surprisingly spacious storage area.
labours and faith rewarded with improved
quarters or, more likely, access to new premises. Ropebridges and planks lashed together in
the dark vastness above an ancient Ivory Row
theatre which has been proudly performing
YOUR FIRST SAFEHOUSE the same interminable play every single night
If you’re using these optional rules, give the for one hundred and twelve years.
players a safehouse at the start of the campaign
(or after they prove their worth to the Ministry In the “haunted” cells beneath a Blue Port
with a suitably harrowing initiation mission) police garrison where no City Guard dare
with an advance of your choosing attached to it. tread; the ghosts are a mixture of spooky
You’ll need to provide a rough location of the noises made by enterprising Ministers and
safehouse and a few details about it. Here are the occasional actual phantom dragged in
some ideas to get you started. and bound by a friendly Mortician.
A disused algae vat in the Garden District, Atop a Tower of Silence in New Heaven;
covered with a tarp and multiple dusty signs mostly, the Carrion-Priests they’ve paid off to
reading “OUT OF ORDER.” Underneath keep guard remember which is the tower with
the tarp are a few cots, a stash of knives and the paramilitary cult and which is the
unstable explosives, and a ramshackle shrine one they’re supposed to put the bodies
to the Hidden Mistress. in, but sometimes they get it mixed up.
UPGRADES
Once the cell is set up in a safehouse, they can MASTER GUNSMITH. The fervent priests of
start to improve it by selecting upgrades from the Mistress preach the power of blades and
the list below. Unlike advances, these aren’t shadows, but on the streets of Spire, sometimes you
divided up into Low, Medium and High – but need to really show people you mean business.
some of them have prerequisite upgrades that Requires GUNSMITH. Once per session,
are required before they can be accessed. To each player may add one of the following tags
earn an upgrade, player characters can to a firearm they are using: Brutal, Conceal-
undertake a Medium acquisition (p. 10–12) or able, Extreme Range, Piercing, Spread D3,
choose one instead of a Medium advance – a Surprising. The tag remains on the weapon
reward from the Ministry in exchange for for the remainder of the situation.
causing disruption in Spire.
A starting safehouse has enough space and BLADE MAIDEN. The blade maiden holds an
resources to support three upgrades (including important role in the Ministry’s faith: crafting and
the first free one). To apply additional upgrades sanctifying edged weapons to function as blessed
past the first three, players will need to take the instruments of the Hidden Goddess. Once per
BREATHING ROOM upgrade, which does session, each player may add one of the
not count towards their maximum. following tags to a bladed weapon they are
using: Bloodbound, Brutal, Conduit, Piercing.
BREATHING ROOM. Safehouses are never The tag remains on the weapon for the
luxurious, spacious accommodation – but it can remainder of the situation. In addition, each
be nice to have a bit of space to think and get character can pick up a sacred longblade (D6)
things done. Increase the number of upgrades from the safehouse should they need it.
your safehouse can support by 3.
EXPLOSIVES. Someone drops these off once a
GUNSMITH. Ever since humans dug the first week; you’re kind of glad they don’t make them
gun out of a collapsed arcology and started on-site, as they’re alarmingly dangerous. Once
shooting each other with it, the face of combat has per session, each player character can
never been the same. Once per session, each retrieve a bomb (D6, Dangerous, One Use
player may ignore the effects of the following Only, Spread D3).
tags when applied to a gun for a single action:
Dangerous, Reload, Tiring, Unreliable, SECRET ENTRANCE. If you’re lucky you’ll
Unstable. In addition, each character can pick get one of the ones with a rotating wall and a
up a pistol (D6, Ranged, Reload) from the hidden switch, but usually it’s just covered up with
safehouse should they need it. a tarp. Once per session, each player character
can remove D3 Shadow stress.
CATASTROPHE ALTAR. A night-black table

polished to a mirror sheen where Ministers meditate
on their mission and foresee absolute tragedy in
order to better avoid it. Once per session, when a
player fails an action and suffers fallout as a
result, they can choose to remove the fallout
and re-roll the dice; the altar showed it to them
during their meditation, and now they can
avoid it.The second result stands.
TRAPS. A series of nasty surprises for uninvited

guests. Should your safehouse be attacked, all
adversaries who enter mark D6 stress as they
encounter false floors, spring-loaded spikes,
shotguns with triggers tied to door handles
and low-grade explosives. This stress cannot
be absorbed by armour.
DOCTOR. No-one becomes a doctor hoping to do

Ministry work, but the money is good if you
know how to keep your mouth shut. Once per
session, one player character in the cell can
remove a minor or moderate Blood fallout
or clear all marked Blood stress.
New Systems: Safehouse 15
SAFEHOUSE FALLOUT
SACRIFICIAL CHAMBER. Modern Minis-
ters tend not to perform mortal sacrifice – it’s COMPROMISED. [Minor, Safehouse, Bond,
messy and unsubtle – but there remains an old Shadow] Some interested parties are poking
guard of zealots who believe that the goddess around the area, putting their noses where
demands blood in literal, and not merely figur- they don’t belong, and generally being a
ative, means. Once per session, when a player nuisance. You cannot access your safehouse
drags an aelfir into this room and murders abilities for the remainder of this session.
them, refresh D8. If multiple players take part
in the murder, they each refresh D6 instead. REQUISITIONED. [Moderate, Safehouse,
Bond, Silver] You enter your safehouse to
SANCTUM OF THE LEFT HAND. Living find that it has been taken over by an Exarch
double lives as revolutionaries can be a lot for a – a high-ranking mystic in the Ministry who
fragile mortal mind to handle; in this pitch-black you’re surprised would ever show their face
room, an agent can share their burdens with the to mere Ministers. They have a mission for
goddess. Once per session, one player character you that is as crucial as it is dangerous, which
in the cell can remove a minor or moderate is to say that it is plenty of both, and until
Mind fallout or clear all marked Mind stress. you fulfil their objectives you’re stuck with
them and their weird magic.
REPUTABLE ESTABLISHMENT. Your
safehouse is concealed behind a fully legal business DEMOLISHED. [Severe, Safehouse, Bond,
of some kind, providing cover if you need it; it Shadow, Reputation] Your safehouse is
doesn’t make much money, though. Once per destroyed; anyone inside it is killed, or at the
session, one player character in the cell can very least injured and on the run. Lose all
remove a minor or moderate Shadow fallout advances invested in it and plot your revenge.
or clear all marked Shadow stress.
DISREPUTABLE ESTABLISHMENT.
Your safehouse is also home to some sort of illegal
(and profitable) business: drug labs, smuggling,
identification forgery, etc. Once per session,
one player character in the cell can remove a
minor or moderate Silver fallout or clear all
marked Silver stress.
MINISTRY ACOLYTE. A zealous individual

who has sworn their life in service to the Goddess
but doesn’t have what it takes to be a full
Minister just yet. You have a devoted lackey
who maintains the safehouse, handles
administrative tasks and keeps a lookout
when the police come around asking ques-
tions. Your acolyte functions as an Indi-
vidual-level bond.
MINISTRY TEMPLE. A shrine to the Hidden

Mistress becomes a great forbidden altar; pois-
oners, murderers, spies and zealots pay their
respects to her here. Requires MINISTRY
ACOLYTE. Your safehouse functions as a
Street-level bond.
VERMISSIAN SHORTCUT. The coiled

parasite realm of the Vermissian teaches us that
time and space are more what you’d call
“guidelines” than “rules.” Choose a district in
Spire; your safehouse, while it remains firmly
where it is, has an additional entrance in that
district. The entrance is prone to dimen-
sional collapse, so take care of it.
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL
FOR EVERY CLASS
What follows is a chapter devoted to helping you, the GM, run an exciting and engaging game for
players who’ve chosen each and every existing class in Spire. Not every class has material in all the
categories below – we’ve kept the new elements thematic and interesting for each character type,
and avoided forcing new things in where they won’t fit or flow when the game is played.
USEFUL ELEMENTS SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

At the core of it, roleplaying games are a series of A new addition for The Magister’s Guide,
prompts a GM provides to the players (and vice Special Equipment is of equivalent power to an
versa). The elements listed in these sections are ability, and is earned in the same way. A
intended to provide quick prompts for when character who’s earned an advance can choose
you’re preparing or running a game featuring to spend it on Special Equipment of an
the character class in question. By selecting a appropriate level.
few for each class you have in your group, you
can work out the bare bones of a session. If
you’re struggling for inspiration or feel like the ADVERSARIES
pace is slowing down and the players are Specialised adversaries designed to hunt down
becoming unengaged from the game, you can and eliminate (or otherwise mess with) a
throw one or two into the ongoing narrative to particular character class. These adversaries
give them something fun to do. might have abilities which nullify or down-
power a class’ abilities, so use them with
caution – sometimes it’s fun to be a powerless
ABILITIES underdog, but maybe not every single session.
New abilities for each class, organised in order
of Low/Medium/High as standard.
FALLOUT
Class-specific fallout that you can apply as a
EQUIPMENT consequence of marking stress to a character.
Interesting or unusual equipment that’s related to Many of these are broad enough that you can
each class. As Spire doesn’t have strict rules for use them for different character classes from the
pricing, you can use the Acquisitions rules on p. 10 one they’re written for; feel free to get creative.
to distribute equipment or just play it by ear.
AZURITE
Clerics of glorious sunlight or the ineffable MISER’S CURSE. [Divine, Low advance] Azur
ferocity of nature are all well and good, but doesn’t want you to keep the money; he wants you
when you’re trying to move and shake things in to spend it. Mark D6 stress to Mind or Silver
the biggest city on the continent, you need a to cast this spell by slipping a cursed coin into
cleric of cash to get things done. Azurites are the target’s belongings. All items of value on
priests of Azur, the golden god of trade, and their person first become uncomfortably hot
they control the Blue Docks on the south side and then actively burn their skin; people
of ground-level Spire; where the Knights of the without much should be able to discard their
North Docks rely on legbreaking and purse before they take any lasting damage, but
protection rackets to keep the peace (as it especially ostentatious or wealthy targets might
were), the Azurites have an inscrutable web of mark D3 or D6 stress before they can pull off
allegiances, debts, favours and grudges that every last piece of jewellery.
maintain a sort of precarious equilibrium.
For the Ministry, the Azurites are invaluable –
every radical organisation needs funding, after all, EQUIPMENT
and always it’s useful to have someone who
knows how to cut a deal and get hold of contra- SILVER ROBES. These robes are actually
band supplies. Whether it’s illegal black moon- blue, and “silver” refers to the wide variety of
amber, several crates of explosives, a stable supply currency stitched within the folds and seams –
of malak or a prominent politician’s loyalty, the sten, queens, Nujabian manat, Yssian arjon,
Azurite knows where to get it; and if they don’t, Aliquami som and countless others They’re
they definitely know someone who does. noisy, uncomfortable and hard to wash, but
sometimes it’s nice to have spare change.
(Armour 2, Heavy.You can mark Silver stress,
ABILITIES as well as Blood stress, to Silver Robes.)
HIRED HELP. [Low advance] You try not to STEN GUN. This gun fires the nail-like coins
get your hands dirty; it doesn’t reflect well on known as sten instead of regular bullets.
your worth as a merchant. +1 Blood. If you (You can get five standard spherical bullets
didn’t choose a Bodyguard at character for a sten, so it’s five times more expensive –
creation, take one now.Your Bodyguard now and, users would argue, more impressive.) It
functions as an individual-level Bond and should be noted that sten tend to tumble in
gains the Brutal tag in combat. flight due to their non-aerodynamic shape,
which limits the range and application of this
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY! [Divine, Low weapon, but some people just like to make a
advance] You’re not above dipping into your point. (D3, Piercing, Point-Blank, Reload)
pockets to create a distraction or block someone’s
path. Mark D3 stress to Silver to activate this QUEEN’S CANNON. The Queen’s Cannon is
spell; you toss a handful of sten on the ground unusual in that it is so expensive to make and
and everyone in the immediate area is made operate that only an aelfir could afford it, but
aware of it. Folks in desperate need of money so artless that most aelfir would never dare
will swarm to grab the spare change (and commission it. It fires high-value silver and
create cover or a distraction for you in the gold coins known as denari (or queens) at
process), but more well-to-do types will just unfathomable speeds; each pull of the trigger
think you’re a bit strange. Mark D6 stress to costs about a month’s rent for an average
Silver instead to get everyone nearby excited drow citizen, and sustained fire could easily
to grab some free cash, regardless of their pay for months of upkeep on a run-down
current financial situation. sanctuary or temple. Forget the sten gun – if
you really want to show someone you mean
business, kill them with this. (D6, Point-
Blank. Each time you fire the Queen’s
Cannon, mark D8 stress to Silver.)
Additional material 19
ADVERSARIES FALLOUT
BLUE MARKET THIEVES SILVER ITCH. [Minor, Mind] You are
The Blue Market is the Azurite territory, but possessed by the spirit of Azur; a grating,
those at the fringes are under constant threat grinding, golden thrum between your
from thieves who don’t share their piety. The shoulder blades that can only be cured by
shifting maze of temporary stalls and cloth trade. Until you buy something you don’t
pagodas belie a complex power structure; strictly need or sell something for a decent
unpopular Azurites are shifted out of the price, increase the difficulty of all rolls by 1.
protective ring of the inner Azurite circle and
out into the edges of the grand market square, CLEANED OUT. [Minor, Silver] Your pockets
where predatory gangs wait until they’re alone are empty. You cannot use any additional
and take everything they can get. Thieves make Silver resistance slots until the start of the
frequent use of Mercenaries (Spire, p. 99) to next session.
bolster their numbers. On occasion, they’ll be
hired to take something specific from a target, PRICED TO MOVE. [Moderate, Mind,
which will usually be something crucial to the Silver] At the end of a string of deals you
cell’s ongoing mission. have ended up with several pallets of some
hard-to-sell resource – live lobsters, moody
BLUE MARKET THIEVES revolvers, abstract art, work it out with the
Names: Quintain, Kline, Vystero GM – and you’ve got until the end of the
Description: Wearing stolen Azurite vest- next session to sell it on, otherwise you mark
ments arranged incorrectly D8, Brutal stress to Silver.
Difficulty: 0, or 1 if you’re trapped in their
territory
Resistance: 4
Equipment: Slitters (D3, Concealable)
Special: The thieves aren’t out for blood USEFUL ELEMENTS
– they’re out for silver.They can
inflict Silver stress rather than A rich dickhead to fleece out of their money
Blood stress in combat; use the
following fallout, too. Once A bad Azurite, as in an Azurite that’s got even
they’ve got what they’re after, fewer morals than they normally have,
they’ll usually make their escape. to act as a counterpoint
A pious Azurite, who’s devoted to the whole

