12 KiB
"The void does not break you all at once. It seeps in like cold water through stone—at first unnoticed, then unstoppable."
The Corruption system represents how a character’s soul is warped by the void between the stars. Corruption is not simply danger; it is temptation—a slow trade of humanity for power.
Gaining Corruption Dice
Certain effects—void magic, forbidden rites, cursed places, or spiritual trauma—cause you to gain one or more Corruption Dice.
- These dice are marked with the Corruption modifier.
- You add corruption dice to your pool whenever you roll for an action.
- Corruption dice remain in your pool indefinitely, growing in number as you court darkness.
Warning
There is no natural way to lose corruption dice. Cleansing is the only reliable method, and it is slow, costly, and humiliating.
Rolling Corruption Dice
Corruption dice act as normal dice in your pool, but if they roll 1 or 6, they trigger the corruption tables:
- 1 – Backlash: The darkness lashes out. Roll once on the Backlash Table and resolve its effect.
- 6 – Compromised Success: You succeed, but the victory is tainted. Roll once on the Compromised Success Table and resolve its effect.
Important:
- If multiple corruption dice show 1 or 6 in the same roll, you only roll the table once.
- All triggering dice still count as full successes. A 6 on a corruption die always counts as a success (and at certain corruption levels it may count as 2 successes—see Boon Track).
- Persistence: Corruption dice do not leave your pool after triggering. They remain, continuing to whisper.
- Critical Purge: If two corruption dice trigger on the same result (double 1s or double 6s), you may remove one of those dice after resolving the effect.
Backlash Table (Corruption Die = 1)
When you roll a 1 on a corruption die, roll 2d6 on this table:
| 2d6 | Backlash Effect + Narrative Prompt |
|---|---|
| 2 | Possessed: A hostile spirit seizes control for a few heartbeats. → “Your body jerks like a puppet—what’s the first thing you strike or destroy before you can wrench control back?” |
| 3 | Void Surge: A burst of void energy harms you or your surroundings. → “The air tears open with a shriek. What around you is shattered or maimed as the Veil recoils?” |
| 4 | Horrid Vision: Overwhelming hallucinations leave you staggered (lose 1 APR next round). → “What impossible thing do you see crawling out of the walls?” |
| 5 | Spiritual Bleed: The Veil marks you. Nearby spirits become hostile or drawn to you. → “Which spirit’s eyes are suddenly on you, and how do you feel its hunger?” |
| 6 | Ruinous Impulse: Dark whispers urge a rash act. → “What self-sabotaging urge surges through you, and do you fight it or obey?” |
| 7 | Unstable Surge: Mark a normal die in this roll as risky. If it fails, you take 1 Fatigue. → “The power flares too hot—how does your body or gear crack under the strain?” |
| 8 | Fragmented Will: You gain a Slight or –1 die to Spirit rolls for the rest of the scene. → “A voice inside mocks your failure. What weakness does it whisper about you?” |
| 9 | Soul Scar: You take a lasting trauma: whispers, tremors, hollowed eyes. → “What mark does everyone see now that you can’t hide?” |
| 10 | Feral Outburst: You lash out at the nearest creature (friend or foe). → “Whose blood is on your hands when you come to?” |
| 11 | Draw the Darkness: Your corruption leaves a visible mark. → “Who notices the black veins crawling under your skin?” |
| 12 | Catastrophic Release: GM chooses a major dark event. → “The darkness explodes outward. Who or what is forever changed by this eruption?” |
Compromised Success Table (Corruption Die = 6)
When you roll a 6 on a corruption die, roll 2d6 on this table:
| 2d6 | Complication Effect + Narrative Prompt |
|---|---|
| 2 | Corruption Grows: Gain +1 corruption die instead of removing it. → “The power lingers like a parasite—how does it feel crawling deeper into you?” |
| 3 | Collateral Damage: Your success harms an ally, resource, or innocents. → “Who suffers for your victory, and can you bear to look at them?” |
| 4 | Tainted Insight: You succeed but absorb forbidden knowledge. –1 die to Spirit rolls until cleansed. → “What terrible truth did you glimpse that you can’t unsee?” |
| 5 | Marked by the Veil: Entities from beyond sense you clearly now. → “Whose eyes are you sure are watching you when you’re alone?” |
| 6 | Reckless Power: Success is amplified, but you take 1 Injury or 1 Fatigue. → “How does the force rip through your flesh as you push too far?” |
| 7 | Lose Control: You cannot fully direct the success. → “What vital element slips beyond your control, twisting the outcome?” |
| 8 | Exposed Weakness: Your success reveals a vulnerability. → “Who now knows the crack in your armor, and how will they use it?” |
| 9 | Debt Owed: A dark entity aided your success. → “Whose voice whispers ‘You owe me,’ and what do you fear it will ask?” |
| 10 | Bleed Through: Your success corrupts your surroundings. → “What nearby life, place, or object blackens and warps in your wake?” |
| 11 | Lingering Influence: –1 die to Spirit rolls for the rest of the scene. → “What shadow now clings to your thoughts, making you hesitate?” |
| 12 | Irreversible Cost: Success permanently costs something. → “What part of yourself, your bond, or your body did the darkness take?” |
