As a developer who has meddled with Roll20 and as a fan of using Roll20 for Blades, this is a huge endeavor. I'm not holding my breath. I expect it won't happen. I will be working around it. I'm about to play tonight. Is there anything that is super hard to do in Roll20?
Hi and thank you for years of fun - I'm likely buying a round of this expansion* for our whole Shadows crew andI adopting many modules. Just bought another physical book for my wife for Christmas.
One thing I didn't quite know for sure that's caused some bickering at our table - does the Shadows Pack Rats ability (OG: +1d to acquire an asset in downtime, DC: +1 free asset acquisition each downtime) only work for items or gear?
I took it to be a single Acquire Asset mechanic that could also result in the new version giving a free Physicker or some such each downtime, but this has been peculiarly controversial.
Hi John, love the expansion. I'm personally looking to use pretty much all of the modules as they seem like a great refinement on the whole system. However, I was wandering when is the next pdf update planned to release ? It's probably hard work to implement all the precision and corrections that people have pointed out, so I'm just wandering when we can expect it. Thank you for this awesome system.
(I'm giving +1 to blank playbook sheets specifically because it would make my life much easier, thanks !)
For a new invention, its basically a set of long term projects, so use the new long term project rules. At the end when you go to manufacture it, treat it like the new Acquire Activity and you start with a version at your crew's Tier. If you need more than that, pay the Coin cost to get a higher-Tier item.
For a modification of an existing item, I'm guessing it is:
First determine the target Tier, which is based on the Tier of the Item being modified...
There's two different, and seemingly unrelated, people named Bowmore (Admiral Bowmore, p14 and Master Builder Bowmore, p16) which is bound to cause confusion. It's a little late to point out the existing confusion in the original Blades between the two "Lord S...somethings" (Lord Strangford and Lord Scurlock) which forever trips me up, but having two Bowmores who aren't related is just asking for trouble.
Otherwise I'm loving everything about this so far, although I've barely scratched the surface of it yet.
Thanks to the Admiral, Bowmore's a very big name in Doskvol- it kinda makes sense you'd see it twice. They probably are related! (It's up to the GM, of course.) Besides, that's the kinda confusion that's fun. I ran a campaign where two players had someone named Flint as a connection, but described the character entirely differently. Coming up with why there were two different Flints, and revealing it as a twist later in the campaign, was a great time.
Those people are related. They're part of the powerful Bowmore family (which built Bowmore bridge) and are part of the alliance (with Rowan House and Clelland House) to take down Lord Strangford (p. 29).
All of the powerful noble families have members in positions of high power throughout the Imperium. You can safely assume that everyone with the same last name of a powerful House is related and all attend the family council meetings where they hatch horrible schemes. :)
Hey, my DM noticed that one of the prison claims, Hard Case, makes no sense apparently. Since the system uses the upgrades and cohorts to level up instead of a sum, it makes Hard Case useless. Do you have any advice or tips how to run it now?
Hi, I'm the GM in the above comment. My first thought was making crew upgrades cost 1 less coin, but that seemingly small change might make Hardcase too powerful to justify its current placement on the prison claims chart.
I like that. It's sort of like the new version of Patron, but you have to go to prison to get it, so it's okay if it's pretty strong. I'll make a change in the next update. Thanks!
p.75 "...the fatal Harm remains on your playbook and must be dealt with during a recovery activity." does it mean it must be dealt with before the downtime ends? Or just that the only way to get rid of it is via a Recovery activity?
p.75 "...You may invoke a scar to impede your character..." is invoking a scar only permitted to the character's player?
p.76 Would be nice to have a rough guideline / example of how hard would it be minimum to recover from trauma.
p.77 What fictional differences do the load styles represent, beyond the implied visual conspicuousness? is Discreet character more faster, nimble, etc. like in the old Load system?
p.77 Is it correct to interpret Rigging as allowing the two free loads to be a Heavy Item in Discreet load, but only the two load box provided by the rigging? i.e. "you may bring one 2-load item to the score while being discreet"? Does it still have to be chosen before the score begins?
p.78 Is Attribute now subject to max 2 limit upon character creation too? Is 4th Attribute dot locked behind Mastery crew upgrade? How does it interact with Downtime module's Instructor Quality rating?
p.87 With recovery amount drastically reduced especially early on the game, does your healing clock still reset when you gain new Harm(especially level 1 No Big Deals), or are you supposed to go to hospital or rely on Physickers early on?
p.88 Does an instructor's Quality rating limit how high can you raise your action rating, or how much XP you can spend on that area with one Train action? What does a playbook instructor's Quality rating do? Do you have to choose the area of expertise for the instructor that comes with Mastery instructor, or do they cover all training? Can one playbook instructor teach all playbook special abilities?
p.87 What does "an area of your expertise" mean? How do you know your Quality rating in that area? When you're an instructor, is there any limitation(such as imposed by instructor Quality rating when you're trainee) to your own spending of XP?