“buying and selling” thing and not making
a profit, who’s just a tiresome conduit
for the will of the market
Businesses, side-hustles, schemes, gambits,

maybe the occasional ruse
A lot of something interesting to try and sell

all of a sudden
Someone who desperately needs something,

especially if the Azurite has no immediate
means of acquiring it but could probably
figure out how to get it
Markets, souks, trade halls, any place where

lots of people get together to hustle at
the same time
BOUND
While these vigilantes are most prevalent in SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
Perch – the luckless shanty district nailed and
lashed to the side of Spire thousands of feet BOUND RIFLE. [Divine, Low advance] You
above the ground – they operate throughout the have trapped a furious small god within an
city wherever they believe that justice is not archaic-looking rifle. Gain a bound rifle (D6,
adequately being served, and especially where Bound, Piercing, Ranged, Reload). Class
the City Guard are too scared to enter. While abilities which channel power through your
they are beloved by the oppressed masses in blade can be used through this rifle.
theory, their methods (hiding on rooftops for
hours at a time, whispering to the god they ARMOUR OF THE FALLEN HOST.
imprisoned in their knife, quietly murdering [Divine, Medium advance] You have access to
criminals) mean that it can be hard to get along a special suit of armour built out of remnants
with them in practice. scavenged from dead or retired Bound; each part
of it is home to a different godling that tries its
frantic best to keep you safe from harm. It func-
ABILITIES tions as an (Armour D8 (roll at the start of
each situation)) item, and you mark stress to
THE SECRET OF SACRIFICE. [Divine, Mind equal to half the armour rating
Low advance] The god buried deep in your blade (rounding up) at the beginning of each situ-
hungers for one thing above all else – the blood of ation in which you wear it.
the bastard who put it in there. Your blade gains
the Bloodbound tag. When you activate the
Bloodbound tag, you may opt to mark D6
stress to Blood instead of D3 to roll with
mastery and add the Brutal tag to your blade
for the remainder of the current situation. USEFUL ELEMENTS
THE SECRET OF SECOND STOREYS. Difficult but exciting escape routes
[Low advance] You are well-versed in the
ancient art of kicking people off tall buildings. Tight security with an exploitable flaw
Gain the Steal skill. When fighting at an elev-
ation higher than any other player character Something to do while they’re off on their
present in the situation, you roll with mastery. own that helps out the rest of the group
THE SAINT OF SNIPERS. [Divine, Conversations overheard whilst crouched

Medium advance] Your gun whispers words of in the rafters
wind-speed and elevation in your waiting ear.
Requires BOUND RIFLE (below). +2 Supremely murderable villains with
Shadow. Your bound rifle replaces the interruptible monologues
Ranged tag with the Extreme Range tag, and
when you attack from hiding, it gains the Balconies, windows, skylights, gantries,
Brutal tag. rigging, cranes, ladders, crawlspaces,
rooftops, widow’s walks, etc
EQUIPMENT Other solitary murderous weirdos for them

to hunt down/fall in love with/both
SMOKE BOMB. When you use this equip-
ment, you and all allies nearby roll with Small gods, and conversations in their head
mastery when attempting to escape from with same
danger for the remainder of the situation or
until the smoke clears. (1, One-Shot, Spread Desperate people down on their luck asking
D6, Stunning) for help
Unsolved crimes,especially committed against

Low Society NPCs
Scenes for them to appear in using

SURPRISE INFILTRATION
ADVERSARIES
CITY GUARD BOUND SQUAD
Names: DeWitt,Ynette, Sloan
Description: Shouting a list of the Bound’s al-
leged crimes aloud;Whipping a
bolas around their head; Laying
in wait behind a chimney trying
not to hyperventilate
Difficulty: 0 at range, 1 when they’re close
enough to use their nets
Resistance: 6
Equipment: Reinforced guard fatigues (Ar-
mour 2), Finch Carbines (D6,
Ranged, Unreliable), Heavy
clubs (D3, Brutal), bolas (D3,
Ranged, Stunning), nets, ropes
and climbing gear
FALLOUT
FALLEN. [Minor, Blood] You tumble from an
elevated position. You roll with the impact
and land safely enough, but your enemies
have an opportunity to act and you’ll have to
find another route up if you want to get back
to where you were.
COMPELLED. [Minor, Mind] Sensing

weakness, the vengeful god in your blade
possesses you for a split second. Determine
what it wants right now and immediately
make an action to attempt to resolve it, then
remove this fallout.
HARD LANDING. [Moderate, Blood] As

FALLEN but you also take a suitable
Minor Blood fallout (for example,
BLEEDING or STUNNED) to represent
damage suffered during the landing.
TAKEN. [Moderate, Mind] As COMPELLED

but the influence lasts for the remainder of the
current situation.
CULT OF KNIVES. [Severe, Mind] As

COMPELLED but the effects are
permanent; your knife plunges itself into your
chest, takes over your body, and disappears
into the city to find some like-minded friends.
You take no further part in the campaign.
BLOOD-WITCH
Introduced in the Black Magic sourcebook,
Blood-Witches are one of the strangest character
classes in Spire. As diseased occultists, they have
problems blending in with polite society, and
whenever something goes seriously wrong for
them they immediately transform into a
murderous zoetrope horror, which makes things
even more difficult.
Blood-Witches have a lot to offer the game in
terms of raw occult weirdness that even the
Vermissian Sage can’t keep up with, and if you
want to focus on the horrific elements of Spire,
they’re a perfect addition to the player group.
ABILITIES
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
MENAGERIE. [Occult, Low advance] Your
blood warps and changes animals, bending them to SACRIFICIAL BLADE. [Low Advance]
your will. +1 Reputation. Gain an additional Witches portion off a measure of their life-force
familiar as per the Blood-Witch bond (Black into their knives to enchant them. Once per
Magic, p. 3). You can enhance this familiar session, when you kill a restrained or helpless
with BLOOD-BOUND COMPANION target with your athame, you may refresh D8.
and HEARTS-BLOOD THRALL as
normal (see Black Magic p. 4).You may take
this advance as many times as you desire,
creating a new familiar each time. USEFUL ELEMENTS
UNFETTERED TERROR. [Medium Horrible dank chambers and tunnels
Advance] When you use NIGHT TERROR
on an NPC, they mark D6 stress. If this is Mysterious runes, glyphs, sigils and occult
enough to reduce them to 0 Resistance, they scratchings
are completely at your mercy, and will likely
do whatever you tell them to. Young magicians desperate to join the Blood-
Witch cult
BLOOD-BOND. [Occult, Medium advance]
Sometimes the only way a blood-witch can trust Animals behaving strangely (too friendly,
their coven is to operate under conditions of terrified, walking on ceilings)
mutually-assured destruction. Mark D3 stress to
Blood to cast this spell; you draw forth a Impressionable people to terrify with blood
measure of your blood and infect your target magic and general weirdness
with the disease within (via an open wound,
ingestion, contact with cornea, etc) to bind Someone nice to try and act normal around
your fate to theirs. Until the next sunrise, when and inevitably upset
you mark stress and your target is within the
same district as you, they mark equal stress. Locations, items and people touched by the
Heart
TRUE POWER. [Occult, Medium advance]
[Occult] When you enter your true form Someone villainous to torment and hunt
(Black Magic, p. 4) you gain the Fight skill
and your unarmed attacks are (D6, Piercing).
ADVERSARIES FALLOUT
HOUSE GRYNDEL WITCH-HUNTERS DARK MISTRESS. [Reputation, Shadow,
The moneyed drow of House Gryndel love a hunt, Occult, Minor] Tales of your exploits have
and in the urban confines of Spire it can be hard to spread to impressionable young occultists in
find suitable prey aside from the odd hyena or the city; one of them comes to you bearing a
particularly large raven.They’ll spend large sums of gift and begs to be allowed into your coven.
money to track down a Blood-Witch and then kill They refuse to stop trying, even if you turn
her in the most exciting way possible – usually by them away, as a means of displaying their
trying to trigger a shift into her true form in a busy devotion to the art.
area for extra collateral damage and then nailing
her through the head with a rifle shot. FERAL CURSE. [Blood, Mind, Occult,
Minor] The Witch virus hates right-angles,
HOUSE GRYNDEL WITCH-HUNTERS mathematics, computation and all things
Names: Jollity Gryndel, Phantasmagoria scientific – and it rears up in your R-complex
Gryndel, Distemper Gryndel feeling frantic and trapped in your skull.
Description: Whooping and firing their gun When you are in an area with the Technology
in the air; wearing traditional tag, increase the difficulty of all actions by 1.
Gryndel hunting dress of feath-
ers, leather and blood; trailed WITCH-SICKNESS. [Blood, Reputation,
by a long-suffering assistant Occult, Moderate] Most people can’t
with a spare shotgun and a contract the Witch virus that pulses through
stress headache your veins – turns out someone that you care
Difficulty: 1 if they’re on an official Hunt, about (preferably a bond) could, and
0 at all other times somehow you managed to infect them. They
Resistance: 6 begin the transformation into a blood-witch
Equipment: Glyph-marked bees in a glass and this ruins their life appropriately.
vial (Armour 3 against blood-
witch spells), a collection of MEAT. [Blood, Mind, Moderate] You are
filigreed hunting rifles (D8, struck with the sickening realisation that
One-Shot, Ranged) or shot- everyone in the world is just an ambulatory
guns (D6, Double-Barrelled, sack of wet electric meat, barely cognisant of
Point-Blank, Ranged), assort- their physical existence, scurrying through
ment of blades handed down life like fleas on a great beast. Increase the
for generations (D3) difficulty of all social actions by 1.
DEMANDS. [Blood, Mind, Occult,

Moderate] The Witch-virus locks the doors
and bolts the windows and coils around your
heart, refusing to co-operate until you give it
the care and attention it deserves.You cannot
enter your true form or cast any Blood-
Witch spells until you sacrifice a living
person in a suitably ritualistic manner then
adorn yourself with their still-warm blood.
CARRION-PRIEST
The Carrion-Priests of New Heaven are a
microcosm of the revolution itself. Displaced ABILITIES
from the southlands after the aelfir war machine
rolled through their territory and demolished CARRION-TONGUE. [Divine, Low
settlements en route to forming a unified high elf advance] You speak the common language of the
empire, the Charnelites now cling to what few eaters of the dead. Mark D3 stress to Blood or
traditions they have left as they battle with the Mind to speak with a carrion-creature for a
well-established Mortician death cult atop the situation; if they’re not scared of you, they’ll
city of Spire. Ministry of Thought propaganda probably be up for a chat – especially in
paints them as bestial terrors in an attempt to exchange for some food or a treat. Crows are
sever what little public support they possess. the best conversationalists in Spire (as far as
And yet they keep fighting. They strive to this spell goes) and are about as intelligent as
maintain proper funerary rites, and to shepherd a five-year old; hyenas are a bit dim but gener-
others through the pain of death, and to offer ally enthusiastic; flies have tiny pinball brains
up spirits to Charnel in an attempt to sate his of panic and desire; vultures love a joke; and
furious hunger. There are streets in New some particularly patient and skilled priests
Heaven where Morticians simply will not go for have managed to commune with the
fear of hyena attack or death-curse, and small networked fungal ur-minds of the red-capped
but close-knit groups of second- and third-gen- mushrooms that grow on the bodies of the
eration faithful who welcome newcomers with dead in the Hanging Gardens, though it’s
open, if slightly blood-stained, arms. hard to understand anything they say.
READY FOR THE BLADE. [Divine,

Medium advance] Charnel abhors armour
USEFUL ELEMENTS when not worn by his priests; it shields the flesh,
and makes sacrifice arduous. Mark D3 stress
Corpses, preferably fresh to Blood or Mind to cast this spell. For the
remainder of the current situation, any
A fight to plan out tactically using their LAY enemy who comes close enough to you to
OF THE LAND core ability strike you loses access to their armour – it
falls off, rusts, becomes brittle or is otherwise
Crows, ravens, rooks and hyenas rendered useless.
Any sort of carrion-beast
Ghosts (whether manifested or occluded)
The Guild of Morticians, poking their noses

in where they don’t belong
Someone more zealously devoted to Charnel

than they are, to provide contrast
Needy faithful asking for guidance, divine

blessing or alms
People who think their hyena’s cute if it’s

scary, or scary if it’s cute
Visions of the great god Charnel, laughing

and powerful
Strong but slow adversaries for them to

outmanoeuvre
Festivals, holy days, lay rituals and raucous

ceremonies
EQUIPMENT ADVERSARIES
NUJABIAN JEZAIL. A flintlock rifle used
extensively in the winding mountain passes MORTICIAN DEATH-RUNNERS
and blood-soaked slate valleys of Nujab; The streets and rooftops of New Heaven are the
thanks to a long barrel, custom manufacture staging ground for a holy guerrilla war between the
and a famously high-calibre shot, these well-established Morticians and the struggling
weapons outrange the faster-firing legrande Charnelites.As the Mortician Guild provides a means
and jaeger rifles used by enlisted soldiers of of stable employment and status, hundreds of scrappy
the Allied Defence Forces. Due to their young drow join up each year and attempt to earn the
weight and size, it’s rare to see one of these favour of their masters by taking funereal territory
relics outside of New Heaven for fear that it from Carrion-Priests.Their name – “Death-Runners”
will be confiscated by the City Guard. (D8, – is an informal one, and speaks to both their skirmish
Accurate, Extreme Range, One-Shot) combat tactics and high turnover rate.
BONE-SPLITTER. An oversized maul with a MORTICIAN DEATH-RUNNERS

weighted head designed to crack open bones so Names: Locke, Korrina, Greaves
hyenas can get at the tasty marrow inside; the Description: Shirtless and wearing a home-
bone-splitter is carried by high-ranking Char- made hangman’s hood; Crouched
nelite priests and used only on the bodies of on a rooftop keeping watch and
honoured dead so that their spirits can quickly smoking a dog-end; Daubing anti-
move on to Charnel. Using it on a living target Charnelite graffiti on a temple wall
is a sign of respect. (D6, Brutal,Tiring) Difficulty 0
Resistance 5
Equipment: Weighted Sceptre (D6, Tiring)
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT or Over-wound Crossbow (D6,
SACRED PELT. [Low advance] +1 Blood, Brutal, One-Shot, Ranged) and
+1 Reputation. A pelt taken from a particu- dagger (D3, Concealable)
larly mighty and holy hyena, hunted on the
blood-moon and skinned by the wearer.
Some sects of Charnelites like to keep the FALLOUT
skin as unadorned and intact as possible, HUNGRY. [Minor, Blood, Mind] You can’t
going so far as to create a hood with eyeholes think straight; Charnel’s immense hunger
out of the hyena’s face and head fur; others earths in you like lightning and your belly
like to cover it in crow-bones, obsidian beads itches with divine want. Until you eat at least
and red streamers to display their allegiance. a handful of raw meat, the difficulty of all
actions not related to eating at least a
SACROSANCT SKIN. [Medium advance] handful of raw meat is increased by 1.
+2 Reputation. Gain Compel, Pursue and
Sneak on the streets of New Heaven or HAUNTED. [Moderate, Mind, Reputation]
when within the Necropolis. A pelt taken After taking someone’s life, you are assailed
from a legendary (named) hyena such as the by their ghost. It will continue to haunt you
Terror of Dove Street, The Red Bishop, or and make things difficult (Compel+Religion
Hallow Viscera. The Morticians claim that roll to overcome this) until you lay it to rest.
the Charnelite’s practice of establishing a
breeding program for particularly massive HOLY BRAWL. [Moderate, Reputation,
and dangerous hyenas on the streets of the Shadow] Either you upset the guild or
city’s largest funerary district is reason someone framed you for something you
enough for their expulsion from Spire, and a didn’t do, but now the Morticians are
lot of grieving relatives agree with them. actively coming for you in search of revenge.
LEGALLY DEAD. [Severe, Reputation,

