Hey folks! It’s time for the last of these playbook blogs. We’ve covered the rebels who sit on the fringes of society, and the ones who wade deep into the void. Today, I’m going to talk about the rebels who work best in the heart of their community.
First up, The Authority! The castle is hierarchy and tyranny – a parasitic system set up to exploit the masses while insulating its nobility from accountability. Its laws protect but do not bind its leaders, and bind but do not protect the everyone else. Is there a better way to lead?
That’s what The Authority is trying to find out. They have a core set of skills that would help with that – they can sense who most needs their advice, they can inspire the other rebels and keep their bonds strong, and can channel the void to make their authority impossible to contradict or block. As their power grows, they can give their followers a safe way to connect with each other, summon minions from the void to help them with paperwork, and track the movements of the castle through the city.
Your first big choice when you make an Authority is the kind of… authority you offer to the group, enshrined in your Crew Covenant. Is it the authority of leadership, channeling The Auteur to reject outside authorities, give the other rebels useful tasks for your organisation, and command your foes? Is it the authority of expertise, using The Sage to give useful advice, trading on the reputation of your peers, and making the nightmare physics of the castle work for you? Or is it moral authority, using Justice to hear the troubles of the city’s people, make public servants do their goddamn jobs, and turn the enemy’s openings on your allies into an opportunity to strike? On top of that, they bring along the people already in their network – a friendly rival giving them a push with the power of The Chariot, a novice they’re teaching who brings the power of The Fool, or an outside contractor with many strange talents, including the power of The Magician?
Then there’s the kind of authority they can bring to bear in the castle. Maybe they lead from the front, clad in gleaming armor, letting loose war cries to rally their crew and smashing away attacks that dare to target anyone else. Or maybe they take a more tactical view, using signal flares to paint the battlefield with their stratagems and issuing orders that cannot be denied. Or maybe they spot the weak link in the opponents’ formation, and reshape the castle to isolate them both in a space they control? Whatever you choose, you limit your opponents’ options, rally your allies, and make your victory all but guaranteed.
Why rebel? Because your city deserves a better kind of leadership.
The Authority is respected, but The Icon is adored – the castle made sure of that. You see, it helps the castle to uplift the occasional ‘exceptional’ individual, and use their talents and triumphs to sell the myth of meritocracy. In return, the champion gets money, prestige, and fame – until they’re worn out and get discarded. What happens when one of those heroes throws in with the revolution?
The first thing that happens is that the revolution gains a route into the hearts of the people. The Icon can use the void to become superhuman, borrowing unreal strength, grace or presence from their legend. They can help others do the same, with an uncanny ability to spot the person looking for a chance to shine. And once they’re in a vassal’s shard, they can look into their heart too – sensing whatever it is that the vassal feels most guilty at right now.
The Icon can give the crew some of that sparkle too. Maybe it’s with the emotional intelligence of Strength – helping the others work through their burdens, taking conditions instead of them, and making fights personal to get an edge. Maybe it’s more physical, using the momentum of The Chariot to outrun any pursuit in the city, reward your crewmates for taking risks, and crash into enemies in the castle with concussive force. Or maybe you’re in a committed relationship with one or more of the crew, and use the power of The Lovers to show them what makes them beautiful, intuit what those you meet hold dear, and use your relationship as a source of strength as you fight the monsters of the castle. Then there’s your broader network – a coach who can guide your growth with the power of The Auteur, a fallen rival who can prepare you for the good and bad times with The Wheel of Fortune, or an up-and-coming contender whose raw talent shines with The Star.
The Icon loves the spotlight, and the castle makes for a perfect stage. Armed with an army of phantom fans, a cacophonous megaphone, or bulletproof confidence, they can easily make themselves a problem for the avatar’s minions. Then there’s the gifts of the void: the Icon can channel that power to ignore any attempts to mar their perfection, sway the hearts of the castle’s creatures, force the avatar to talk to them as an equal, or perform impossible feats of grace and power.
Why rebel? Because you want to use your talents for something that truly matters.
Finally, there’s The Provider – the playbook most rooted in the many wonders and concerns of the mundane world. They’re here to care for others, and that’s what their powers as a rebel help them do – able to spot who most needs a hug and a kind word, channel magic to give someone a day free of illness or pain, and resolve any tensions within the crew before they can boil over. As you get more powerful you can fill the hideout with an endless cornucopia of resources, send invisible guardian spirits out to watch over your people, and ensure that your community’s food banks and mutual aid societies have everything they need to operate.
All Providers care for others, but their Crew Covenant speaks to how. With The Gardener, they’re a caring mentor who can show others how to grow and be happy – and can summon the spirits of their own mentors for advice. With Temperance, they’re a mediator and a safety valve, helping others shuffle around their various burdens to make them manageable. And with The Wheel of Fortune they can predict fate’s ups and downs, embracing bad luck when the stakes are low to get good luck when it’s crucial. Then there’s the other side of the coin – the people they’re providing for. Maybe it’s someone who can’t help getting into trouble, but who gives insights into The Tower. Maybe you’re taking care of someone facing down the end of their life, revealing the graces of Death. Or maybe there’s a partner you trust implicitly, and who gives you the empathy of The Lovers.
Even in the castle, the Provider is there to help. You can take other’s wounds in their place, find anything you can think of in your deep pockets, or even bring out home cooking when the group rests to help them all heal their wounds. And then there’s the weirder stuff. You can summon superhuman strength and endurance, so long as you’re saving someone else from danger, or you can even create your own monsters – custom-building their abilities and weapons to serve your needs, and paying a bit of your soul to the void in order to make them a permanent resident of your hideout that you can bring along on future delves.
Why rebel? To feed the hungry and mend the broken.
And that’s all of the playbooks – with the exception of the Union, of course! Next week, I’ll be writing something a little different: a breakdown of the relationships that make this game work, the Covenants they give you, and the different ways your covenant system might work at the table.