Among the claim changes, only the Warehouses is listed, despite changes not covered by general rules exist - such as Bravo's Informants.
Glad to have helped! I'll add more as they come in.
p.83 Did the Elite <GangType> crew upgrades get removed and individual cohorts have to be made Elite separately? Do these upgrade count for tier advancement requirements?
p.84 Do tier advancement requirements count upgrades themselves or upgrade boxes?
p.84 Assessing Hold does not mention War(-3) status - does it no longer affect hold, or does it work as usual? If former, War Dogs(Bravo) is no longer valid.
p.92 " You also roll to push yourself to activate certain special abilities..." Do you have to push yourself and choose to activate special abilities, instead of getting the effect in addition to regular benefit of pushing yourself?
p.105 "Any PC in the battle may reduce Harm they suffer by marking it on the cohort, instead." Reduce, not avoid? Do I mark Harm 2 on cohort and get a Harm 1?
Vampire: do Dark Talents increase cost to add new Attribute dot or does extra dot not count for that purpose?
PLAYBOOK CHANGES(p.108~):
Ghost Fighter(Cutter), Ghost Veil(Lurk) have unlisted changes.
Vault change is mentioned in p.88 but is not listed in here.
Vipers(Assassin), Like Part Of The Family(Smugglers) have unlisted changes, though the inference is trivial.
Warehouses is not marked as belonging to Smugglers.
Informants is not marked as Assassins Claim.
SHEETS:
says Patrons count as turf. Discrepancies with p.88
Ghost Hunter(Hound), Cloak & Dagger(Slide), Ghost Voice(Slide) has mentions to "+Rank".
NTBTW(Cutter) says "You can push yourself to...". The Devil's Footsteps(Lurk) says "When you push yourself, ...". (See p.92 clarification request, above) while the Blade clarifies that both mean the same(Blades p.63), perhaps how it's worded should be unified?
Since resistance roll is removed, perhaps Special Armor abilities should be re-worded?
Occultist: specifies not one but two Actions by name, perhaps its triggers should be changed to more narrative focused?
Thanks a lot, just started Blades a few weeks ago and now excited to see the system develop!
I noticed that on the sheets the cohorts only have 2 boxes for harm, but usually 4 levels. Are the boxes for level 2/3 harm, as I guess that 1 isn’t doing anything to cohorts and level 4 has no need of recording?
"Strange Methods: When you invent or craft a creation with arcane features, take +1 result level to your roll. You begin with one arcane design already known"
With the module it should be "... +1 Quality Level ...", instead of "... +1 result level to your roll.", doesn't it?
Loving these rules, this is all really amazing stuff. Bought this the moment I heard it existed. After reading the rules, I had a few clarification questions:
When you act as instructor, you can still advance by spending XP. Does the quality level of the instructor matter for what level of action rating you can advance to? If so, can a PC gain higher action ratings when they train themselves (since their quality level would be equal to their current action ratings)?
Does "toughing it out" last for as long as you have the injury, or only for that scene? If it does, is 2-3 stress an equivalent cost to the penalties of having an incapacitating injury?
Since the hospital lets you recover all your Harm for 2-3 coin and possible heat, is it ever worth it to acquire a Physicker (extra downtime action to Acquire or have a contact for, spending Coin to get a decent quality level, and only clears one injury at a time)
Does heat reduction occur before you determine wanted levels / entanglements? As it stands, a standard job I could see for my crew would inflict 2 (standard job) + 1 (crew Tier) + 2 (witnesses) + 2 (typical amount of Heat complications) + 2 (at war, or open mayhem, usually one of the two) + 1 (fencing goods) = an immediate wanted level every score, assuming they don't execute perfect operations. If the goal is to push them toward prison time and wanted levels, that's cool, but it feels like heat reduction isn't very meaningful if it won't affect the fallout of a score (and no longer determines the severity of entanglements).
On a related note, if they reduce heat before determining payout / entanglements, do they earn Rep for the heat they reduced?
I also thought I'd share my own home rules about faction status. I felt that faction status changed too quickly in my games, so I turned status into progress clocks (neutral: 2-step, +1/-1: 4-step, +2/-2: 6-step, +3/-3: 8-step). Factions are quick to judge and slow to change their minds, so the higher-status clocks get bigger. Completing a score adds 1/2/3/4 steps depending on the severity of incursion or utility you caused the faction. Filling the clock adds +1 status, reducing it while it's empty adds -1 status (and makes a new clock that many steps away from full).