Shadow] After one too many territory
disputes with the Morticians, they pull
enough strings to have you legally declared
dead whilst still alive and are
permitted to correct the error at
swordpoint. A Mortician Executioner
(or three) is dispatched to hunt you
down, and they won’t stop until you
undo the legal declaration (or die).
FIREBRAND
Firebrands can be found everywhere in
Spire. In the wretched poverty of ABILITIES
Derelictus, despite starvation and
deprivation, some people still dream of a RUNNING HOT. [Low advance] You push hard to
better life for everyone – or just getting get the most out of everything. Gain the Techno-
enough respect and recognition to get out logy domain. Once per situation, re-roll an action
of the slums. In the grinding machinery of that you made using a piece of equipment as you
the Works and the sodden darkness of the overwork it. If none of the re-rolled dice show 7
Garden, labour unions form around or higher, the equipment is destroyed.
charismatic individuals eager to get an
advantage over their masters. In clubs and CAT AMONGST THE PIGEONS. [Low
hookah gardens all across the Silver advance] Well-behaved drow seldom make history.
Quarter, bored noble scions decide to upset You throw caution to the wind and get things
their parents by throwing their lot in with done, no matter the consequences. Mark D6 stress
the revolution, safe from repercussions to Shadow to add 2D10 to your next action roll.
thanks to money and connections.
All of them find their way to the STRENGTH OF BELIEF. [Divine, Medium
Ministry, and all of them burn bright in an advance] The hand of the oppressor shall not restrain
attempt to shine light into dark places. you; their bullets and blades will be cast asunder upon
your brow. Gain Armour 4 that can only be used to
absorb attacks from members of the City Guard,
the Ethics Board, the Allied Defence Force, the
Paladins, and any other agents of the state.
USEFUL ELEMENTS FOR THE CAUSE. [Divine, Medium advance] You
Injustice, generally told them when they joined you that this was going to be
dangerous; you hope they believed you. When you
Gullible (read: inspire-able) citizens to rile would mark fallout, remove a (permanent, not
up and get in trouble; name them for temporary) bond from your character sheet and
full effect clear all remaining stress. The fallout happens to
your bond rather than you, and they know that
Duranced work-gangs you’re at least tangentially responsible. (Or if it
kills them: their next of kin know.)
Debates, pub arguments, some pig-headed
conservative to show up in public
EQUIPMENT
Raised platforms, plazas with good acoustics,
balconies – anywhere they can grandstand HEAVY OVERALLS. Reinforced and upgraded
work clothes that are popular with drow-of-the-
Offers to sell out their friends or betray their people Firebrands. The labour gangs of the Works
ideals which they can righteously refuse take great pride in wearing their colours, and
or feel terrible about accepting there’s a complex system of identification and
heraldry inherent in every boiler suit. (Armour 2,
Folk music, anti-fascist anthems, drums and Heavy, Camouflaged: The Works)
pipes
LEGAL SWORD. Officially, Spire bans civilian
Opportunities to create distractions for other, ownership of any blade greater than a palm’s
more mission-oriented player characters width in length, making swords functionally
illegal outside of the North Docks. In an attempt
to circumnavigate this law, this weapon has a
blade which is a palm’s width in length but
happens to be two feet wide and sharpened along
the top. An easily-removable hilt is lashed to a
hole on the side closest to the user, and it can be
affixed to what is technically the “side” of the
knife with a few minutes’ work. (D6, Unreliable)
FIREBOMBS. Nothing finishes an argument

like arson. Firebombs come in a wide variety ADVERSARIES
of shapes and sizes but most follow a basic
pattern of a flammable liquid, a breakable GARGOYLE
container, and an ignition medium made out One of a small number of mechanically-
of a rag – and all they make an excellent augmented informants that prowl the streets
point with regards to collateral damage. City looking for information on revolutionaries to
Guard (and even military forces) will often send back to their masters. They absolutely
avoid using fire-based weapons in an attempt can’t blend into a crowd given the way that they
to preserve the infrastructure around look, so they rely on being able to stand
whoever they’re oppressing or murdering – if absolutely still for hours at a time and waiting
you get to kill a cop and burn down a police until something interesting happens. It’s rare to
station at the same time, some people “fight” a gargoyle, or group of gargoyles, on
reckon, so much the better. (D6, Spread D3, their own – they’ll generally hang out at the
Ranged, Dangerous. Gain access to the back of a brawl and then high-tail it out of there
fallouts below.) once they’ve got some info.
ON FIRE. [Minor, Blood, Reputation] GARGOYLE

Something you really didn’t want to be on Names: Grynnel, Wrax, Ashling
fire is now on fire and it’s all your fault. Description: Ear trumpets permanently in-
FIRE TRAP. [Moderate, Blood, Reputa- stalled in ears; Eyes augmented
tion] As ON FIRE, but you’re trapped with a variety of swappable lenses
inside whatever is on fire. On the plus side, and filters; Puffing bluish smoke
anyone you’re fighting is trapped too. out of a weathered pipe and
PYRE. [Severe, Blood] The building you are staring directly ahead
trapped in burns to the ground, killing Difficulty: 0, 1 if they’re trying to get away
you. Hopefully your surviving allies can with information
sell it as a valiant martyrdom rather than a Resistance: 3
brawl that got out of hand. Equipment: Flare gun (D6, Ranged, One-
shot), Traitor’s Ink (D3)
Special: Gargoyles inflict Shadow
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT stress, rather than blood stress,
with their attacks. This ability
TRADEMARK ITEM. [Low advance] A red spreads to adversaries in any
leather greatcoat; a brightly-dyed mohawk; a fight they’re watching.
harmonica; anything that makes you stand
out from the hundreds of wannabe revolu-
tionaries that pepper the understreets of FALLOUT
Spire. Once per session, when you make a
stand or say something inspiring and your HAPPY TO HELP. [Minor, Shadow, Reputa-
trademark item is clearly visible (or audible, tion] You draw a young, impressionable rebel
if it makes noise), all allies who witness it in via the gravitational pull of your reckless
refresh D6 stress. charisma.You gain them as an individual-level
Bond, but they only ever roll 1D10 when
SYMBOL OF THE REVOLUTION. making actions on your behalf. If you go a
[Medium advance] This banner, icon or whole session without asking them to do some-
otherwise heavy and symbolic item is distinct thing, they’ll take the initiative and do some-
to you and your fight against the aelfir. It thing themselves – the GM determines what.
functions as a (D6, Tiring) weapon and every
time you take a worthy adversary out of DROW LIBERATION FRONT. [Moderate,
action with it, all allies who see it happen Shadow, Reputation] As HAPPY TO
refresh D3 stress. HELP, except that the gang of hopeful
ne’er-do-wells functions as a street-
level Bond, so they can cause bigger
and more extravagant kinds of trouble.
GUTTER CLERIC
Gutter Clerics are hustlers of divine magic – FAILSAFE SCRIPTURE. [Divine, Low
metaphysical confidence tricksters who lie to advance] Your body is covered in protective tattoos
gods for a living – that were introduced in the and doom-absorbent relics. Once per session,
Sin sourcebook. They are positioned at the crux when you would take Mind fallout, take a
of the argument that occult magic and divine Minor Blood fallout instead as the sacred ink
magic are just the same thing in different hats; on your skin burns away the whirling chaos.
after all, if they can cycle through miracles
granted by gods thought long-dead and ALL-PURPOSE WARD. [Medium advance]
scoured out of existence, saying the words but You’ve read up on dozens if not hundreds of sacred
not feeling the faith, how is that different from wards and boiled them down to their core elements
the improvised, cruel glamour of the Idol or the – a barrier, a sacrament, and an enemy. Mark
pop-culture reality-hacking of the Inksmith? D6 stress to Silver to cast this spell as you
As such, almost no-one likes Gutter Clerics, hurriedly inscribe a boundary with blessed
because they’re convinced they’ve got the one chalk and moonsilver; when you do, pick a
and only set of keys to the back door of heaven. god who you’re invoking protection against.
Even the Ministry tries to keep them at arm’s Any devout worshipper of the god will be
length – they’re useful when you need an expert unable to cross the warded area; those who
on obscure religions and malevolent cults, but pay lip-service or just go to church for the big
when they start performing time and motion events are wracked with headaches and reduce
studies on your Conspiracy Shrines they can their difficulty by 1 for the remainder of the
quickly fall out of favour. situation or until they retreat over the wards.
CELESTIAL SPONGE. [Divine, Medium

ABILITIES advance] Your performances of piety are enough
to fool even the most engaged of gods. If you
INSTANT SCHISM. [Low advance] You watch an ally cast a spell with the [Divine]
know all about the various holy wars that lead to tag, you can cast it as though you possessed
the current theological state of Spire. Gain the the ability until the next time you sleep.
Compel skill.You always know just the right
thing to say to spark up a fierce religious
debate between members of rival, allied, or EQUIPMENT
even outwardly-identical faiths – but they
might have more important things to do, so HOLY-LOOKING STAFF. Many religions all
it’s not a get-out-of-trouble free card. over the world appreciate the utility of a big
stick; you can lean on it if you get tired, it’s nice
to have something to hold and wave around
when you’re making an important point, and if
USEFUL ELEMENTS all else fails you can hit someone with it.Yours
is done up to look as holy as possible whilst
Churches,temples,basilicas,cathedrals,hidden honouring no god in particular, and covered in
sanctums with forbidden altars, etc. esoteric-looking symbols, vague scripture and
assorted votive tokens. (D3, Defensive)
Theological debates
Grim cults, basement sects, cowled pilgrims, SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

sacred assassins
MULTIPURPOSE VESTMENTS. [Low
The Solar Pantheon, in all its glory advance] Your standard daily wear is several
layers of cassocks, scarves, collars and nondes-
Any scene set in or nearby to Pilgrim’sWalk cript holy symbols that you have accrued over
years of lying to gods for a living. As long as
Some old-fashioned high-status priest ready you’ve seen one of their type before, you can
for a comeuppance disguise yourself as a priest of any religion that’s
big enough to have a congregation of at least a
Mysteries focusing around a church or cult hundred in the city of Spire; you can’t aim for a
that can be infiltrated or observed particular rank, and whatever faith you emulate
you’re going to end up looking a bit shabby and
Fearful aelfir worshippers of the Old Gods mismatched, but you can fashion a close
looking to witness ancient miracles enough approximation to blend in.
ADVERSARIES FALLOUT
ETHICS BOARD ENFORCER SQUAD PETTY HEX. [Minor, Mind] You have
The Ethics Board of the Spiral Council are incurred the wrath of one of the many gods
devoted to scouring out the existence of that you have tricked into lending you power.
proscribed knowledge. Their primary goal is to The GM selects a Low advance from those
eliminate any evidence of the Old Gods of the you have chosen; you lose all benefits of that
aelfir: the primordial entities which the high advance until you perform a ritual act
elves once worshipped in their northern seeking forgiveness from the god in question.
homelands. Given that Gutter Clerics draw
power from the echoes of these very same BROUGHT IN FOR QUESTIONING.
deities, they are a common target of the [Minor, Mind] You enter a trancelike state
terrifying Erasure Squads. (These adversaries where one of the gods you’ve been siphoning
are a heavier, more specifically anti-Gutter power from (or an angel of same) appears to
Cleric variant of those described in Sin, p. 109.) you in a vision and demands to know exactly
what it is you think you’re doing. Until you
ETHICS BOARD ENFORCER SQUAD convince them you’re on the level (or suggest
Names: Sword’s-Keen-Decision, Heav- a viable way of making amends) you are
enly-Hosts-A-Hundred, Vic- trapped in a vulnerable, unresponsive state.
tory-Strides-Unassailed
Description: Putting the fear of god into a DANGEROUS KNOWLEDGE. [Moderate,
hapless City Guard witness; Mind] You get the impression that these
Anointing their iron mask with Forbidden Faiths might be forbidden for a
protective oils; Standing mo- reason. When you take fallout due a spell you
tionless in your bedroom when cast, any nearby allies mark D6 stress to
you return home Mind from metaphysical feedback.
Difficulty: 1, or 2 if you use any Medium-
level Gutter Cleric advances SLAVE TO GOD. [Severe, Mind] Your soul
against them has been hollowed out and replaced with the
Resistance: 9 ink-black godstuff of a forbidden deity. You
Equipment: Iron mask and warded robes are now a fragment of their consciousness
(Armour 2) Incinerator (D3, and act in perfect accordance with their will
One-shot, Point-Blank, Spread (although your fragile mortal form may be
D6) and bane spike (D6, Dev- lacking at times), and it is only a matter of
astating), scouring recorders, time before your body burns out under the
shackles and pins strain or the Ethics Board permanently
Special: The Erasure Squad uses magit- disables you.
ech music-boxes that scour all
knowledge of a particular subject AGENT OF FATE. [Severe, Mind] Your eyes
out of the brains of those who are opened to the glory of the Sisters Three
hear it; these are difficult to use and you become a walking doom. You are
on an unrestrained target, and retired from play, but will appear whenever a
represented by the fallout below: player character suffers severe fallout, and
you will have been partially responsible for
ERASED. [Moderate, Blood, Mind] All know- making it happen.
ledge of proscribed magics (the exact definition
of this is up to the GM, but anything related to
the Old Gods, Lekolé or Lombré is fair game)
is scoured from your mind. You cannot cast
spells of this type until you track down a source
of knowledge about them and mark D8 stress
to Mind to undo the work of the scouring
recorder, risking your sanity in the process.
IDOL
Idols are at the cutting edge of occult magic in DRAMATIC EXIT. [Occult, Medium
Spire – they hack together half-formed rituals advance] You get the last word in, even if that
and badly-researched black magic with the sheer means breaking the laws of space and time. Roll
majesty of their presence and talent and, Compel+Occult and make a suitably
somehow, it works.The line between “artist” and dramatic exit to cast this spell. As long as you
“Idol” is a fine one, and there are no end of failed break line of sight with every named character
glamour-wizards who are certainly beautiful present (they’re the only ones that really
enough, and certainly skilled enough in the black count) and don’t accidentally walk into a
arts, but who for some reason never broke broom closet or something, you disappear
through into the Ivory Row scene and remain a from the narrative completely and arrive later
hedge-witch in expertly-applied eyeliner. on in the plot by walking into a suitable scene.
Idols are tricky prospects for the Ministry –
they’re self-interested to a fault (they have to
be, otherwise their magic stops working) and EQUIPMENT
don’t like taking orders. Combined with their
penchant for drawing crowds, this makes them OBJET DE MORT. Spire is home to some of the
terrible agents of a shadowy goddess. But they most innovative and unhinged gunmakers in
hold remarkable sway in the upper echelons of the continent, if not the world, and while
Spire society, and they can spread an idea owning a gun for defence is technically illegal,
through a populace like wildfire, so the good owning one for artistic purposes is perfectly
often outweighs the bad. acceptable. These one-of-a-kind firearms are
absurdly overdesigned, either fragile or heavy or
both, and often ironic in their construction – all
ABILITIES of which backs up the argument that they’re not
really weapons per se, and more beautiful items
24-HOUR PARTY PERSON. [Occult, Low that happen to be able to kill people. (You could
advance] Seems like whenever you walk through hit someone with a statue and kill them, and we
a door, someone cheers and hands you a drink. put those outside schools, so who’s really at fault
+1 Reputation. When you activate your here?) (D6, Dangerous, One-Shot, Ranged.)
LIFE AND SOUL core ability, it happens
instantaneously – there’s no set-up time what- DEVOTEE. Not strictly equipment: this is a
soever, and you don’t have to do anything to person who fights for you. They might be in
make it happen. You can activate the ability your employ and survive on a modest stipend,
and kick in the door to a previously-quiet but it’s more likely that they’ve sworn their
library to find a raucous bacchanal kicking off service to you for free as you’re just so beau-
where seconds before there was only silent tiful and so talented. They were probably
reading and the quiet ticking of clocks. pretty handsome before they got their nose
broken so many times defending your honour,
STARVING ARTIST. [Low advance] People but here we are. (D3, Defensive.)
think that true art comes from suffering, which is
nonsense, but somehow it seems to work for you –
on a metaphysical level. When you are SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
suffering from Silver fallout or have four or
more stress marked to Silver, you roll with MAGIC PAINTBRUSH. [Medium advance]
mastery to cast Idol magic. The human who sold you this ebony-handled
brush claimed that it’s made from unicorn tail
COME TO ME. [Occult, Medium advance] hair, and whether that’s true or not, you can
You draw them in from miles around. Roll use it like a wand to channel your magical
Compel+Occult to cast this spell as you powers. Mark D6 stress to Silver to paint
prepare yourself in your quarters (light a few something into existence – but it only works
candles, pour some wine, spray on some with red paint, so you won’t be able to fool
scent) and speak your target’s name aloud anyone that what you’ve created is anything
into a mirror. On a success, they are other than a simulacrum. The paintbrush
compelled to drop whatever it is they’re operates on the rules of perspective relative to
doing and reach you by the most direct the user, so if you squint and paint a little
means possible. Once they arrive, they’ll bridge between two rooftops several stories
listen to what you have to say, but after that above you, the bridge will be full-size to anyone
the spell wears off and you’ll have to rely on who’s up there. Objects created with the magic
your (un)natural charm. paintbrush last for a few minutes at most.
session you don’t paint, draw, sing about,

