Inhabit

Artificers
The phrase "ghost in the machine" is a rusted-out cliché when it comes to Inhabit, but if the
Pagani Zonda fits, wear it. This venerable Arcanos allows a wraith to immerse his
consciousness and form within an inanimate object, gaining increasing control over its
operations and fate as his prowess increases. Masters of Inhabit can command machinery with a
touch or imbue simple relics with the power of Artifacts.
Before the Arcanoi, there was soulforging. Nhudri, Charon's first and most trusted councilor,
brought the secrets of hammer and flame out of the Labyrinth. Upon his disciples' forges was
Stygia wrought – and out of their work came Inhabit. By its nature, soulforging transcends
mere physical process, requiring a quasi-mystic empathy for the material's personality and
properties. As Nhudri and his apprentices refined their techniques, they also explored their
growing affinity for the form and energies of mortal engines. Inhabit is the best-known result of
these experiments. Modern Artificers learn it separately from soulforging, though some of its
ancient arts still highlight its origins.
Guildmarks
Artificers accrue wear and tear mimicking that of the objects they Inhabit. Those who prefer
simple objects or physical machinery manifest scuff marks and gouges, smell of exhaust and hot
metal, and seep lubricant from under their fingernails. Circuit patterns flicker under the skin of
wraiths with a more digital bent, while running error logs of their internal dialogues with their
Shadows scroll across their eyes.
Soulforging leaves its own residue on its tradeswraiths, and uninformed Stygian citizens often
mistake these for Inhabit's guildmarks. Apprentices are scorched and charred from the forges.
Longer-serving smiths take on some of the forges' own aspects, patches of their forms glowing
with dull red heat. Smiths of the guild wear an additional unique token that they forge as a rite
of passage and a reminder of their trade's true cost: a coin hammered from one of their own
hands.

The Guild
The Artificers' Guild is the modern incarnation of Stygia's oldest trade organization. As Charon
drove Stygian expansion in its early centuries, Nhudri took on a trio of apprentices to satisfy the
demand for tools and construction materials. These three legendary figures taught other wraiths
the arts of soulforging and Inhabit, eventually giving rise to the Society of the Hammer. As
Stygia emulated mortal feudal systems, so too did the Society, restyling itself as the Artificers'
Guild.
The Artificers' monopoly on soulforging was always the key to its wealth and political power.
Vital to the Underworld's economy, the guild enjoyed a strong symbiosis with the Stygian power
structure. Its claim to the mantle of Eldest Guild gave it similar pull with its nominal peers –
though Artificer heavy-handedness also aroused envy and contempt. This fueled the War of the
Guilds, and the Artificers displayed unexpected finesse by emerging from this conflict not only
undiminished but at the head of the Council of Guilds.
The postwar years were the Artificers’ high-water mark. Masterforgers enjoyed power and
prestige second only to the Deathlords', spurring the hubris that drove their fatal overreach in
1598. The failed rebellion cost the Artificers many leaders and shattered their monopoly on
soulforging, as lower-ranking fugitives traded service or lessons for protection from Stygia's
wrath. Over subsequent centuries, gradual reconciliation with the authorities allowed the guild
to reforge many of its old customs and rites. Recognizing that they can't soulforge the genie into
its own bottle, the guild's leaders grudgingly tolerate non-Artificer smiths, but any smith who
doesn't wear the coin quickly learns the social cost of crossing the Eldest Guild.
Under the rule of the Council of Masters, the Artificers remain Stygia's most conservative guild.
Not all Masterforgers are active on the Council, but each one has a voice and a vote when he
chooses to exercise it. Most focus on traditional arts; few specialists in electronics, let alone
data, have been admitted to their ranks. Beneath the Masterforgers are Journeymen, those
wraiths skilled enough to earn their own forges, and Apprentices who are still learning their craft.
Modern guild customs superficially resemble labor union practices, though under the surface are
a hundred secret societies and Nhudri-venerating mystery cults.
[ EDITOR: "MASTERFORGERS" IS A FORMAL TITLE WITHIN THE GUILD AND
SHOULD REMAIN ONE WORD. "JOURNEYMAN" AND "APPRENTICE" ARE
SIMILAR TITLES AND ARE CAPITALIZED. ]
Factions
Though not what it was before the Breaking, Artificer unity remains proverbial. The guild drills
loyalty unto soulforging into every apprentice. Having said that, political differences and
diverging specializations have yielded some internal divisions. Hammerboys specialize in
soulforging, while Wrenchwraiths are masters of Inhabiting machinery. Wraiths who Inhabit
Internet-connected devices and ride the infosphere tend to eschew labels, though older Artificers
have several nicknames for them (none complimentary). Ghostriders are a Wrenchwraith subset
whose domain is transportation infrastructure; they enjoy close ties with the Harbingers.
Artificers who possess machinery for mischievous or malevolent purposes are termed Gremlins.

Inhabit Systems
If an object is destroyed while a wraith is Inhabiting it, he's ejected from the item's remains and
suffers one level of lethal damage.
If a wraith is attuned to an object (see p. XX), his Inhabit rolls against that item are at -2
difficulty.
Unless otherwise specified, only one wraith at a time can Inhabit an object. If an Artificer
attempts to Inhabit something that already contains another wraith, the current occupant's
successes cancel the interloper's on a one-for-one basis. If the Artificer wins anyway, the initial
occupant is ejected from the object and suffers bashing damage equal to the Artificer's net
successes.
Each use of Inhabit on another wraith's Fetter grants the Artificer's Shadow 1 temporary Angst.