On the sheets, what does "+1 Rank" refer to, like with the Hound's Ghost Hunter? Through a bit of searching, I think it's referring to "whichever stat you're using, Attribute or Action, in the relevant circumstance," but it's not actually spelled out in the text.
Do you still get +Effect when pushing to activate a special ability, like in standard Blades, or is it push to activate and a second push when I want +Effect? It's an important difference, imho
So generally like this addition to the game, lot of cool new content, and I'm excited for a lot of the rules changes to be implemented in my group, but I did have some issues, which I am sure some other people have mentioned.
pdf seems broken as bookmarks do not work.
Spiritbane Charm, Arclighter & Glimmer, and Prichard Camera are under all of the scoundrel's special items when it sounds like they should be in the generic list since they all have access to them and therefore are not playbook specific.
The sparkrunner rig requires you to get in good with a faction, spend coin acquiring it, spend a level up learning how to use it, and makes you roll to use it with a risk of a malfunction. Which is a lot of downsides for a relatively minor power, specially when Shadows have Ghost Echoes which is all the upsides with non of the downsides. What makes a sparkrunner rig worth all this hassle?
Loving the new update. I am looking for some clarification on the Train Downtime Activity. "Use this activity to spend XP to get an advance for your character." Is this activity just another way to spend the XP you gain from other things to advancement or is it something else?
I've got a (hopefully) small question about combining the Load and Downtime modules. In the Load example, it reads "During the score, Valkos finds a stash of Coin hidden in the Billhook’s lair. Each Coin of cash counts as one load, so Abu marks a box on Valkos’s sheet", implying that this one load box is worth 1 Coin.
However, in the Downtime module in the Payoff section, it reads "Take +4 Coin if you seize a load of cash," which feels like a contradiction! Am I misreading something or misunderstanding? Possibly, but I'd appreciate some clarification nonetheless!
Ah, that is misleading. Sorry about that. In the Payoff section I used "load" in a colloquial way, not as a rule term. I'll change it in the next PDF upate.
Gotcha, thanks! As a follow-up question, I wanted to ask if I'm interpreting the intent of Seized Assets correctly. It seems like it meant less for grabbing individual Load of cash (game term) during a score, which would be added to the payout, but rather a score where you do something like "raid Bazso Baz's vault." Am I thinking in the right direction?
I've got a prototype DeepCuts version of my free character keeper ready for testing by anyone who enjoys that kind of stuff. For those who don't like testing, as soon as this puppy is done I'll be sure to let you know :).
Testing instructions:
If you haven't used the prior version of my character keeper, check out this quick demo video. It is for the old version, but 80% of it is the same: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiCIMaCpxRI
Go to the PC1 tab and test away. Select which playbook you want from the dropdown and the correct info should auto-fill, including starting dots, special abilities, new backgrounds and heritages, items, XP triggers, etc. Try out the new XP clocks, healing clock, load tracker, special abilities, etc.
Go to the Crew tab and test away. Try different playbooks and check out the Rep & Heat tracks, vaults, banks, debt clock, XP clocks, special abilities, crew claims, etc. Note there are collapsable sections (look for the + and - signs above the top row to expand/collapse).
Ignore the other tabs, those are in varying states of disarray :). I still need to add the new factions in and a few other odds and ends that I know of, plus the ones y'all point out that I missed :).
DM or email me (contact info on the READ ME FIRST tab) me with your feedback
Thanks!
(John, if this kind of comment is not appropriate for this page, please accept my apologies and delete this comment without any worry)
I'm working on adapting my googlesheet character keepers so there is a Deep Cuts version - and loving it :).
Original Blades stated this RE crew XP advancement:
"Profits: Every time the crew advances, each PC gets stash equal to the crew Tier+2, to represent profits generated by the crew as they’ve been operating."
Now that there isn't a track to fill, how does that translate? I'm guessing it is moot because scores hand out so much more Coin? Thanks!
There is a track in form of the XP Clocks, I would say. So, everytime the crew gets a new ability or does purchase an upgrade with coin, you would get the extra stash, at least that is the way I would interpret it
Crew XP still exists, and the Stash rule remains the same. Whenever you spend crew xp clocks to get an advance (a special ability or Cohort), PCs get Stash equal to Tier +2.
On the crew playbooks, there is a fairly large box labeled "Ward boss". Anyone know what that space is for? In reading the book I can see the boss might allow you to go into debt, but there is a separate debt clock just to the right, so I'm figuring the whitespace is for something else? The name of the ward boss maybe???