ADVERSARIES write about or otherwise somehow represent
the hound in your art, mark D6 stress to
BATTLE CRITIC Mind. Can upgrade to RAVENING.
Following the official decree of the mad
Warrior-Poet Shatter-The-Stars’-Iniquity in CRITICAL RECEPTION. [Reputation,
the year of Nine Crimson Kings, it is Moderate]Your work (or the collateral damage
technically legal to hunt down anyone whose from it) attracts the attention of a squad of
art is deemed “mentally unsanitary” (as long as Battle-Critics (see above) who will attempt to
you fill out the proper forms). Given the drag you into art jail in exchange for a small
bureaucratic and logistical difficulties involved, reward and a sizeable amount of prestige.
very few battle-critics ever surface in the city –
but the aggressive nature of Idol art-magic has RAVENING. [Mind, Severe, Occult] Requires
led to a few devoted bands attempting to purge HUNTING. Your efforts pay off; you finally
unwanted creators from the art world. create the perfect simulacrum of the hound,
and it manifests physically and attempts to
BATTLE CRITIC eat you. (It’s a difficulty 2, Resistance 11
Names: Merriweather VII, With-Hol- creature with claws and teeth that are D6,
low-Hearts-We-Prosper, Chas- Devastating weapons.)
tiser X
Description: Spinning their own artistic spells LIFE AND SOULLESS. [Severe, Mind,
with paint and chalk; Loudly de- Occult]Your life changes from only feeling like
crying the Idol’s attempts to res- a constant stream of parties to actually being a
ist capture as “derivative” and constant stream of parties. Every time you walk
“banal”; Covered in lead wards in somewhere there’s a shindig happening, or
and carrying little birds in cages there’s one in an adjoining room; you just
to withstand Idol magic happen to bump into every festival parade as
Difficulty: 0, unless you’re an Idol, in you walk through the town; you are unable to
which case 1 sleep, or find any time to work, or get on with
Resistance: 6 the serious business of revolution.
Equipment: Mismatched clubs, short-blades
and “critic’s staves” (D3), binding
pins and iron bridles (see Special)
Special: If you mark stress from a Battle USEFUL ELEMENTS
Critic, you lose access to the
Occult domain for the remainder Stages, lecture halls, catwalks, trestle tables,
of the situation (if you have it) any sort of even slightly raised platform
Beautiful, stupid, rich people to bewitch and lure

FALLOUT
Someone who’s not beautiful or stupid but is
FOLLOWING. [Mind, Minor, Occult] Your rich and wants to team up for some kind
work, however hard you try to avoid it, always of mutually beneficial scheme
includes an indistinct and threatening hound;
in the background of visual art, howling in Patrons looking to commission a special piece
the chorus of songs, mentioned ominously by or private performance
characters in a play, and so on. This has no
mechanical effect but will probably confuse Gorgeous costumes, elaborate uniforms, any
your critics and raise arguments amongst excuse to dress up
your fans. Can upgrade to HUNTING.
The sort of stuffy old guard art establishment
HUNTING. [Mind, Moderate, Occult] who’ll harrumph and lose their monocles
Requires FOLLOWING. The hound in your over the Idol’s latest exhibit,and their ignored
art becomes more prominent and detailed – and easily-fascinated spouses
it is skinless, ravenous, steaming, sharp-
edged and obsidian-eyed. No matter your A space in need of a makeover/overhaul,preferably
intentions, all your work is now about the via montage
hound, and its terrible approach – you could
write it off as a metaphor, perhaps. Every Treasures – precious metals, luxurious clothes,
fine kafee and chocolates, stained glass
INKSMITH
Introduced in Strata, Inksmiths are something
of a poster child for Spire character classes ABILITIES
mainly due to Adrian Stone’s incredible art and IT’S A MATCH. [Occult, Low advance]
the way that they can summon a man holding a Thank god no-one uses lighters in this town;
gun into any situation to make the plot more you’d never get anything done. Roll Investig-
interesting. They’re the least “fantasy” of all the ate+Occult to cast this spell when you’re
classes available to players – being cemented picking through a scene in search of answers.
firmly in film noir and pulp fiction archetypes – On a success, you find a matchbook from
which can cause some issues meshing with the somewhere that’s key to your ongoing invest-
rest of a party, as they seem to inhabit a slightly igation even if that place doesn’t give out
different world to everyone else. customised matchbooks. You could find a
But they’re very cool. And they have that thing matchbook for a smoking cessation clinic or
with the man with a gun. So let’s get into it. an arsonist support group if it would help
with your case.
MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD. [Occult,

USEFUL ELEMENTS Medium advance] The aphorism is probably
about politics, but you know that a nib can pierce
Rain, even indoors or underground an artery just fine. Gain +2 Blood. Roll
Fix+Occult to cast this spell on a pen you’re
Everyone smoking, all the time holding; on a success, it becomes a (D6,
Piercing, Surprising) weapon until you put it
Light shining through venetian blinds down.
Dames walking into their office

EQUIPMENT
A mystery to solve and maybe write about
WREN SINGLE-ACTION. A snub-nosed
Some kid in over their damn head compact pistol popular with the sort of
people who don’t look like they should be
Unfathomably rich, unfathomably evil aelfir carrying a gun at all – in the pulp novels, the
fatale always draws one out of a handbag or
A torch singer to fall in love with garter holster. (D3, Concealable, Point-
Blank, Reload, Surprising)
More cops than you can shake a pen at, none
of them honest
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
Mobsters, crooks, gangsters and hired muscle
LUCKY CIGARETTE CASE. [Low
Matchbooks bearing a significant logo advance] Or: lucky flask, lucky prayer book,
etc. A small, sturdy object kept in the breast
Money and inheritance inevitably bringing pocket that has an unusually high chance of
with it a sort of amoral above-this-all catching a bullet aimed at one of your vital
corruption organs. Once per session, when you would
take Blood fallout due to an attack from a
Better writers who are far less stylish, and bullet or sharp weapon, instead declare that
bitter about the Inksmith’s success the attack hit the cigarette case – you ignore
the fallout but clear stress as normal. You
can’t use this ability more than once against
fallout from the same enemy; there’s no way
even your schlocky pulp-fiction narrative can
support something that lucky.
CHEKHOV'S GUN. [Medium advance] The

true identity of who “Chekhov” was is lost to FALLOUT
time, but his gun sure as hell still works – as
long as you perform the right rituals. To INKSKIN. [Minor, Mind, Occult] Overloaded
charge Chekhov's Gun (which is an old-fash- with potential stories, your fingertips leak
ioned but well-lit pistol), you must display it spireblack ink at a rate of about a quarter-
on the wall and mention it in conversation. pint a day. You become very easy to keep
When you take the gun down from the wall track of unless you undertake a meticulous
and shoot it at a named target who you’ve regime of gloves and sponges; you can
spoken to in the past, instead of rolling to hit remove this fallout by “getting the story out
normally, you automatically inflict 4 stress of you” and writing it down for someone else
for each session you mentioned the gun but to read.
didn’t take it off the wall.
PROTAGONIST CURSE. [Moderate, Mind,
Occult] Splicing narrative power into your
ADVERSARY mortal body was bound to take its toll sooner
or later; raw protagonism earths itself in you,
ATTRACTIVE FOIL and your life becomes unsustainably inter-
You work in this town for long enough to make a esting. Old lovers return with grudges or
name for yourself, you’re gonna get your heart broken. professing their undying love; wise masters
Or your legs. Or, sometimes, with some guys, both. approach you and offer profound wisdom in
exchange for completing dangerous quests;
ATTRACTIVE FOIL goons shadow you and beat the tar out of you
Names: Addison, Herald, Souvain Hell- for asking the wrong questions, leading you
For-Leather ever deeper into a mystery you were not previ-
Description: Smoking a Nujabian black and ously aware of. Every time you try to relax
watching you fight someone else; and kick back, something exciting happens to
Turning up to steal the objective you that lets you demonstrate character or
for their employer and winking at push the plot forward. It’s exhausting.
you as they leap out of a window;
Waiting under a streetlight in a REDACTED. [Severe, Mind, Occult] Acci-
trench coat and trilby dentally, or perhaps as a last-ditch misguided
Difficulty: 1. If you kiss each other, reduce noble gesture, you write yourself out of the
the difficulty to 0 until the end plot. You no longer exist, you never existed,
of the situation. and any character that mentions you by
Resistance: 9, but see special below, and name marks D3 stress to Mind from the
they have a knack for near dissonance.
misses and scrapes
Equipment: A better version of whatever the
Inksmith is carrying (same stats
but increase stress dice by 1 step)
Special: If the Attractive Foil attacks a
target other than the Inksmith
or is attacked by a target other
than the Inksmith, half the
stress inflicted. In addition, use
the fallout below liberally:
NEXT TIME. [Moderate, Blood] The

Attractive Foil ties you to a chair, locks you
inside a room or knocks you out with a punch.
They get away, you’re in more trouble than
you’d like to be, but you sustain no major
damage aside from maybe a roguish scar.
KNIGHT
Several hundred years ago, the Knights of the
North Docks were ordained to protect ABILITIES
travellers and traders that moved through
Spire’s river port in an effort to encourage HOLY WARRIOR. [Low advance] Some
trade, promote the safety and stability of the Knights still go in for the “ordained by the
city, and to give them something to do after the Goddess” shtick, even if the other ones think
Queen of Destera ran out of holy wars. Since they’re a bit naff for doing it. Gain the Religion
then, the aelfir rolled in, and they’ve gone from domain and lose access to the Crime
being a handful of devoted orders to at least a domain.Your PUBCRAWLER core ability is
hundred scrappy gangs operating out of pubs, replaced with the PILGRIM ability, which
breaking legs and collecting protection money functions exactly the same except it lets you
from those around them. The aelfir are largely find familiar churches, not bars. You are
content to let them run the place; as inefficient sworn to a temple of Our Glorious Lady in
as they are, their leader (the Duke) knows to the North Docks rather than a pub, and while
toe the line and they maintain a decent flow of your Quests still consist of some pretty grimy
business into the city. business, you dress it up as “collecting tithes”.
In any given Ministry cell, the Knight is the
wild card – their abilities push them towards LEGBREAKER. [Low advance] Nice business
unprompted action, which can be a bit difficult you got here; would be a real shame if someone
for some groups to plan around. Thankfully, broke all the windows, wouldn’t it? +1 Silver.
they’re one of the easiest classes to keep happy When you rough someone (or someplace) up
and engaged. for protection money or just plain rob them,
mark D3 stress to Reputation and down-
grade a Silver fallout you or another char-
acter are currently suffering from. Down-
USEFUL ELEMENTS grading minor fallout removes it.
Someone who definitely reckons they can JUST GETTING STARTED. [Low advance]
hold their own in a fight No-one makes you bleed your own blood. Gain
the Resist skill. When you are suffering from
Dares, challenges, duels ongoing Blood fallout, increase all the stress
you inflict by 1 step.
Pubs, bars, inns, taverns
BETTER SORRY THAN SAFE. [Low
Some sort of organised fighting contest (a advance] You’d rather die for something you
joust, a melee, a pit fight, etc), especially believe in than live for something you don’t.
if you can bet on it Any armour you wear gains the Assault tag
(mark 1 stress to Armour to roll with
Parties, festivals, parades – any excuse to use mastery in close combat).
their “Engage in reckless excess” refresh
A big fight they can wade into and get the EQUIPMENT
most out of their armour
PANZERHAMMER. Most Knights of the
A love interest who’s missing a couple of teeth North Docks look down on weapons like the
and has a solid right hook or a love interest panzerhammer; the reinforced iron spike
who’s looking for a bit of rough or both, coupled with a weighted head makes an
why not absolute mockery of armour, and if you can
counteract expensive quarter-plate and
Rivers, canals, waterways, boats helmet with what amounts to a masonry tool,
what’s the point of spending all the money
City Guard out of their jurisdiction, or who on it in the first place? Far better to carry a
want the Knight to get out of theirs sword, have fights go on much longer, and
weather dents and bruises rather than two
inches of metal in your brainpan. Still; for
when the lads are out for blood and don’t
want to mess around, most pubs have one of
these shameful weapons hidden in back.
(D6, Brutal, Piercing, Tiring)
SQUIRE’S TOOL. Euphemistic name for a

specialised drowning weapon commonly FALLOUT
carried by squires. This six-foot boathook has
been modified with a brutal spike on the end, HUNGOVER. [Minor, Blood, Reputation]
and if a Knight manages to shove an Your head feels like some darkling creature
opponent into the river (or indeed any source of the night used it as a toilet then a mauso-
of water) the squire leaps into action and pins leum; your guts roil and churn like thun-
the bastard under the surface so they drown derous storm clouds; your breath smells like
in their armour. It’s not a terribly honourable a distillery that needs a shower. Increase the
way to kill someone, but that’s why you have difficulty of all actions involving bright light,
the squire do it. (D3, Piercing. Roll with loud noises or people being able to smell you
mastery when pinning someone in place.) by 1 until you get a decent night’s sleep and
several pints of water.
PUNT GUN. An eight-foot shotgun with a two-
inch bore used to eradicate waterfowl. Punt PENITENT. [Moderate, Reputation] You’ve
guns are traditionally mounted on boats and brought shame to your Knightly order. Until
gently paddled into position to blow away a you appear before a superior Knight
whole flock of ducks in one shot; they are so (probably whoever runs the pub you’re
hard to carry, load and aim that their use as sworn to), learn the requirements for your
combat weapons is almost zero. Still, this is penance and perform them, you can’t use
Spire, and if it makes a loud noise someone’s Domains to add dice to your rolls. Your
going to try and kill you with it eventually. penitent quest will generally focus around
(D6, One-Shot, Point-Blank, Spread D12. doing dirty work for your landlord that they
Attempting to fire a punt gun without don’t want to do themselves.
attaching it to a mount first inflicts D6 Blood
stress on the user from recoil.)
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
GENUINE MAGIC SWORD. [Medium
advance] There are very few actual “magic”
swords in Spire; arcane power has a cost, and
you can’t just stick a load of old wizardry in a
sword and expect it to work without any
problems. But Knights love a story, and may
spread rumours of their own swords being
magic to make themselves sound more
impressive. The bearer of this (D6) sword
gains +2 Reputation and access to the
Occult domain, and rolls with mastery in
combat against anyone who believes that the
sword is magic – that sort of thing can really
put an opponent on the back foot. Informing
people how mighty and arcane your sword is
becomes a necessary and often quite arduous
part of combat, but you can probably get
your squire to do it ahead of time.
LAJHAN
Around half the classes in Spire are clerics,
whether they’re clerics of death or money or EQUIPMENT
the other kind of death or spiders or their own FULL-MOON SHIELD. Many Lajhan
knife or the working class – the Lajhan is just eschew combat entirely, but some believe
the most honest about it, and happens to that it is their responsibility to guard Limyé’s
worship the moon. These priests are chosen. The design of the full-moon shield
fundamental champions of traditional Desteran dates back hundreds of years to the Home
drow culture, though continual efforts to Nations where specially-selected units of
underfund the Church of Our Glorious Lady clerics to the three drow moon goddesses
by the aelfir are weakening their influence on would stride into battle against the enemies
the average drow year on year. of Ys; those devoted to the full moon wore
They have two main functions in a party: heavy armour and carried broad shields to
interpersonal pleasantries and weird moon protect the archers of the red moon and the
magic. Both are generally useful, and compared skirmishers of the new moon. Carrying a
to some of the flashier characters (Idols and replica of one of those shields is the mark of
Firebrands, for example) can provide a much- a brave Lajhan indeed. (Armour 3. Charac-
needed counterpoint to help level out the ters within arm’s reach can use your Armour
pacing of your sessions. slots to soak incoming Blood stress.)
ABILITIES SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

