#Quick Reference — Dark-Side Play
Contents
To use the dark quickly, first decide what you mean to illuminate.
#Core Boundary
- No new fiend class.
- No new technique, Sorcery, or school.
- No yoma PC.
- All fiend data follows the
cosource. - Fiend equipment data is used only as
fc07chapter 05 internal data. - Dark-side play begins only after the table's agreement.
#The Four Questions of the Dark Side
| Dark side | Core question | Representative line |
|---|---|---|
| Hegemony | If I am right, do I also have the right to break others? | "It is necessary for the great cause." |
| Void | If salvation has failed, may mercy be discarded too? | "It is all suffering anyway." |
| Demon | If nature has no morality, may humans discard morality too? | "The strong side survives." |
| No Heart | If I believe in nothing, need I take responsibility for nothing? | "It is not my business." |
#The Four Stages of the Way of Evil
| Stage | Question |
|---|---|
| Wound | What was lost? |
| Excuse | With what words was the first taboo crossed? |
| Repetition | How did the same choice become easier? |
| Name | What does he now call himself? |
#Demon Without a Fiend Class
Falling into Demon is not exclusive to fiend classes. The base 18 classes, the 3 outsider classes, and ordinary commoners can also read the language of their own lives in the way of Demon.
A quick build formula:
Class or status / first pressure / Demon's line / prey / the remaining name
For detailed operation, see You Fall to Demon Even Without a Fiend Class.
#The 12 Fiend Class Links
| Fiend class | Link | Main dark side |
|---|---|---|
| Shurado | source | Hegemony, Demon |
| Dokuchushi | source | Demon, Void |
| itako | source | Void, No Heart |
| Jikiniki | source | Demon |
| Kaibutsu | source | Void, Hegemony |
| Kekka | source | Hegemony, Demon |
| Shikome-no-Tsukai | source | Void, Demon |
| Tatarigami | source | Hegemony, Void |
| Tengushi | source | Demon, No Heart |
| Tesshin | source | Hegemony, No Heart |
| Yorijin | source | Demon, No Heart |
| Zakkasho | source | No Heart, Hegemony |
For integrated samples, see Fiend Samples.
#The Basic Scene Form
Choice: the substantial gain a PC can obtain.
Price: who loses what by that choice.
Mirror: a figure who gives a different answer in the same situation.
Trace: the object, rumor, or change of place left after the choice.
#The Fiend PC in Three Lines
My dark side: which of Hegemony / Void / Demon / No Heart to view as the center.
My taboo: what line has this character already crossed?
My remaining name: what person, place, or promise can they not yet discard?
#Post-Session Questions
- What did your character stop explaining today?
- Who has come to fear your character more?
- What name have you not yet discarded?
- Will it be easier next time the same option comes?
- If you could stop, what would you have to lose?
#Unbounded Villain Play
Wrongdoing without restraint becomes boring if left long. Because the following five things vanish.
| What vanishes | Result |
|---|---|
| Resistance | It becomes a processing order, not a choice. |
| Scarcity | What you want grows blurred. |
| Identity | That villain's own face vanishes. |
| Tension | Failure, betrayal, price, and time limits weaken. |
| Purpose | The reason for the next scene weakens. |
The basic loop that turns wrongdoing into a hook:
Target / resource / witness / debt / contamination / invitation
For detailed operation, see If You Really Want to Pursue an Unbounded Villain?.
#The Familiar Dark-Side Villain
A scene-stealer villain is not a villain whose sin is light, but a villain who keeps the scene alive even when appearing repeatedly.
A quick build formula:
Dark side / occupational face / recurring device / why the PCs need them / what is funny / what is not funny / the choice that will come someday
For detailed operation, see Making Dark-Hearted but Familiar Villains.
#Document Locations
- Index
- The Table Agreement and Forbidden Lines
- What It Means to Fall into the Way of Evil
- Survey of the 12 Fiend Classes
- You Fall to Demon Even Without a Fiend Class
- GM Scene Tools
- If You Really Want to Pursue an Unbounded Villain?
- Making Dark-Hearted but Familiar Villains
- Villain Equipment — Weapons and Armor
- Villain Equipment — Tools and Objects of Wrongdoing
A quick reference does not lessen the dark — it only tells you where to stop and read.