They're not part of the SRD, but since mechanics aren't copyrighted, you can freely use them in your own designs (just write the text in your own words).
Great work John, but I'm not surprised that you cooked again ^^ I can't find enough words for how good this is. Will the new sheets be available on Roll20? Thanks for your creative energy.
I know, only 3 days went by, but I'm so hyped. Can't wait to play the module on Roll20 with a new group (over the past 4 years I have run about 24 short campaigns - 5-6 sessions - as introduction for newcomers to Blades. I'm based in Germany, by the way)
First, just finished reading through and am delighted. I'll start updating the character sheet templates I use and share with people to incorporate the new rules. John, thank you kindly for your work. I know you love doing it, but we love it too :)!
Second, on page 73, the text below took a few read-throughs to - I think - penetrate my skull. It might benefit from a revision.
"You have space on your playbook to record two instances of level 2 Harm, and one instance of level 3 Harm. If you suffer Harm at a level that has all instances filled, the Harm advances to the next highest level of severity. You may have an unlimited number of level 1 Harm conditions, but if you suffer the same condition a second time, bump it up to level 2 — e.g. if you’re Tired and you become Tired again, erase it and take level 2 Harm Exhausted instead. If your level 2 Harm instances are full, that’s okay, just record another one — it doesn’t bump up to level 3 in this case."
That seemed to indicate that you could have unlimited level 2 harms, but I THINK it means that if a level 1 harm is repeated and you don't have a level 2 slot, just add a level two slot (temporarily). Does that sound right to people?
my name is Gary with Breakout Con in Toronto...one of our guests recommended I reach out to you with an invite to the con, but I can't find a way to email you directly.
If you're interested can you share the best way to get in touch? Thanks (breakoutcon.com)
I love nearly all of this! I've got one question about the new version of Pushing Yourself, though - why is there no "spend some Stress for a bonus die" option? That classic 2 Stress for +1D push is where most of the Stress my players typically earn comes from, so I was surprised to see it gone.
Now, to gain +1D, a player can introduce an additional threat. The push is after the first roll. In the book's notes, John explains the issue before: "You push, you roll three dice instead of 2, and if you obtain 6,6,6, you will be disappointed because the push was not necessary, so you wasted your stress."
+1 to this! I think the update is great, and several of my players have community playbooks, and would be great if they could just transfer them onto a blank sheet.
Lot's of cool things in here that really shake up the system, well worth the read, but this is going to make a community that already argues about the correct way to play even more insufferable.
Hopefully this will make it clearer that Blades is a Toolkit of modules to be hacked, added, removed, remixed, and every GM is invited to run it differently.
THANK YOU for releasing this update. I'm enjoying going through this. My local copy shops won't print something that doesn't give permission. Any chance we can get this blurb from original Blades added please?
"That said, if you're doing it for personal use, go right ahead. For those working at a copy [print] shop, this means the person standing at your counter can [print copy(s)] of this thing. This is "express permission." Carry on."
Thank you, Mr. Harper! It is a really amazing expansion!
I have a question about desperate rolls. How many dice does the player while desperate roll? Does the player roll 1d for each dot in the Action as usual? It seems like only one die.
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Are the sheets document contained in the product meant to be public like base Blades sheets available on the bladesinthedark.com site?
That is to say, am I allowed to distribute translated version publicly or should it be at the same protection level as the rulebook?
Any updates on the Roll20 sheets? ^^'
As a developer who has meddled with Roll20 and as a fan of using Roll20 for Blades, this is a huge endeavor. I'm not holding my breath. I expect it won't happen. I will be working around it. I'm about to play tonight. Is there anything that is super hard to do in Roll20?
Any updates on the update??
It's a bit delayed... but hopefully I'll have it ready by the weekend.
Awesome! Thanks for the reply John. Looking forward to it! You do amazing work! Your efforts are greatly appreciated!
Hi and thank you for years of fun - I'm likely buying a round of this expansion* for our whole Shadows crew andI adopting many modules. Just bought another physical book for my wife for Christmas.
One thing I didn't quite know for sure that's caused some bickering at our table - does the Shadows Pack Rats ability (OG: +1d to acquire an asset in downtime, DC: +1 free asset acquisition each downtime) only work for items or gear?
I took it to be a single Acquire Asset mechanic that could also result in the new version giving a free Physicker or some such each downtime, but this has been peculiarly controversial.
Hi John, love the expansion. I'm personally looking to use pretty much all of the modules as they seem like a great refinement on the whole system. However, I was wandering when is the next pdf update planned to release ? It's probably hard work to implement all the precision and corrections that people have pointed out, so I'm just wandering when we can expect it. Thank you for this awesome system.