DIRE CIRCUMSTANCES. [Divine, Low MIRACLE DOLL. [Low advance] Some of the
advance] You ask the Goddess to share her limit- faithful carry little dolls or statuettes repres-
less bounty with you. Once per session you may enting the Goddess; on occasion these idols
remove Minor or Moderate Silver fallout can miraculously take on burdens visited upon
from yourself or an ally as you find a miracu- the bearer.You can “trap” a Minor fallout in
lous store of cash (or some other resource) this doll, removing it from yourself or an ally
with which you are able to pay off the debt. within arm’s reach. While the doll is holding a
fallout, it changes form to reflect it. You (or
BELOVED. [Divine, Low advance] The another willing party) can release the fallout
faithful of Spire adore you, and the city itself upon themselves at a later date, but until you
rises up to keep you safe. When you mark stress do, you cannot store another fallout in it.
as a result of a roll using the Low Society
domain, halve the stress suffered. IDOL DOULÈ. [Medium advance] A triptych
painting of the Goddess adorned with silver
EYE OF THE STORM. [Divine, Low advance] and ebonwood that depicts her shouldering
The more chaos swirls around you, the calmer you the innumerable burdens of the drow of
become. +1 Mind.While you’re in a stampeding Spire; worn on the shoulders like a back-
crowd, a riot or a particularly raucous dance banner, it can attract misfortune and harm.
hall, you’ll never incur incidental stress (elbows, The Idol Doulè functions as a MIRACLE
riot guns, someone stamping on you as they try DOLL but it can absorb three Minor
to escape) unless someone specifically wants to fallouts or a single Moderate fallout (but not
hurt you. In addition, while you stand calm in a combination of either).
the midst of a frantic and furious group of
people, you roll with mastery.
ADVERSARIES FALLOUT
THE WEIGHT OF YOUR SINS. [Minor,
PRIEST-CATCHERS Mind, Reputation] Weighed down by
One of the biggest risks of being a priest of Our dolorous thoughts of your failings, you feel
Glorious Lady isn’t the fact that your church is that you have disappointed the Goddess and
massively underfunded, but rather that the second must make amends. Until you do something
you’re ordained you instantly become much more selfless for someone needy, increase the diffi-
valuable as a sacrifice in no end of grimy black- culty of all social actions by 1.
magic rituals. It’s rare to find the sort of
unscrupulous cove who’d try to kidnap and/or kill a WASTING AWAY. [Minor, Silver] You go
drow of the cloth, but anything is possible in Spire. without so that others might share in the
Priest-Catchers are specialist mercenaries who work Goddess’ bounty; you are in dire need of a sit
for Ivory Row occultists, and are paid top sten for down, a sandwich, and maybe twenty
living lunar clerics. minutes’ sleep. Your hands shake and you
feel feeble, increasing the difficulty of all
PRIEST-CATCHERS physical actions by 1 until you get some time
Names: Mr Pitch, MrWeyland, MrVictory to rest and recuperate.
Description: Adjusting the cufflinks on his
suit and nodding politely to the HOLY VISIONS. [Moderate, Mind] The
congregation as he waits outside Goddess “blesses” you with a bombardment
a temple; carrying a writhing of visions and hallucinations, making it hard
sack into an alleyway; locking to concentrate or even understand what’s
the door to the church to stop going on at any given point in time. Once per
you from escaping session, another player can refresh D6 when
Difficulty: 0 during the day, 1 at night they establish that something you believed is
Resistance: 7 true is in fact a misunderstanding brought
Equipment: Slim metal clubs wrapped in on by a hallucination – you mark D3 stress
leather (D3, Brutal, Conceal- to Mind from the confusion.
able),
Special: Priest-Catchers fight to capture
rather than kill or drive away.
Use the following fallout to rep- USEFUL ELEMENTS
resent this in combat:
Tired, hungry, weary faithful
BAGGED. [Moderate, Blood] You are
bundled into a sack and dragged off to be Priests of Our Glorious Lady with problems
delivered to a mad up-Spire occultist; you’ll that a young go-getter with few scruples
need your allies to rescue you, or work some- could definitely solve
thing else out on your own if they’re other-
wise occupied. Lots and lots of bonds
MoonWeirdness,which is different from occult

weirdness or heart weirdness or death
weirdness – lots of silver,glassy-eyed oracles,
mystery cults and omens,stars andweather
A community to look after, or ignore and

damn to ruin
Show-off Solar priests with more money,

bigger congregations and more expensive
holy symbols
Rite, ritual, faith and ceremony

MASKED
While not every aelfir in Spire enforces the GLAMER MASK. [Occult, Medium
wearing of masks at all times – in bed, whilst advance] A folding mask made of stiff paper
making love or bathing, immediately upon birth, that can be reformed into a hundred different
etc – all members of aelfir high society understand patterns. If you touch the Glamer Mask to
that covering one’s face in public is the done another mask and spend a minute or so
thing. This belief extends to their servants, and rearranging it, it resembles that mask
it’s a poor Lord who’s seen out and about with perfectly. Anyone examining it by touching it
unmasked staff – a sign of rebelliousness, will discover it is a fake almost instantly, but
perhaps, or a lack of suitable funds. as far as vision goes, it’s a perfect copy.
Of all Ministry operatives, the Masked are
closest to the high elves that the organisation is
trying to overthrow – and therefore of great stra- EQUIPMENT
tegic value. While they may not be able to hold
their own in a street-fight or possess the unshake- POISON. Like daggers hidden behind the
able faith of a moon-priest, their access and skills back and scathing comments on a target’s
provide a route into the upper echelons of the cravate, poisons and potions are trademark
city and their hatred for the aelfir is limitless. weapons of the Masked. The poisons below
are generally introduced into the target’s
bloodstream via non-violent means (via
ABILITIES ingestion or dripping quietly into an orifice
while the target sleeps, for example) via a
MASK MAGIC. [Low advance] You begin to Sneak+Domain roll. All of these poisons
understand the true power of masks. +1 Mind. are illegal, to a greater or lesser extent,
Gain the Occult domain. When you spend depending on their lethality.
an entire night wearing a mask and staring
into a mirror with a single lit candle in front Inexorable Hecaton. At the end of a
of it, instead of suffering from the effects of week where they are dosed at least every
sleep deprivation, refresh D3. other day, the target marks D3 stress from
their internal organs slowly shutting down.
BACKSTAB. [Low advance] They never saw it Hecaton is hard to identify but takes a while
coming; you almost feel sorry for them. to kill the target, meaning that the poisoner
(Almost.) When you stab someone who trusts will need access to the target for a few weeks
you (or thought you no threat) in the back to ensure a clean kill.
with a blade, inflict (D6, Brutal) damage.
Quicksilver Ague. A single dose of this
MASK OF PERFECT REPLICATION. potion makes the target despondent, furious,
[Occult, Medium advance] Some of your tech- easily confused and prone to blinding head-
niques turn the stomachs of those possessed of a aches for about six hours. The lack of
less fierce will. To make this mask, cut off physical symptoms makes this a popular pre-
someone’s face and attach it over the top of duel poison to even the odds against a
your own – mark D6 Mind stress if they’re superior opponent, and over 30% of the
unconscious and D8 if they’re awake. The midnight standoffs on Silver Quarter
magic you imbue it with allows you to rooftops see one or both participants dosed
perfectly pass as them, right down to their with it. Targets under the effect of quicksilver
voice, height, mannerisms, and so on. The ague reduce their difficulty to 0.
only way you’ll be discovered is if you act out
of character, and even then, people are likely Love’s Idolatry. A classic love potion,
to suspect that you’re just behaving unusually mixed with the blood of the secondary target
rather than a stranger wearing their friend’s and introduced to the primary target’s
cut-off face as a mask. The MASK OF bloodstream while they sleep. Upon waking,
PERFECT REPLICATION lasts for about they will fall in love with the secondary target
a week – longer if you keep it cold – before it with a burning, alien intensity – if they don’t
rots away into uselessness. know the secondary target, this is akin to
madness, and even if they do know the
secondary target it can feel very strange
indeed. They will do whatever they can to be
close to their beloved, up to and including
risking their own life.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT ADVERSARIES

MASK BOX. [Low advance] This sturdy YOUR LORD’S AWFUL NEPHEWS
wooden case contains a wide variety of masks The Lords of Amaranth, on average, don’t like to
suitable for any social occasion, including but inflict direct physical punishment on their staff –
not limited to: a mourning mask, a hunting they’d rather have other members of staff carry it
mask, a mask for dancing whilst wearing, a out, or instead rely on crushing financial and social
mask for pointedly not dancing whilst wearing, punishments that are, in the long run, much more
a mask for special Solar Church festivals, a cruel. But younger members of their families might
mask for normal Solar Church festivals, a mask not share their reliance on unstated power, and
for just going to church on an average day, an prefer to beat up their servants by hand in order to
eyeless mask for listening to music in, and a feel good about themselves and reiterate the brutal
mask for watching airlark or boat races.They’re power structure of Spire.
not fashionable but they are stylish, and with
some tools and materials (and by marking D3 YOUR LORD’S AWFUL NEPHEWS
stress to Silver) a skilled Masked can modify Names: Prince Dulcet Gather-the-Wan-
an unsuitable mask into a suitable one. dering, Iphras Joyful-The-Sun-
Whatever High Society situation they may rise, The Little Baron
find themselves in, they can be sure they’ll have Description: Torturing some small animal they
the correct formal mask for the occasion. found in an alleyway; jeering at a
passing servant; chucking coins
out of a window and watching as
they tumble hundreds of feet into
USEFUL ELEMENTS crowds below and crack off
some poor bastard’s head
Corridors, hidden passages, back ways in, Difficulty: 0
servant’s quarters, tradesmen’s entrances Resistance: 4
Equipment: Impractical and over-designed
Conversations to overhear and potentially weaponry (D3, Unreliable), the
influence occasional hunting pistol (D6,
One-Shot, Ranged)
Powerful aelfir with institutions to infiltrate
and subvert to their own ends
FALLOUT
Powerless aelfir to take out their frustrations on
MISTAKEN IDENTITY. [Minor, Shadow]You
Servants, assistants, staff, bodyguards, have been mistaken for a servant by someone
overworked and looked-down-upon half- nearby and roped into performing an arduous
siblings or complicitly evil task – preparing a five-course
meal, dressing a Lord in a particular way,
Books of accounting, private diaries of the disposing of a corpse, etc.While performing the
rich and famous, secret letters and task may allow you to influence proceedings or
impassioned communiqués gain useful information, you’re definitely not
prepared to do it smoothly and will have to
Opportunities to quietly mess with things improvise a solution to maintain your cover.
behind the scenes
UNMASKED. [Minor, Shadow, Reputation]
Rich types, preferably eminently murderable, For whatever reason, you are unmasked and
who don’t really consider the Masked your true identity is revealed – and what’s
to be a person and more a sort of tool worse, someone nearby recognises you.
MIDWIFE
Drow do not carry their young to term and
instead lay fist-sized eggs in community EQUIPMENT
hatcheries which are tended to by Midwives.
Given their crucial position in dark elf society, PROSTHETIC LIMB ARRAY. Some
Midwives are well-respected by the populace of midwives never quite get the knack of turning
Spire; their nightmare occult powers and themselves partially into giant spiders, and it’s
shapeshifting combat abilities certainly help, not strictly required to take care of eggs, so it
too. They form the cornerstones of drow isn’t that important in the long run. However,
neighbourhoods up and down Spire, often the public image of a proper midwife is a
acting as teachers and carers for their young conservatively-dressed drow with additional
charges with a collection of assistants. limbs semi-concealed under a bustle, so some
Midwives would seemingly make perfect choose to wear prosthetic alternatives to make
Ministry agents – they’re trained in combat and their lives easier. These prosthetics are also
the occult arts, they’re fiercely devoted to the popular with people impersonating midwives
continued existence and liberty of the drow, (not technically a crime but don’t let them
and they’re welcome almost everywhere – but catch you) and midwife-themed erotic
they have their own agenda. The Ministry dancers who titillate boisterous aelfir audi-
might make a business of backstabbing, ences in the Silver Quarter.
intrigue and betrayal, but the Midwives were
doing it long before the cult was a twinkle in ARACHNID GLAIVE. Archaic polearms
the Hidden Mistress’ eye, and will be doing it styled after ritual staves carried by Priestesses
long after they fade into insignificance. of Ishkrah; unpopular in modern Spire, as a
licence is needed to carry them in public and
their weight means they are of little use in one-
on-one urban combat. Most designs have a
ABILITIES black-wood staff as a base and an ornamental
spider at the tip gripping the heavy, single-
CHOICE ASSIGNMENT. [Low advance] edged blade. (D6, Brutal,Tiring)
Even rich drow want to have kids sometimes;
you looked after their eggs in a well-appointed
private hatchery. +1 Reputation. Gain the
High Society domain and lose the Low USEFUL ELEMENTS
Society domain. Gain an individual-level
bond with a young noble-born drow who you Children, communities, families, long-term
brought into the world, or if they’re still too concerns
young to be useful, their parents.
The opportunity to build something that will
HANDS OF SILK. [Occult, Low advance] endure
Glands pucker red-raw at your wrists; you pluck
thick strands of web from them. Gain the Pursue Someone or something tied to an altar
skill. You can declare that any non-ranged
weapon you are carrying has the Stunning tag A real bastard who deserves a good kicking
as you bind your foes with spider-silk.You can from a giant spider-nurse
easily restrain an adversary whose resistance
has been reduced to 0 with webs and transport Medicine, doctors, surgeries, biology
them where you wish.
Someone who’s keen to uphold traditions,
TRAPPED DOOR. [Occult, Low advance] as this is the way it’s always been done
Roll Fix+Occult to cast this spell on a door
within arm’s reach. By anointing it with Someone who’s keen not to uphold traditions,
shadow glyphs written in Ishkran ink, you as things need to change now
remove it from onlookers’ perception and
they no longer realise that it’s a door – it’s
just part of the wall. (If this traps them in a
room, they’ll work it out eventually.) When
you and your allies burst forth from behind
the door, your first action (as long as it’s to
kill or disable someone on the other side) is
rolled with mastery.
EBON SHORTBOW. Almost no-one uses