The Whispering Boon Track
The void rewards those who carry corruption for long enough to hear its song. These boons stack and remain active while you hold the required number of corruption dice:
| Corruption Dice | Boon Effect + Narrative Prompt |
|---|---|
| 1–2 Dice | Faint Whispers: No mechanical benefit. Just a sense of being watched. → “Whose voice calls your name from the corner of your dreams?” |
| 3 Dice | Veil Touched: You may treat a corruption die’s 6 as 2 successes. → “How does the world feel thinner when you draw on this strength?” |
| 4 Dice | Void Siphon: Once per scene, reroll a failed die. If the reroll fails again, add +1 corruption die. → “What unseen hand steadies yours when you shouldn’t have another chance?” |
| 5 Dice | Eldritch Channel: When a corruption die is part of an attack or spell, you may add +2 damage/effect. Doing so adds +1 corruption die. → “What alien energy crackles through your veins as you strike?” |
| 6 Dice | Eye of the Abyss: Once per scene, ask the GM a single question about the scene, an NPC, or a location and get an unnerving, precise answer. → “What vast, cold intelligence answers your call from beyond the stars?” |
| 7 Dice | Voidspawn’s Favor: Once per day, ignore all failure on a roll, treating it as a success. Doing so immediately draws the direct attention of a twisted void spirit. → “Whose claws close around your mind, promising a price later?” |
| 8+ Dice | The Hollow Crown: The void spirit moves in. You are permanently altered—part-haunted, part-possessed. Roll once on the Mutation & Possession Table. → “What part of you is no longer yours to command?” |
Mutation & Possession Table (8+ Dice)
| 2d6 | Mutation / Possession Effect + Narrative Prompt |
|---|---|
| 2 | Parasitic Twin: A fragment of the void manifests as a visible growth (eye, mouth, limb). It whispers and can roll one corruption die independently each scene. → “What does it say when no one else is listening?” |
| 3 | Hollowed Heart: You are immune to fear and emotional magic, but Bonds no longer refresh—you feel nothing lasting. → “How do your allies see the absence in your eyes?” |
| 4 | Eldritch Hunger: You must feed your corruption (steal life, consume spirits) to stay stable. Each feeding gives you one automatic boon level. → “What will you do when the hunger gnaws and there’s nothing left to take?” |
| 5 | Living Portal: Once per scene, a void entity can step through you. Each use causes you 1 Injury. → “How does it feel when something crawls through your bones to emerge in the world?” |
| 6 | Unnatural Majesty: +1 die to Intimidation, but NPCs instinctively distrust you. → “What do you see in their faces when they realize you’re not entirely mortal?” |
| 7 | Void Familiar: A twisted void-spirit is bonded to you. It can act for you but may override your will. → “When it speaks, is it your voice or its own?” |
| 8 | Veil-Torn Body: You are partially incorporeal (ignore mundane weapons, slip through barriers), but suffer +1 Injury from silver or wards. → “What parts of you flicker out of reality when you’re under stress?” |
| 9 | Omen-Bearer: Allies nearby must roll 2d6 when they fail; on a 2–3, their failure worsens catastrophically. → “What dark pattern follows you wherever you go?” |
| 10 | Eyes of the Abyss: You pierce illusions and see spirits, but you no longer sleep peacefully—the void shows you horrors nightly. → “What truths have you seen that make your hands tremble?” |
| 11 | Unkillable Husk: You may act at 0 Health once per scene, but each use adds a mutation. → “What part of you stops being human each time you rise again?” |
| 12 | True Possession: The void spirit fully cohabits your body. It grants new powers but can act without your consent. → “What does it take control for first?” |
Cleansing Corruption
The only way to fully remove corruption dice is through cleansing: dangerous rituals, pilgrimages, or costly sacrifices.
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Cleansing is slow and narrative—weeks of fasting, lost Bonds, destruction of precious resources.
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Most cleansing attempts fail or worsen the corruption if rushed.
[!danger]
Cleansing makes you weaker. You lose the Boon Track’s rewards and the power you’ve grown used to. This is why many spiritbinders choose to carry their corruption, whispering: “I’ll cleanse later…”
Tone and Use
Corruption is designed to be tempting. It gives characters real, usable power at the cost of irreversible transformation.
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Early corruption feels safe—harmless whispers, no penalties.
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By the time the power kicks in (3+ dice), you are hooked.
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At 8+ dice, the void takes its due.
Ask every player holding corruption dice:
“Do you keep feeding the darkness for more power… or try to claw your way back to the light?”
👉 Would you like me to now design a compact reference page (like a two-page spread) with this entire system laid out beautifully for players/GM? Or should I write a sidebar about how corruption interacts with Bonds, Social Encounters, and Spiritbinding, so the consequences ripple into every pillar of play?