(I'm giving +1 to blank playbook sheets specifically because it would make my life much easier, thanks !)
I'm hoping to have the PDF updated by next week.
Kool ! Thank you so much !
Any thoughts of a BiTD or now a Deep Cuts GM screen?
p.29 Captain Haig in clocks, Captain Volker in the text.
p.63 "click clock below"
p.106-107 NPC names:
unable to find "Master Krockett", "Lord Moran" anywhere else on the Blades or Deep Cuts
"Cmdr. Clellan" missing 'd' at the end
Thanks! Should be "Lord Mora" and "Master Krocket".
Can a PC help another PC with an extra die and additionally add 1+ dice per Edge at the same time?
How does Crafting work with the new Downtime module?
My guess:
For a new invention, its basically a set of long term projects, so use the new long term project rules. At the end when you go to manufacture it, treat it like the new Acquire Activity and you start with a version at your crew's Tier. If you need more than that, pay the Coin cost to get a higher-Tier item.
For a modification of an existing item, I'm guessing it is:
First determine the target Tier, which is based on the Tier of the Item being modified...
‣ Requires Tier +1: Simple, useful modification
Then treat it like an Acquire roll again.‣ Requires Tier +2: Significant modification
‣ Requires Tier +3: Arcane, spark-craft, or alchemical modification
My ideas were bad, e-aksenov's had much clearer suggestions:
Part 1: Design
A long term project, usually 8 segments, based on STUDY. It is either to Invent a new design or to Learn an existing one
If Inventing a New Design:
‣ GM Asks: What type of creation is it (Mundane, Alchemical, Arcane, Spark-Craft) and what does it do? (Player answers.)
‣ Player Asks: What’s the minimum quality level for this item? (GM answers, using Magnitude as guideline.)
‣ GM Asks: What rare, strange, or adverse aspect of this formula or design has kept it in obscurity, out of common usage? (Player answers.)
‣ Player Asks: What drawbacks does this item have, if any? (GM answers.)
If Learning an Existing Design:
‣ Common Creations (p. 226): Do not require special formulas or designs to learn.
Part 2: Creating the Item requires 1 downtime activity + a Crafting roll
Dice pool:
‣ 1d for each Tinker action dot.
‣ +1 quality per coin spent.
‣ +1 quality for Workshop crew upgrade.
Result:
‣ 1-3: Quality level is Tier -1.
‣ 4/5: Quality level is equal to Tier.
‣ 6: Quality level is Tier +1.
‣ Critical: Quality level is Tier +2.
Modifying an Existing Item: Requires 1 downtime activity + a Crafting roll, no designing or learning needed
Minimum Tier = item's current Tier +
‣ +1: Simple, useful modification
‣ +2: Significant modification
‣ +3: Arcane, spark-craft, or alchemical modification
Drawbacks: GM may assign 1-2 Drawbacks to a creation
There's two different, and seemingly unrelated, people named Bowmore (Admiral Bowmore, p14 and Master Builder Bowmore, p16) which is bound to cause confusion. It's a little late to point out the existing confusion in the original Blades between the two "Lord S...somethings" (Lord Strangford and Lord Scurlock) which forever trips me up, but having two Bowmores who aren't related is just asking for trouble.
Otherwise I'm loving everything about this so far, although I've barely scratched the surface of it yet.
Thanks to the Admiral, Bowmore's a very big name in Doskvol- it kinda makes sense you'd see it twice. They probably are related! (It's up to the GM, of course.) Besides, that's the kinda confusion that's fun. I ran a campaign where two players had someone named Flint as a connection, but described the character entirely differently. Coming up with why there were two different Flints, and revealing it as a twist later in the campaign, was a great time.
Those people are related. They're part of the powerful Bowmore family (which built Bowmore bridge) and are part of the alliance (with Rowan House and Clelland House) to take down Lord Strangford (p. 29).
All of the powerful noble families have members in positions of high power throughout the Imperium. You can safely assume that everyone with the same last name of a powerful House is related and all attend the family council meetings where they hatch horrible schemes. :)
And there's also Commander Bowmore, commander of the Bluecoats in Brightstone. One big happy family.
I just noticed that there are no checkboxes next to the contacts on the crew sheets. Is that intentional?
That's an oversight. I'll fix it, thanks!
Hey, my DM noticed that one of the prison claims, Hard Case, makes no sense apparently. Since the system uses the upgrades and cohorts to level up instead of a sum, it makes Hard Case useless. Do you have any advice or tips how to run it now?
Hi, I'm the GM in the above comment. My first thought was making crew upgrades cost 1 less coin, but that seemingly small change might make Hardcase too powerful to justify its current placement on the prison claims chart.