bows in Spire; the amount of training and ADVERSARIES
arm strength required to use them properly
makes them unattractive compared to the THE BLACK SHEEP
point-and-shoot technology of crossbows or Midwives can take responsibility for those they raise
the flashy intimidation factor of guns. throughout their lives; there are no end of them that
Midwives still insist on training their initiates hold significant sway because of this, and some of
in the use of bows for tradition’s sake, and them view their charges’ achievements as partially
some of the best archers in the city are their own. But when a child a midwife has raised
amongst their number. (D3, Brutal, Ranged) turns out bad, the duty of bringing them to heel
sometimes falls to their childhood protector – or their
underlings, if they’re powerful enough.While a good
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT talking to is often enough to sort things out, Midwives
brought them into this world – and by the blood of
FRENZY INCENSE. [Medium advance] Ishkrah, they’ll be the ones to take them out of it.
Carried in a locked brazier smouldering
above the midwife’s shoulders, this psycho- THE BLACK SHEEP
active incense was used in days past to spur Names: Yence, Ophid, Alabaster
the sacred protectors of unborn drow into Description: Running a semi-successful
action and sell their lives dearly. Those who criminal enterprise; whispering
breathe deeply find their eyes shifting to secrets of rebellion to an aelfir
pitch-black orbs and feel the bile rise in their Lord; dragging people into a
throat, disgusted as they are by the fact their basement and sacrificing them to
enemies still draw breath. Until the end of the wrong kind of dark goddess
the current situation, all those nearby to the Difficulty: 0, but 1 to the Midwife that
bearer ignore negative effects from Minor or raised them – there’s history
Moderate Blood fallout, but increase the there
difficulty of non-violent actions by 1. Resistance: 7
Equipment: If they’re a professional, aWinters
single-action (D6, Ranged); if
they’re just a wrong ‘un, a grue-
some knife (D3, Brutal)
FALLOUT
SPIDERS. [Minor, Blood, Mind, Occult] Your
self-control slips for a crucial second and you
let loose a swarm of inquisitive spiders – they
might crawl out of your clothing, they may
start emerging from cracks in the walls, or you
might retch up a wet gutful of them. (Work
what’s tonally appropriate with your GM.)
This is understandably upsetting to everyone
nearby, unless they’re other midwives in
which case they’ll probably look down on you
for making a mess.
MORTICIAN EXECUTIONER
The Mortician Executioners are a mix of
bureaucrat, priest and assassin; it is by their ABILITIES
hand alone that the state can legally execute
people by first declaring them dead and then SANCTIFIED KILLER. [Divine, Low
correcting the oversight with a blade. In advance] You have spent countless hours in
practice the state kills dozens if not hundreds of communion with Mehror, contemplating your
people each day through brutality, oppression, sacred task. Gain the Religion domain.
malnourishment and war, but for important When you attack a target who has been
people, it does the decent thing and makes their declared legally dead, your attacks gain the
death officially sanctioned. Brutal tag.
State executioners – especially those with the
skill to perform executions on unrestrained, SCYTHE THROUGH RED TAPE. [Low
and often resistant subjects – are prized recruits advance] Many Executioners are afforded
for the Ministry. Quite aside from their combat immense powers of access with their rank, and if
prowess, most people would not interrupt an that’s not enough, they can resort to good old-
Executioner about their business, and if they fashioned obstinance. Gain the Order domain.
can evade the attentions of their superiors they When you bluster your way through opposi-
can be a valuable asset. tion by waving documentation or citing
ordinances, roll with mastery.
SURGICAL IMPROVEMENTS. [Occult,

Low advance] Your body is a veritable
USEFUL ELEMENTS reliquary of mementos mori and carrion-im-
plants. Requires CUTTING EDGE (Sin,
Graves,cemeteries,funerals,ghosts,the grieving p. 15). Gain one of the following implants:
and the dead
Subdermal cartilage. Arranged in stylish
Bureaucracy, paperwork, overstuffed desks polygonal patterns. +1 Blood.Your face is an
and administrative oversights avant-garde, hard-edged mask of flesh.
Rules, order and restrictions Hollow bones. Modelled after exotic birds
from distant lands; feathers are optional. Roll
The administrative infrastructure of the city with mastery on Pursue checks.
– passes, permits, licenses and fines
Mourning Veil. Experimental ethereal skin-
Back doors, breakable windows, unorthodox graft from a banshee; covered with a veil, in
lines of sight and avenues of approach polite company. You no longer need to sleep,
but must spend an hour each night in moon-
A well-defended target with some tactical light or suffer wretched migraines.
weaknesses to exploit
INHABIT DEAD. [Occult, Medium advance]
Other Morticians,especially ones with perfectly The ability to animate and control the bodies of
reasonable questions about the the dead is one of the Mortician’s closely-guarded
Executioner’s behaviour secrets. Roll Compel+Occult to cast this spell
on a corpse within arm’s reach. (If the corpse
is more than a week old, increase the difficulty
by 1.) On a success, you gain control of the
corpse until the end of the current situation.
For the duration of the spell, your own body
collapses into a heap and you experience the
world through the corpse’s sense organs; your
control is inexact and you increase the diffi-
culty of all tasks by 1 If you would mark blood
stress when you’re controlling the corpse,
mark it to the corpse’s resistance of 4; if it hits
0, you are ejected and your consciousness
returns to your own body.
EQUIPMENT ADVERSARIES
MORTICIAN GREATCLOAK. Some Execu- CHARNELITE BLOOD-HUNTER
tioners try their best to go undetected; others The Charnelites and the Morticians, death-cults
wear Mortician Greatcloaks. These oversized both, have long been warring atop the city for
floor-length cloaks (complete with a generous territory.While most of the fighting is done by street
cowl) are designed to flare dramatically at a gangs of delinquent priests and hangers-on on the
moment’s notice, framing the wearer perfectly streets of New Heaven, serious murder business is
and putting the fear of Mehror into their handled by Executioners – or, in the case of the
opponents. The cloak provides Armour 3 in Charnelites, sanctified killers known as Blood-
close combat only (it can’t turn aside a bullet, Hunters. These prowling assassins are whispered of
but it can confuse and wrong-foot opponents) in fearful tones amongst the Morticians – tales of
but increases the difficulty of all attempts to them coalescing from shadows, transforming into
blend in or go unnoticed by 1. great beasts and eating their foes to gain their power
are commonplace, and not without good reason.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT CHARNELITE BLOOD-HUNTER

Names: Brother Tendon, Sister Liga-
PHANTOM VIAL. [Occult, Medium advance] ment, Father Avulsion
The Morticians can bind ghosts into objects if Description: Appearing for a fraction of a
said ghosts might prove useful informants when second in your peripheral vision
interrogated through divination; a phantom vial as you look in the mirror at
is a cut-down version of the more permanent night; Cackling madly atop a
tetherboxes used to restrain important spectres. Tower of Silence as you limp
Inside a padded box, this fragile glass vessel away bleeding; Hiding for days,
houses a frantic and deranged ghost – not the motionless, in a pile of corpses
persistent type that will lead to ongoing haunt- Difficulty: 1, but 2 if they manage to taste
ings, but something more immediate and your blood
dramatic. Once per session, smash one of your Resistance: 7, but when they hit 0 resistance,
vials open and release the ghost within, causing they transform into a hyena-
chaos in the immediate vicinity as temperatures beast with resistance 10 and add
rapidly drop, psychokinetic energy throws the Brutal tag to their attacks
objects around at random, lights dim and Equipment: Cleavers, prey-hooks, flensing
flicker and weak-willed individuals pass out. (In blades, sprouting bone-claws
mechanical terms, everyone in the area marks (D6)
D3 stress, but it’s more of a tool than a Special: The first character to mark stress
weapon.) Assume that you have a steady supply against the Blood-Hunter takes
of captured ghosts from your contacts, or you D6 stress to Blood as they are at-
know how to make the vials yourself. tacked by their target’s pet hyena.
FALLOUT
UNEXPLAINED PHENOMENA. [Minor,
Blood, Mind] Spilled blood and loose necro-
mancy mixes to create chaos. Treat as
PHANTOM VIAL (above) focused on you.
THE DEAD RISE. [Moderate, Mind]

Animated by misfiring death magic, a nearby
corpse springs to frantic life and attempts to
do the last thing it desired in life, or if
that’s unclear or impossible, it tries to
murder you. It functions as a Resistance
4 enemy that inflicts D3, Brutal damage.
SHADOW AGENT
Shadow Agents are the ultimate instruments of TENEBROUS ESCAPE. [Divine, Medium
the Goddess – broken apart and reformed in advance] You dissolve your mortal form and
strange ways during their Ministry initiation become something more pure and graceful,
rites, they have become able to shift their flowing through the city like a rumour. Mark
identity to such an extent that many of them D6 stress to Mind to cast this spell. You
have forgotten who they originally were. immediately dissolve into a pool of shadow
While their masters appreciate their devotion and drip down through Spire, reforming
to the cause, this can cause friction with their somewhere safe the next time the sun sets –
fellow Ministers – Shadow Agents are widely if you have a safehouse it’s there, otherwise
regarded to be a bunch of inscrutable zealots, the GM picks where the Goddess deposits
and their constant changing of covers can make you. Your clothes and equipment aren’t
them hard to read, or trust. The truly strange transformed with you and stay in place; you
ones don’t survive for long (it’s hard to survive are reborn naked and vulnerable.
when none of your cell-mates think you’re on
the level) so it’s up to them to cultivate a LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD. [Medium
convivial, or at least polite, personality that advance] The Goddess provides. Gain the
ensures they can rely on their allies. Fight skill. Mark D3 stress to Mind to
summon a shadowy, half-real version of a
weapon that an enemy is using against you; it
ABILITIES has exactly the same stats as their weapon,
but dissolves into nothingness at the end of
QUICK CHANGE. [Divine, Low advance] the current situation.
Your false forms flicker over your face like
shadows; you’re not sure who you are anymore,
but you’re sure of what you have to do. +1 SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
Mind. When you use THE RITE OF
MANY FACES core ability, mark D3 stress SHARP-MIND SLIVER. [Medium advance]
to Mind or Shadow to change instantly into Slivers are made in the Home Nations using
the cover identity and bypass the five jealously-guarded techniques known only to
minutes of preparation time. a few surgeon-artisans; these shards of metal
and crystal are implanted in the user and
BEYOND SUSPICION. [Low advance] You twist their body into new and terrifying
have a knack for appearing as though you’re no patterns with barely-understood magic.
threat, which is unfortunate for your enemies. Made of a series of resonant crystals studded
Any weapon you carry gains the Surprising along the left arm and a node at the base of
tag. If it already possesses the Surprising tag, the user’s brain, the sharp-mind sliver is
it gets the Brutal tag instead. automatically activated when the user under-
goes mental stress – it redirects and amplifies
PERFECT PLANNING. [Low advance] You the stress into a psychic blast issued from the
reach under your chair and pull out a gun no-one palm. The first time in a session you take
knew was there. Mark D3 stress to Silver or Mind fallout, clear stress as normal but
Shadow to pull a gun (D6, One-Shot, don’t mark the fallout. All adversaries nearby
Ranged) from somewhere within arm’s reach: mark stress as the madness is ejected from
under a counter, at the back of a cupboard, your outstretched hand; D3 for Minor
stuffed between the cushions on a sofa, inside a fallout, D6 for Moderate and D8 for Severe.
loaf of bread, etc. Whether you put it there, a
fellow Shadow Agent planted it, or it’s a spon- LEGEND-BEARER SLIVERS. [Medium
taneous miracle from the Goddess is up to you. advance] You have a series of slivers
containing knowledge harvested from
LAST RESORT. [Medium advance] They desperate scholars, retired Shadow Agents
think they’ve got you on the back foot, but and expendable Ministers; you can insert
they’ve walked right into your trap. Once per them into the itching, red-raw hole at the base
session, if there’s any way you could have of your neck to use the knowledge as if it was
feasibly prepared to do so ahead of time, you your own. Once per session, pick a skill or
detonate the explosive you placed earlier. domain; you gain access to it until the end of
Everyone present (aside from you and allies the session. You can change out the sliver
in arm’s reach of you) marks D6 stress to during the session to acquire a different skill,
Blood. Detonating explosives in tight but mark D3 stress to Mind if you do so.
quarters may have other side-effects.
ADVERSARIES FALLOUT
MINISTRY GODHANDS SHADOWS FALL. [Minor, Mind] Magical
Loyalty is paramount to the Ministry of Our feedback from your gifts extinguishes every
Hidden Mistress. Punishment for betrayal is single light in the surrounding area, plunging
generally handled by the cell’s Magister (or another you and everyone else there into darkness
cell under their control) but for deep-rooted until the end of the current situation.
infractions, Internal Security operatives known
informally as Godhands are sent in to deal with the COLLATERAL. [Minor, Shadow] Someone
troublemakers. While these inhuman agents are saw you, and they’ll sell you out to the City
privately reviled by almost everyone in the Guard if you let them. Make sure they don’t
organisation, they are publicly afforded a great deal talk – kill them, buy their loyalty or otherwise
of respect due to their sacred position. ensure their silence.
MINISTRY GODHANDS THE GREATER GOOD. [Moderate,

Names: Seventy-Seven, Nine,Thirty-three Shadow] As COLLATERAL, but it’s
Description: Anointing their ivory mask with someone you know – a Bond, or someone
blessed spireblack; Jumping otherwise important.
down from the rafters, their cloak
billowing behind them;Walking EXTRACTION ORDERS. [Moderate, Mind,
towards you on a broken ankle, Shadow, Reputation] You receive new orders
apparently feeling no pain from the Ministry – someone in your current
Difficulty: 1 if you find them, 2 if they find area is an agency plant and needs extraction
you immediately. (Or: you had orders all along but
Resistance: 8 kept them quiet up until now.) If you don’t,
Equipment: Leather armour (Armour 2), you’ll incur the wrath of your masters.
Anointed moonsilver blades
(D6, Brutal, Piercing – without AN OLD FRIEND. [Moderate, Mind, Shadow,
specialist training they’re just Reputation] Someone from your old life –
D6), Ivory masks (allow user to before you underwent your identity fracturing
see in pitch darkness) at the hands of the Goddess – arrives on the
Special: If it’s tactically useful, God- scene, and wants to help you out. You
hands magically extinguish remember bits and pieces of who they were and
every light in their area of oper- what they meant to you, but nothing elaborate.
ations before engaging in com- Upgrades to AN OLD “FRIEND”.
bat – which goes some way to
explain their high difficulty. AN OLD “FRIEND”. [Severe, Mind]
Requires AN OLD FRIEND. Your old ally
is revealed to be a Ministry plant, the
memories manufactured and implanted, and
you’re being manipulated as part of some
USEFUL ELEMENTS grander scheme; you can’t trust anything
anymore, not least of all yourself.Your mind
Plentiful Bonds that they can harvest to turn and reality starts to come apart at the seams,
into Covers and Ministry Silence cadres or Godhand
enforcer squads are being dispatched to
Ministry subterfuge, spy games or espionage bring you quietly into line.
Ministry cultishness, secret rituals and blood

sacrifices
Idealistic NPCs who believe they’re making

a difference when, in fact, they’re just
a tool in the Ministry’s schemes
People who recognise them from their old

life that they maybe don’t remember
VERMISSIAN SAGE
The Vermissian is one of Spire’s greatest shames EQUIPMENT
– a grand attempt to build a functioning, state- VERMISSIAN CARBINE. In the early days,
of-the-art mass transit network. Thanks to the Vermissian was made up of multiple
budget cuts, dangerous levels of different train companies competing for
miscommunication between engineers and business – and on the borders between their
construction teams, and the way that the territories, opportunistic train bandits would
network pierced a festering rip between realities ride jury-rigged wagons down maintenance
in order to harvest cheap fuel, the project was a lines and rob good, law-abiding passengers
spectacular failure. Vermissian Sages navigate of their belongings before speeding away on
this strange space, siphoning power from a slip road. To counteract this, guards armed
alternate timelines and attempting to chronicle with short-barrelled, lever-action rifles were
the ongoing history of the drow despite constant positioned in every other carriage; it didn’t
efforts by the aelfir to grind it into nothingness. work, but some of the filigreed carbines
While most Sages are happy to work in the survive to this day and are treasured by
background and quietly protect their heritage, Vermissian Sages for their nostalgic value.
there are certainly occasional rogue elements (D3, Point-Blank, Ranged, Unreliable.)
who are more proactive in their approach to
saving the drow.The Ministry recruits extensively
from the Vermissian Collective, hoping to gain an SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
occult edge over their competition and perhaps METAPHYSICAL CROWBAR. [Low
divine some useful information from adjacent advance] A crowbar made from melted-
timelines where Spire never fell to the high elves. down Vermissian tracks that allows the user
to more easily pry open gates to alternate
dimensions. The crowbar allows you to use
ABILITIES your BACK DOOR core ability more than
once per session, but you mark D6 stress to
CULTIST OF THE CELESTIAL WYRM. an appropriate resistance each time you do.
[Low advance] You are part of the splinter sect It works on other dimensions too, allowing
of sages that worship theVermissian as the mani- you to roll with mastery when you crowbar
festation of a god. Gain the Religion domain. open a door to the Moon Garden or the
When you enter the Vermissian, you are Vyskant bloodsong empire, for example.
blessed by its magnificence, and refresh D3.
CHRONOMETRIC ACTUATOR. [Occult,
CONDUCTOR. [Occult, Medium advance] High advance] This strange-looking device
TheVermissian echoes through your bones; some- resembles a steel flask with a handle and
times you recite station names in your sleep, or trigger welded onto the side; it is suspiciously
scratch subway maps into your arms without heavy and users have said that it “lags”
thinking. When you are in an area with the behind the rest of the world on occasion,
Technology domain, reduce all stress freezing in place or rapidly changing position
marked by 2 (to a minimum of 0). in stressful situations. It functions as an
energy weapon (D8, One-Shot, Ranged)
GHOST TRAIN. [Occult, Medium advance] that, if it kills the target, transports them
The trains that were to navigate the Vermissian backwards through time and space by about
are cursed to exist in multiple parasitic dimen- half an hour. The target doesn’t remember
sions forever, flickering between impossible anything that happened between their re-
timetables; you hitch a ride on one of them. Roll entry point and their death, which may cause
Investigate+Occult to cast this spell when some confusion.
you are within (or very near to) the Vermis- Using the Chronometric Actuator on
sian Network. On a success, you are trans- yourself is a terrible plan; if it works, you
ported through the Network to a station of won’t remember that you used it and may
your choice – it takes about half an hour in end up repeating the same mistakes.
real time, although to you it feels both (Sustaining Moderate fallout from the device
instantaneous and interminably long. You is enough to “kill” you and send you back-
can bring others with you, but increase the wards in time; sustaining Severe fallout
difficulty of the action by 1 if you do. (If you indicates you have become trapped in an
don’t have a map of Spire or the Vermissian untenable time loop.
to hand, you can specify your destination
district and the GM can work it out.)
ADVERSARIES FALLOUT
YOURSELVES, BUT FROM AN ALTERNATE DIMENSION NO EXIT. [Minor, Mind] Try as you might,
There are many reasons not to delve into the every door you touch opens into the Vermis-
Vermissian – electrocution, ghost infestation, bone sian, breaking the rules of time and space
relocation, etc – but assassination by yourself is one and giving everyone nearby a nosebleed.
that few people consider until it’s too late.All too often Even if you don’t open a door, passageways
Vermissian Sages (and their accomplices) are hunted you travel down slowly shift into entrances to
down and killed by versions of themselves from the Vermissian. It’ll wear off after an hour or
alternate dimensions who got pissed off after one too so. (You hope.)
many freakish disruptions in the space/time
continuum. After all, when the Sage plucks resources DOUBLE. [Severe, Mind, Shadow] An
from a dimensional rift or reorganises reality so things identical version of you (played by the GM)
go their way, someone’s on the other end of that. appears, and: they are absolutely identical,
Turns out it was this lot, and they’ve had enough. right down to the smallest detail, right down
to the way that they know that they’re the
YOURSELVES, BUT FROM AN ALTERNATE DIMENSION real one. If for whatever reason either you or
Names: Your own names, but maybe the double dies, roll a D10; on a 6 or more it
with one letter changed or was the real one, otherwise it was the Vermis-
different surnames sian-made clone. The clone is actively
Description: Like you, but with weird circuitry malevolent and will hunt down and kill the
under their skin; like you, but party for daring to create it.
with an iridescent scarab beetle
the size of your fist attached to THE LAST TRAIN. [Severe, Mind] After
the base of their neck; like you, casting too many reckless spells and playing
but in black and white fast and loose with the rules of reality, you
Difficulty: 1; this isn’t the first dimension draw the attention of The Last Train (Spire,
they’ve travelled to p. 131), the only functional locomotive left
Resistance: 10 on the Vermissian network. It immediately
Equipment: Compact, anachronistic energy crashes through the scene, killing you, and
guns (D6, Brutal, Dangerous, causing horrendous destruction before
Ranged) disappearing back into a nearby tunnel (or
Special: If the situation looks truly dire, making a new one).
they will activate their reality-
hook failsafes and yank them-
selves (and everything in a 5ft
sphere around them) back to
their own dimension and return
USEFUL ELEMENTS
to try again later on. Or earlier Train stations, metro tunnels, junkyards
on, if they can pull it off
Maintenance hatches, access tunnels, under-
floor passageways and crawlspaces
Machinery to tinker with and obsess over
Stuffy old academics with an axe to grind
Forensic accounting, cross-referencing

information, research and raw data
Alternate timelines and extra-dimensional

weirdness
Cults of people who worship trains
Political campaigns of lies, mistruths and

illusion
Essays
ESSAYS AND ADVICE

JUST THE BASICS
Communicating the setting of Spire to the players can be a
daunting task. To make it easier, here’s a single source of
information that you can give or read aloud to new players that
should bring them up to speed.
Spire is a very tall and very old city located towards the centre of the land
of Destera. Two hundred years ago the aelfir, or high elves, invaded from
the north and (with the help of gun-toting human mercenaries) took Spire
from the native drow, or dark elves.
The aelfir now rule Spire from gilded ice-palaces within the upper
areas of the city. They live lives of perverse luxury and senseless excess
compared to the countless drow who work in their factories, houses and
farms. Each drow is required to serve a Durance when they come of age
– four years of unpaid labour in the service of an aelfir lord.Working
conditions are poor, and injuries and deaths are common.
Traditional Desteran culture is under attack from the aelfir.Worship
of two of the three main goddesses of old Spire has been forbidden, and
as such, cults devoted to them have been destroyed or radicalised and
driven underground.
The player characters are members of one such cult – The
Ministry of Our Hidden Mistress – and call themselves Ministers,
paramilitary zealots living secret lives in service to their dark
goddess of grace, subterfuge and misdirection.They have sworn to
do anything necessary to remove the aelfir from power and return
Spire to the drow.
PREPARING FOR A GAME OF SPIRE

Making things up on the spot is hard. Running Your prep isn’t a series of set events in order
an entire world in your head and coming up that the players can be guided through. Your
with everything on the spur of the moment – prep is ammunition; your prep is your crack
even if it’s just the bit of the world and the team of agents; your prep is your equipment;
things the player characters are experiencing at and you should be ready to use any of it
that moment – is stressful, exhausting, and whenever you like.
unlikely to result in a satisfying experience
unless you’re really good at it.
But sticking to a set of preprepared events so ABSOLUTELY ZERO PREP
strictly that the players don’t really have any say Ask the players to recap the events of the last
over the events of the story can be difficult, too. session to remind yourself what you’re doing
Players feel constrained and useless; you get and to take up a few minutes of time. Change
frustrated when the action goes in unexpected who delivers the recap each session to ensure
directions, because you don’t know what’s there. you get a different series of viewpoints.
Whether your preparation (or “prep,” as we’re (If this is your first session, ask the players to
going to call it from now on) for a session is describe what trouble their characters have got
reams and reams of notes or six words written themselves into recently.)
on the back of your hand, having something in Ask the most engaged player what their char-
mind before things kick off can help make acter is doing to advance the goals of the
running the game much easier and more fun. Ministry today. Ask the other players if their
You need to find a balance that works for you. characters are involved, and if not, what they’re
There isn’t a right or wrong way to prepare for a up to instead. Go back to the most engaged
game, and you’ll work out what you enjoy the player and describe an obstacle that stands
more you play. All we can hope to do is help you between their character and their goal. If you
find that balance and offer advice with respect to can’t come up with an obstacle, ask the other
the peculiarities of Spire in particular. players for input.
In order to do that, we’re going to go through Because of the way that Spire works, either
different levels of prep in order, starting with they’ll get what they want (brilliant! Ask them
absolutely zero prep. You can mix and match what they’re going to do with it, and then come
these, drawing different parts from each, to find up with another challenge) or Fallout will intro-
what you’re looking for. All of these assume duce unexpected elements into the storyline.
that you’re playing an ongoing campaign of at Lean into these as hard as you can and try to
least five sessions in length; one-shots are issue Fallouts that push the action in strange
detailed separately, and benefit from a different and interesting ways.
method of planning. Write down or remember any interesting
elements (non-player characters, locations,
events, items) that arise from this process.
AN IMPORTANT CONCEPT: Reuse those elements before inventing new
ones; you’ll look like a genius.
SPIRE IS CHANGING Repeat this process with anyone who wasn’t
The world of your game is constantly in flux and involved in that scene, making sure that
only exists when you speak it aloud at the table, and everyone gets a turn at being an active player
the same goes for your story. Whenever you prep, rather than watching the situation play out. Do
you shouldn’t be building an adventure for the this until a) the session reaches a climax and
players to find – but rather you should be readying release, b) the session reaches a cliffhanger, and
yourself to find adventure in whatever the players you can continue next time or c) it’s time for
do.The “story” isn’t a preordained narrative, but a everyone to stop playing because you’re tired. It
loose sack of ideas and prompts that you can stitch should take about two and a half hours.
together into something that sort of makes sense. Next time you do this, look at (or think about)
Spire is a dangerous city and there’s no end that list of things you wrote down (or memorised)
of things that can go wrong at any given time. during the session. Keep reusing things. Repeat
The Ministry’s enemies (and potential allies) the whole process until all of the characters are
are everywhere. There’s no right or wrong route dead, mad, arrested or promoted into uselessness.
through the story, and it’s not possible to go
“off the rails” or “get caught up on side
missions” – the story is hunting for them at
every turn. The story is going to find them, and
you are there to help it.
Essays and advice 51
Then, play as per ZERO PREP above but

TWENTY MINUTES OF PREP keep those personalised events ready to fire off
Get the players’ character sheets and write to keep the pace of the game up or to engage a
down the domains that they chose – these are player who’s not had much attention this
your basic building blocks. As long as the game session – and those actions on the parts of
involves these in some way, at least some of NPCs to back those up if the players are in an
your players will feel engaged and able to more especially passive mood.
reliably contribute mechanically to the plot (as
they get an extra dice when they act in a
domain they have access to). TWO HOURS OF PREP
Invent, or select from the book, two organisa- As AN HOUR OF PREP, but also think about
tions that share at least one domain each with what elements you struggle to come up with on
the player characters. (If you’re in the middle of the spur of the moment, and try to counteract
an ongoing story, pick two existing organisations that. If you’re not good at doing character voices
that you’ve already encountered at the table.) for your NPCs, practice some basic mannerisms
Come up with a reason why those two organisa- that you can drop into your speech later on. If all
tions would come into conflict with one another. your locations feel the same, write down
Select, or create, an NPC to represent each organ- something that marks them out with regards to
isation with: something they want, something they each of the five senses. If you can’t describe
hate, and some flaw to exploit so the players can people confidently, find some images of people
get leverage over them. Select or create two loca- online that you can use as shorthand to “face
tions which share the player domains and that the cast” characters in the game. Do whatever you
organisations might have (or desire) influence. can do make the game as fun for you – and your
Tell the players that their characters have players – as possible.
discovered what these two organisations are in
conflict over and the Ministry has tasked them
with exploiting the situation to gain power. Run PREPPING FOR A ONE-SHOT
the session as in ZERO PREP above but In a one-shot, you’re only going to play for a single
instead of coming up with material on the spot session. We have published eleven brilliant one-
or asking the group for input, look at the details shot missions in Shadow Operations which can act
you’ve written down beforehand first and see if as inspiration; this advice is for when you want to
anything fits before improvising. make your own.
Come up with a mission, issued by the Ministry,