I like that. It's sort of like the new version of Patron, but you have to go to prison to get it, so it's okay if it's pretty strong. I'll make a change in the next update. Thanks!
Thank you for the incredible game, sir. Happy to help.
Requesting clarifications:
p.75 "...the fatal Harm remains on your playbook and must be dealt with during a recovery activity." does it mean it must be dealt with before the downtime ends? Or just that the only way to get rid of it is via a Recovery activity?
p.75 "...You may invoke a scar to impede your character..." is invoking a scar only permitted to the character's player?
p.76 Would be nice to have a rough guideline / example of how hard would it be minimum to recover from trauma.
p.77 What fictional differences do the load styles represent, beyond the implied visual conspicuousness? is Discreet character more faster, nimble, etc. like in the old Load system?
p.77 Is it correct to interpret Rigging as allowing the two free loads to be a Heavy Item in Discreet load, but only the two load box provided by the rigging? i.e. "you may bring one 2-load item to the score while being discreet"? Does it still have to be chosen before the score begins?
p.78 Is Attribute now subject to max 2 limit upon character creation too? Is 4th Attribute dot locked behind Mastery crew upgrade? How does it interact with Downtime module's Instructor Quality rating?
p.87 With recovery amount drastically reduced especially early on the game, does your healing clock still reset when you gain new Harm(especially level 1 No Big Deals), or are you supposed to go to hospital or rely on Physickers early on?
p.88 Does an instructor's Quality rating limit how high can you raise your action rating, or how much XP you can spend on that area with one Train action? What does a playbook instructor's Quality rating do? Do you have to choose the area of expertise for the instructor that comes with Mastery instructor, or do they cover all training? Can one playbook instructor teach all playbook special abilities?
p.87 What does "an area of your expertise" mean? How do you know your Quality rating in that area? When you're an instructor, is there any limitation(such as imposed by instructor Quality rating when you're trainee) to your own spending of XP?
Among the claim changes, only the Warehouses is listed, despite changes not covered by general rules exist - such as Bravo's Informants.
Thanks for the feedback. I'll try to address all of these in the next PDF update.
Glad to have helped! I'll add more as they come in.
p.83 Did the Elite <GangType> crew upgrades get removed and individual cohorts have to be made Elite separately? Do these upgrade count for tier advancement requirements?
p.84 Do tier advancement requirements count upgrades themselves or upgrade boxes?
p.84 Assessing Hold does not mention War(-3) status - does it no longer affect hold, or does it work as usual? If former, War Dogs(Bravo) is no longer valid.
p.92 " You also roll to push yourself to activate certain special abilities..." Do you have to push yourself and choose to activate special abilities, instead of getting the effect in addition to regular benefit of pushing yourself?
p.105 "Any PC in the battle may reduce Harm they suffer by marking it on the cohort, instead." Reduce, not avoid? Do I mark Harm 2 on cohort and get a Harm 1?
Vampire: do Dark Talents increase cost to add new Attribute dot or does extra dot not count for that purpose?
PLAYBOOK CHANGES(p.108~):
Ghost Fighter(Cutter), Ghost Veil(Lurk) have unlisted changes.
Vault change is mentioned in p.88 but is not listed in here.
Vipers(Assassin), Like Part Of The Family(Smugglers) have unlisted changes, though the inference is trivial.
Warehouses is not marked as belonging to Smugglers.
Informants is not marked as Assassins Claim.
SHEETS:
says Patrons count as turf. Discrepancies with p.88
Ghost Hunter(Hound), Cloak & Dagger(Slide), Ghost Voice(Slide) has mentions to "+Rank".
NTBTW(Cutter) says "You can push yourself to...". The Devil's Footsteps(Lurk) says "When you push yourself, ...". (See p.92 clarification request, above) while the Blade clarifies that both mean the same(Blades p.63), perhaps how it's worded should be unified?
Since resistance roll is removed, perhaps Special Armor abilities should be re-worded?
Occultist: specifies not one but two Actions by name, perhaps its triggers should be changed to more narrative focused?
Thanks a lot, just started Blades a few weeks ago and now excited to see the system develop!
I noticed that on the sheets the cohorts only have 2 boxes for harm, but usually 4 levels. Are the boxes for level 2/3 harm, as I guess that 1 isn’t doing anything to cohorts and level 4 has no need of recording?
That's an error. It'll be fixed in the next update.
Perfect, thx!
Awesome stuff! Will there be a hardback release eventually? I'd love to have it next to the original rulebook on the desk!