AN HOUR OF PREP for the players to complete. The mission should
As TWENTY MINUTES OF PREP, but have clear parameters, room for players to im-
take a closer look at the players’ character provise solutions, and a definite win condition
sheets, paying attention to their skills and with visible effects. Some ideas for missions:
abilities. What strengths do they have? What
situations can they exploit? Try to envisage an • Extract someone or something from a
event directed at each player character – dangerous situation
something that’s primarily a problem that • Protect someone or something against attackers
they’ll have to (or want to) solve, or an event • Plant something dangerous in enemy territory
that the player will love getting their teeth into. • Kill someone powerful and/or important
If you already know what the “right” course of
action is to take in a given situation, you’re relying Pick or create a mission area.The more restricted a
on your players to guess at it from your (imper- mission area is, the easier it’ll be to run a game in it
fect, human) cues.This isn’t a puzzle to be solved, and the easier players will find it to make informed
but a story you’re all telling together – so let the and quick decisions. Don’t worry about how the cell
players tell it. Instead of working out solutions, get into the area – ask the players how it happened
work out interesting problems and be surprised and cut to the fun part. Some ideas for locations:
by what the players do to overcome them.
Then, take a think about the other characters • An up-Spire mansion
and organisations referenced so far, especially if • A cursed but inhabited Vermissian station
they’re NPC Bonds attached to the player char- • A Solar temple and the surrounding streets
acters. What are they up to? How will it impact • A run-down neighbourhood pub and
the player characters? If it wouldn’t be apparent the tunnels beneath
to the player characters, or it doesn’t make their • A few streets of contested territory in
lives different in any way, change it so that it New Heaven
becomes relevant. • A mid-range Silver Quarter casino
Break down the mission location into five or so A handful of twists:
locations – make sure there’s something interest-
ing in each of them. The examples below are for • This place is haunted, and the ghosts are angry
the up-Spire mansion mentioned above: • The ritual upstairs is the distraction; the real
ritual happened last week, and it worked
• The sterile and austere gardens • The masked celebrants draw long knives
• A sumptuous bedchamber leading out onto and fall upon one another, stabbing
a balcony • The building detaches from Spire and floats
• A drawing-room full of books and loose crows away on a skywhale
• A sweltering, cacophonous kitchen • The bomb you’re delivering is, in actual fact,
• The expansive and well-stocked wine cellar a person
Then, come up with something unusual going And, finally, you can come up with as many
on in the mission location. Again, some ideas: props as you like. Props are little hooks and
scene elements that give players an easy way to
• A wedding interact with the game. If you’ve got a fun idea
• A party but it’s not in-depth enough to be a location or
• A clash between two rival organisations an NPC, make a prop out of it.
• A riot
• A plague of ghosts • A rifle hanging over the mantlepiece
• A dark ritual • Two enormous dogs snoozing in the back yard
• A festival or parade • A chandelier
• Experimental theatre • One of those paintings with eye holes cut out
• A very recent murder • An anxious, late, overburdened delivery boy
• The worst storm in decades • An unattended kebab cart
Invent (or select from the books) three or so Pre-generate the characters (or use some of the
NPCs connected to the mission who could get up ones ready-made in the Spire campaign frames)
to something interesting and pose as opposition and ensure that each of them can use at least
to the player characters – or who could help them, one of their domains and one of their skills in
if given the right incentive to do so. If these people the game you have envisioned. Choose abilities
dislike each other, so much the better. for them that will key in with the mission area
NPCs are important because it gives both and the events as well as the requirements of
you and the players an opportunity to roleplay, the mission itself. Then – and this is crucial –
and a lot of character abilities rely on NPCs to write down all the locations, NPCs and props
function. Name them and allocate them to a on index cards (or similar, or some sort of di-
location; here are some loose concepts: gital equivalent).
When you play the game, arrange them
• The target, if the target is a person facing the players and ask them what they want
• The target’s bitter ex-husband to explore. Again: you can’t afford to mess
• A pious and righteous Solar Priest around, so don’t be coy with it. Let them know
• A lackadaisical occultist for hire, currently that this isn’t the be-all and end-all of their
out of work potential interactions in the game, but instead a
• The social-climbing head of the Liftsman’s series of prompts for them to investigate and
Guild elements to exploit.You’ll find that it saves a lot
• The target’s business rival of time that would normally be spent
describing the situation to them, and they’ll be
Once the situation’s in place, you need to add a able to get to the meat of the game sooner.You
twist. Something is going to happen that’s going can even give the index cards to players to keep
to surprise the players (and probably some of track of after they, say, recruit an NPC to the
the NPCs) and make the third act of the story cause or grab hold of a prop.
much more interesting. You can get as wild as That should be enough for a one-shot all on
you like with these as long as you reference them its own.
in the opening stages of the game a little.
essays 53
WHEN TO ROLL, AND WHEN NOT TO

One of the most important jobs you have as a DO THEY ROLL?
gamesmaster is determining when players It depends. How much time have you spent
should and shouldn’t roll the dice – because with the game’s attention focused on them? Are
when they do, they’re opening themselves up to they, or the other players, looking antsy and
a wide variety of awful outcomes thanks to the bored? Would it be interesting to re-introduce
way that stress and fallout works. that guard on a failure after establishing the
Fundamentally, if a character is attempting fact that they exist earlier on, or would it be
something that is broadly within their abilities, frustrating to have to come up with another
they’re not under any particular pressure and cover story? What’s at stake if they fail, and if
you can’t think of anything interesting that they succeed? Has the player “earned” access to
would happen if they failed, you can assume it the room by passing that Deceive+High
goes off without a hitch and move on. The Society check, in your opinion? Did you need
boundaries of this are fuzzy, and deliberately to mention that the door was locked in the first
so, because they’re so bound up with context place, and could you have glossed over it?
that it’s hard to define exact parameters – but a There’s no single right or wrong answer.When
lot of it comes down to pacing. you ask a player to roll the dice, you’re giving up
For example, let’s say that a Masked player the narrative authority you have over the situation
character is attempting to infiltrate an office to – and you’re taking it away from them, too – as
search for blackmail materials. They’re already the dice now determine what happens next, not
in the building; in fact, they passed a Deceive- general consensus. One of your jobs as GM is to
+High Society roll to get in without a hitch and steer the game and decide when to go with the
had a fun interaction with a passing guard. It flow and when to let fate decide what happens
makes sense to you that the office door would be next, and to maintain a balance of predict-
locked – there’s sensitive documents in there – ability and surprise in the narrative.
and picking a lock or circumnavigating the
obstacle somehow is the meat and drink of infilt-
ration scenes. The Masked’s player announces
that they’re going to try and pick the lock.
LET’S MAKE FAILURE INTERESTING: A GUIDE
Characters are going to fail their actions, which BLOOD
is a good thing, because if the protagonist in a Their heart hammers in their chest
story succeeded all the time that might make Their opponent cracks their knuckles and grins
for a pretty boring story. But it can be hard, at They spit out a mouthful of blood
the table, to roll with failures and keep the They’re winded, but intact
game interesting. Here’s the most important They’re knocked on their back
thing to remember: whenever a player rolls There’s a vicious dent in their chest-plate
dice, whether they succeed or fail, the world They feel blood running down their arm
still changes. One of their teeth comes loose
When a player rolls dice and fails, they’ll mark Their muscles spasm and cramp from the strain
stress; if they’re unlucky, they’ll also mark
Fallout. But if they don’t mark Fallout, failure MIND
can sometimes feel a little bit hollow – as though They see a flash of something that can’t be real
they acted and nothing happened. To avoid this, They taste tin, like they’re about to throw up
when a player marks stress but doesn’t take Onlookers glance at them and then quickly
Fallout, you can use this as an opportunity to turn their heads
describe the world moving against them. Apoca- They hear a voice telling them they’re useless,
lypse World uses the phrase “signal future dangerous or otherwise a problem
badness” to explain this, which we think is a Occult symbols burn into their eyes and itch in
lovely way to describe the sense of building the back of their mind
narrative tension as stress builds up. Look to the Time seems to slow down and lights grow un-
right for some ideas for what’s going on when a naturally bright or dim
player marks stress to a given resistance. A high-pitched, keening wail rings in their ears
Whatever you choose, one piece of advice we
really want to emphasise is: the player characters SILVER
probably didn’t screw up. They’re competent, They’re down to their emergency ammo
dangerous people who are operating on the They use up the last of their spireblack
wrong side of the law – if they were complete no- They remember the overdue rent letter sitting
hopers they would have died during initiation. If unopened on their kitchen table
a player rolls a failure, it’s much more exciting to Their stomach rumbles from going hungry again
describe how things are actually more difficult or Their shoes feel thin and threadbare
dangerous than their character thought than it is They look at the bill and realise it’s more than
to describe them falling on their arse, or saying they thought it would be
something daft, or completely missing the point
of a challenge. Spire positions the characters as SHADOW
vicious underdogs, and having their failures They see onlookers outside peering through
come with a side order of humiliation can really the windows
undermine that theme. A nearby guard mutters something and pre-
pares to investigate the disturbance
They break some glass or visibly damage a lock
whilst picking it
They realise there’s no sneaky way out of here
and they’ll have make a to run for it
Someone wakes up and blearily gets a glass of
water to cure their headache
They drop something that could potentially
identify them later on
REPUTATION
A respected member of the community frowns
at them
A bartender quietly and respectfully gets the club
out from under the bar and locks eyes with them
Children run away, scared
Someone yells an insult at them in the street
Gangsters flick open their jackets to show their
sidearms, just in case
Someone they care about looks uncomfortable
at their behaviour and leaves
Essays and advice 55
CREATIVE USE OF SKILLS

Skills and domains are present in the game to allow players a chance to
be better at some important things than they are at others. They make
for differentiation between the characters and let actions be more
reliable in certain situations, giving each player time to shine.
However: they’re all nonsense.
You can make them do whatever you want. You can, and indeed
should, encourage your players to get creative with applications of skills;
once all’s said and done, it doesn’t really matter whether a player rolls
two or three dice on a given check. What matters is that you told a good
story together and did something memorable and exciting.
So if a Masked player wants to use Sneak instead of Fight to murder
some guy in his sleep, sure! Why not? Have them roll and see what
happens. If a Lahjan wants to use Resist to get a crowd of people
onside with a display of penitence, go for it. If a Midwife wants to use
Fix to rig the outcome of a corvid-race due to a linguistic overlap, it
really doesn’t matter if you give them that extra dice, so long as it helps
you collectively tell a cool story.
One caveat: cool stories aren’t ones where the protagonists always get
everything they want, without having to try. Spire isn’t a power fantasy,
and the game is designed to make failure interesting rather than
blocking the party’s progress. It’s also not the best fun to spend too
much of your play time trying to shoehorn your skills into every situ-
ation. The exact balance is up to your group to define.
Here’s the secret, most important, never-written rule of almost every
roleplaying game out there: if you can convince the GM, your character
does it. Having certain words and numbers written on your character
sheet makes it more likely you can convince them, because they’re the
arbiters of this narrative – not the dice.
56 Get More Spire at rowanrookanddecard.com
SPIRE: THIS CITY MUST FALL

A fantasy-punk RPG about rebellion, brutality and oppression. What are you
prepared to sacrifice to get what you deserve? You are a dark elf.Your home, the
towering city of Spire, was occupied by the high elves two hundred years ago.
Now, you have joined a secret organisation known as the Ministry, a
paramilitary cult with a single aim – to overthrow the cruel high elves and
restore the drow as the rightful rulers of the city.
What – or who – will you sacrifice to achieve your aims? Will you evade the
attention of the authorities, or end up shot in the street like so many before you?
STRATA
Strata is the first full-length sourcebook for the Spire roleplaying game. Written
by Grant Howitt and Chris Taylor, and with ten scenarios from a wide variety of
other authors, Strata gives more details on the best and worst that the city of
Spire has to offer. It won 2020’s silver ENnie award for Best Art for the
beautiful, full-colour artwork from Adrian Stone.
Try two new classes – the purple-prose black-magic pulp fiction occultist
Inksmith and the multifaceted and fractured Shadow Agent. Or expand any class
with many new extra advances: the flower-skinned Druid of the Living Spire, the
muckraking Gazetteer, the sigil-scrawling Children of the Runestack and more.
Grant Howitt and Christopher Taylor
Shadow operations
Beard | Biswas | Blades | Bradley | Chan | Ghouse
SHADOW OPERATIONS
Howitt | Pitre | Punzalan | Taylor | Weathers Climb aboard the Last Train and steal the secrets of its locomotion. Assassinate
the most powerful man in the lawless undercity of Red Row. Defend the
wedding of Brother Hellion’s only daughter at the Church of the Gun. Spring a
gnoll prisoner-of-war from the best-defended prison in all of Spire. Kidnap a
reborn Saint gone rogue on the streets of Pilgrim’s Walk.
All these adventures and more await you in Shadow Operations, a collection of
eleven Spire scenarios designed to be run in a single session and written by a
wide variety of authors. Each of them is laid out in an easy-to-read format,
allowing you to get up and running as quickly as possible.
EIDOLON SKY, KINGS OF SILVER, BLOOD AND DUST

With these standalone campaign frames, you might:
BLO OD AND DUST
• Take to the sacred streets of New Heaven to fight demons, deal drugs and
A campaign frame for Spire RPG
By Grant Howitt & Christopher Taylor evade the attentions of a cruel and beautiful serial killer.
• Try and take control of the Silver Quarter, armed with only a run-down
gambling hall and a sheaf of newspaper clippings.
EID OLO N SKY
A campaign frame for Spire RPG • Delve into a nightmare undercity as it crumbles apart under the strain of
By Grant Howitt & Christopher Taylor
The Kings of Silver

A campaign frame for Spire RPG
forgotten magicks
By Grant Howitt & Christopher Taylor
HEART: THE CITY BENEATH

Heart:The City Beneath is an award-winning complete tabletop roleplaying game
about delving into a nightmare undercity that will give you everything you’ve
ever dreamed of – or kill you in the process. It is a dungeon-crawling, story-
forward tabletop RPG from the designers of Spire that focuses on what
characters have to lose in pursuit of their dreams in the chaotic darkness
beneath the world.

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Written by Grant Howitt and Christopher Taylor

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Copyright © 2021 by Grant Howitt and Christopher Taylor.

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Rowan, Rook and Decard

First printing. Printed in Latvia by Livonia Print. ISBN:

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL FOR EVERY CLASS 17

ESSAYS AND ADVICE 49

– Grant & Chris

CRACK DOWN. Gangs of malcontents, SEVERE

CURFEW. Drow may now no longer be out of PLAINCLOTHES PALADINS. The

CREATING BEATS IN SPIRE

MEDIUM ACQUISITIONS are the sort of

Some things are beyond the limits of even High

LOW. A single successful dice roll is required

Example: Gillian, playingVaunt the Azurite,

Example:Vaunt is trying to arm a small

HIGH. Nine successful dice rolls are required

CATASTROPHE ALTAR. A night-black table

TRAPS. A series of nasty surprises for uninvited

DOCTOR. No-one becomes a doctor hoping to do

MINISTRY ACOLYTE. A zealous individual

MINISTRY TEMPLE. A shrine to the Hidden

VERMISSIAN SHORTCUT. The coiled

USEFUL ELEMENTS SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

A pious Azurite, who’s devoted to the whole

Businesses, side-hustles, schemes, gambits,

A lot of something interesting to try and sell

Someone who desperately needs something,

Markets, souks, trade halls, any place where

THE SAINT OF SNIPERS. [Divine, Conversations overheard whilst crouched

EQUIPMENT Other solitary murderous weirdos for them

Unsolved crimes,especially committed against

Scenes for them to appear in using

COMPELLED. [Minor, Mind] Sensing

HARD LANDING. [Moderate, Blood] As

TAKEN. [Moderate, Mind] As COMPELLED

CULT OF KNIVES. [Severe, Mind] As

DEMANDS. [Blood, Mind, Occult,

READY FOR THE BLADE. [Divine,

Any sort of carrion-beast

Ghosts (whether manifested or occluded)

The Guild of Morticians, poking their noses

Someone more zealously devoted to Charnel

Needy faithful asking for guidance, divine

People who think their hyena’s cute if it’s

Visions of the great god Charnel, laughing

Strong but slow adversaries for them to

Festivals, holy days, lay rituals and raucous

BONE-SPLITTER. An oversized maul with a MORTICIAN DEATH-RUNNERS

LEGALLY DEAD. [Severe, Reputation,

FIREBOMBS. Nothing finishes an argument

ON FIRE. [Minor, Blood, Reputation] GARGOYLE

CELESTIAL SPONGE. [Divine, Medium

Grim cults, basement sects, cowled pilgrims, SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

session you don’t paint, draw, sing about,

Beautiful, stupid, rich people to bewitch and lure

MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD. [Occult,