I think he said several times that this is not planned. ;)
"Strange Methods: When you invent or craft a creation with arcane features, take +1 result level to your roll. You begin with one arcane design already known"
With the module it should be "... +1 Quality Level ...", instead of "... +1 result level to your roll.", doesn't it?
I've finished the digital character keeper for Deep Cuts. Incorporates all the new rules and updated playbooks. Free.
Here is a short video to show you the PC sheet in action:
Separate videos show the other key sheets: Crew, GM, Safety, Rules Cheatsheet, Faction Tracker, etc.
You can access this googlesheet here: https://roezmv.itch.io/blades-in-the-dark-deep-cuts-lite-vtt-by-roezmv
Loving these rules, this is all really amazing stuff. Bought this the moment I heard it existed. After reading the rules, I had a few clarification questions:
I also thought I'd share my own home rules about faction status. I felt that faction status changed too quickly in my games, so I turned status into progress clocks (neutral: 2-step, +1/-1: 4-step, +2/-2: 6-step, +3/-3: 8-step). Factions are quick to judge and slow to change their minds, so the higher-status clocks get bigger. Completing a score adds 1/2/3/4 steps depending on the severity of incursion or utility you caused the faction. Filling the clock adds +1 status, reducing it while it's empty adds -1 status (and makes a new clock that many steps away from full).
Thanks for making an awesome game!
On the sheets, what does "+1 Rank" refer to, like with the Hound's Ghost Hunter? Through a bit of searching, I think it's referring to "whichever stat you're using, Attribute or Action, in the relevant circumstance," but it's not actually spelled out in the text.
That's a typo, but you're basically right. It should say "You get +1d to rolls when" [X]. Those will be fixed in the next PDF update.
Do you still get +Effect when pushing to activate a special ability, like in standard Blades, or is it push to activate and a second push when I want +Effect? It's an important difference, imho
Yeah, you do (assuming the ability applying extra effect in that situation makes sense). I'll clarify that.
So generally like this addition to the game, lot of cool new content, and I'm excited for a lot of the rules changes to be implemented in my group, but I did have some issues, which I am sure some other people have mentioned.
Loving the new update. I am looking for some clarification on the Train Downtime Activity. "Use this activity to spend XP to get an advance for your character." Is this activity just another way to spend the XP you gain from other things to advancement or is it something else?
It's the only way to spend xp in this module.
I've got a (hopefully) small question about combining the Load and Downtime modules. In the Load example, it reads "During the score, Valkos finds a stash of Coin hidden in the Billhook’s lair. Each Coin of cash counts as one load, so Abu marks a box on Valkos’s sheet", implying that this one load box is worth 1 Coin.
However, in the Downtime module in the Payoff section, it reads "Take +4 Coin if you seize a load of cash," which feels like a contradiction! Am I misreading something or misunderstanding? Possibly, but I'd appreciate some clarification nonetheless!
Ah, that is misleading. Sorry about that. In the Payoff section I used "load" in a colloquial way, not as a rule term. I'll change it in the next PDF upate.
Gotcha, thanks! As a follow-up question, I wanted to ask if I'm interpreting the intent of Seized Assets correctly. It seems like it meant less for grabbing individual Load of cash (game term) during a score, which would be added to the payout, but rather a score where you do something like "raid Bazso Baz's vault." Am I thinking in the right direction?
I've got a prototype DeepCuts version of my free character keeper ready for testing by anyone who enjoys that kind of stuff. For those who don't like testing, as soon as this puppy is done I'll be sure to let you know :).
Testing instructions:
Thanks!
(John, if this kind of comment is not appropriate for this page, please accept my apologies and delete this comment without any worry)
I'm working on adapting my googlesheet character keepers so there is a Deep Cuts version - and loving it :).
Original Blades stated this RE crew XP advancement:
"Profits: Every time the crew advances, each PC gets stash equal to the crew Tier+2, to represent profits generated by the crew as they’ve been operating."
Now that there isn't a track to fill, how does that translate? I'm guessing it is moot because scores hand out so much more Coin? Thanks!
There is a track in form of the XP Clocks, I would say. So, everytime the crew gets a new ability or does purchase an upgrade with coin, you would get the extra stash, at least that is the way I would interpret it
Yes, that's my idea. I'll try to find some room on the page to make that clear.
Crew XP still exists, and the Stash rule remains the same. Whenever you spend crew xp clocks to get an advance (a special ability or Cohort), PCs get Stash equal to Tier +2.
There's a little error on the Cult sheet; under the Chosen ability are the same actions listed as under the Dangerous ability of the Bravos
thanks!
On the crew playbooks, there is a fairly large box labeled "Ward boss". Anyone know what that space is for? In reading the book I can see the boss might allow you to go into debt, but there is a separate debt clock just to the right, so I'm figuring the whitespace is for something else? The name of the ward boss maybe???
Am I being dense? Probably! :)
Thanks folks!
Yep, you record the name of your Ward Boss there.
Hi john，this is a fantastic gift.
But i have a question about Edge：How many can PC having that？Only 1？or more？
You can have more than 1.
ahh，get it.
This was a joy to read. Thank you for including the designer’s commentary; it is a real gift.
Are the systems modules licensed under the Forged in the Dark terms?
They're not part of the SRD, but since mechanics aren't copyrighted, you can freely use them in your own designs (just write the text in your own words).
Great work John, but I'm not surprised that you cooked again ^^ I can't find enough words for how good this is. Will the new sheets be available on Roll20? Thanks for your creative energy.
I'll talk to Evil Hat and see about updating the Roll20 stuff with the new sheets.
That would be great, thanks!
I know, only 3 days went by, but I'm so hyped. Can't wait to play the module on Roll20 with a new group (over the past 4 years I have run about 24 short campaigns - 5-6 sessions - as introduction for newcomers to Blades. I'm based in Germany, by the way)
First, just finished reading through and am delighted. I'll start updating the character sheet templates I use and share with people to incorporate the new rules. John, thank you kindly for your work. I know you love doing it, but we love it too :)!
Second, on page 73, the text below took a few read-throughs to - I think - penetrate my skull. It might benefit from a revision.
"You have space on your playbook to record two instances of level 2 Harm, and one instance of level 3 Harm. If you suffer Harm at a level that has all instances filled, the Harm advances to the next highest level of severity. You may have an unlimited number of level 1 Harm conditions, but if you suffer the same condition a second time, bump it up to level 2 — e.g. if you’re Tired and you become Tired again, erase it and take level 2 Harm Exhausted instead. If your level 2 Harm instances are full, that’s okay, just record another one — it doesn’t bump up to level 3 in this case."
That seemed to indicate that you could have unlimited level 2 harms, but I THINK it means that if a level 1 harm is repeated and you don't have a level 2 slot, just add a level two slot (temporarily). Does that sound right to people?
That's right. You record an additional level 2 harm even if you already have 2 filled.
I'm rewriting that bit for clarity.
Hi John,
my name is Gary with Breakout Con in Toronto...one of our guests recommended I reach out to you with an invite to the con, but I can't find a way to email you directly.
If you're interested can you share the best way to get in touch? Thanks (breakoutcon.com)
Can we expect physical copies?
I love nearly all of this! I've got one question about the new version of Pushing Yourself, though - why is there no "spend some Stress for a bonus die" option? That classic 2 Stress for +1D push is where most of the Stress my players typically earn comes from, so I was surprised to see it gone.
Also, unrelatedly: I love the reframing some of the old U'Duasha material gets in the Iruvian glimpses throughout!
Now, to gain +1D, a player can introduce an additional threat. The push is after the first roll. In the book's notes, John explains the issue before: "You push, you roll three dice instead of 2, and if you obtain 6,6,6, you will be disappointed because the push was not necessary, so you wasted your stress."
typically when i roll 3 dices i get 1 1 and 2... 6-6-6 will be an occasion in itself
Fair point :D
Hi John! Any plans to make a blank pj sheet with the new design?
+1 to this!
I think the update is great, and several of my players have community playbooks, and would be great if they could just transfer them onto a blank sheet.
Christmas comes early this year ;)
Lot's of cool things in here that really shake up the system, well worth the read, but this is going to make a community that already argues about the correct way to play even more insufferable.
Bluecoat will not knock on your door because of the way you play games.
But leagues of redditors will tell you to never play blades again.
Hopefully this will make it clearer that Blades is a Toolkit of modules to be hacked, added, removed, remixed, and every GM is invited to run it differently.
The Catalyst concept is deeply amusing to me, given what I pulled between the two connected campaigns I ran years ago basically aligns with it.
Great to see new Blades stuff John!
THANK YOU for releasing this update. I'm enjoying going through this. My local copy shops won't print something that doesn't give permission. Any chance we can get this blurb from original Blades added please?
"That said, if you're doing it for personal use, go right ahead. For those working at a copy [print] shop, this means the person standing at your counter can [print copy(s)] of this thing. This is "express permission." Carry on."
Yes, I'll put that in the next PDF update.
Thank you, Mr. Harper! It is a really amazing expansion!
I have a question about desperate rolls. How many dice does the player while desperate roll? Does the player roll 1d for each dot in the Action as usual? It seems like only one die.
Dots in the Action, as usual.