• Assume the Shell (Modern)

Inhabit's most basic art allows a wraith to insert himself into an inanimate object. He has no
control over it and can't perceive anything outside its immediate area, but he may study its inner
workings and is undetectable to normal senses.
System: The player rolls Dexterity + Inhabit (difficulty 6). Only one success is necessary for
the wraith to enter the object; additional successes provide details of the device's principles of
operation or information stored within it. If a character scrutinizes the object with any form of
supernatural perception that could reveal the wraith's presence, she must beat his successes to
detect him.

• Reveal Rider (Ancient)

An Artificer learns to read the subtle signs that Inhabit leaves on objects. With a touch, the
wraith can determine whether an object is currently Inhabited or has been in the past.
System: The player rolls Dexterity + Inhabit (difficulty 7). Each success reveals one prior use
of Inhabit, starting with the most recent and working backward. The wraith gains an innate
sense of each Artificer's identity and will recognize her on sight; he also learns which Inhabit art
she used if he knows it himself. In addition, each success on Reveal Rider counts as two
successes for opposing Assume the Shell.

•• Misfire (Modern)
By passing his hand through a mechanical or electronic device, the wraith may cause a
temporary malfunction. Gears jam, combustion falters, electricity shorts out or surges, and
complex electronics throw error messages or reboot themselves. Simple machines are
unaffected; a target must have moving parts or run on electrical power to be susceptible to
Misfire.
System: The player spends 1 Pathos and rolls Strength + Inhabit (difficulty 6). The target
device is disabled for one turn per success. The operator may attempt to fix the problem with a
roll of Wits + an appropriate Ability (Storyteller's discretion; difficulty 6); each success removes
one of the wraith's successes.

•• Forge Affinity (Ancient)

Inhabit's origin as an outgrowth of soulforging is evident in this art. While any wraith can learn
the smith's art, the extension of one's senses into the soul being worked on the forge remains a
closely-held guild technique.
System: The wraith's dots in Inhabit are added to any soulforging roll (see p. XX). Once
learned, this art is always active.

••• Claim the Shell (Modern)

The wraith may enter a relic or a Skinlands object and use it as a surrogate body. He has full
control over all its functions and can move its parts on their own, though he can't make it do
anything else outside its own capabilities. For example, a wraith possessing a revolver can cock
the hammer, pull the trigger, and swing out the cylinder and eject spent shell casings, but he can't
levitate or aim the gun, nor grasp and load fresh ammunition. His senses function normally,
though they're spread over the object's entire surface. If a Skinlands object is destroyed while
the wraith Inhabits it, he may bring it across the Shroud as a relic (though creating a relic from a
container doesn't also create relics from its contents).
System: The player spends 3 Pathos and rolls Strength + Inhabit (difficulty of the local Shroud,
or 8 in the Tempest). The number of successes required for success depend on the item's size:
1 success Hand-held: tablet or notebook computer, handgun, power tool, book
2 successes Two-handed: small appliance, greatsword, web server
3 successes Human-sized: motorcycle, crew-served heavy weapon, office furniture
4 successes Vehicular: speedboat, garage workbench, assembly line laser welding robot
5 successes Industrial: locomotive, marine diesel engine, newspaper printing press
6+ successes Structural: house, airliner, ship
Claim the Shell lasts for one scene. If the object is destroyed while the wraith is within it, his
Shadow gains 1 temporary Angst per success required to Claim it. However, he may convert the
item into a relic by spending 1 Willpower, plus 1 Corpus per success required to Claim it.

••• Smith's Tenacity (Ancient)

Most common among Artificers who work the forges, this art allows a wraith to take on some of
the attributes of his work's output. When using Smith's Tenacity, the character's skin takes on a
metallic sheen and is uncomfortably warm to the touch.
System: The player spends 1 Pathos. For the rest of the scene, the wraith's dots in Inhabit are
added to his soak dice pools and he can soak aggravated damage with his Inhabit.

•••• Wire Rider (Modern)

With this art, the Artificer can slide into the global network of electricity and digital
communication, passing through power grids and data transmissions at the speed of light.
Wraithly senses are too slow and entropy-bound to perceive this environment as it truly is, so
riding the wires is a vortex of information and electrical flows transposed into a synesthetic
fast-forward blur. Imprecise use of Wire Rider, or simply incautious navigation, can land the
wraith far from Stygian-claimed territory.
System: The wraith must have a material starting point and destination – while he can travel
through wireless transmissions, he needs connected endpoints, even ones as simple as obsolete
flip-phones. The player spends 2 Pathos and rolls Dexterity + Inhabit (difficulty 7). Successes
determine maximum distance of travel:
1 success Line of sight or local cellular tower's range
2 successes Same city or local power grid
3 successes Same national power grid or telecommunication network
4 successes Same continent or satellites in low orbit
5 successes Global or satellites in geosynchronous orbit

•••• The Tool Knows Its Master (Ancient)

Elder Artificers fear few weapons wrought by the hands of the Quick or the dead. This art
infuses an object with a portion of the wraith's own essence, compelling it to act as if it were one
with his Corpus – and what rebel portion of his own body would willingly harm the greater part?
System: The wraith must touch the object (material or relic) he wants to affect. The player
spends 2 Pathos and rolls Dexterity + Inhabit (difficulty 7). For a number of scenes equal to
successes rolled, anything or anyone touching the object is considered to be in contact with the
wraith for the purposes of his own Arcanoi – effectively, he can channel his touch through the
object when using his arts.
In addition, if the object would damage his Corpus, its base Damage rating is considered 0
(though extra successes on an attack roll add damage normally). The wraith may use this art
reflexively on a weapon as it strikes him. The difficulty increases to 8 for a melee weapon or 9
for a ranged attack, but success takes effect before that attack deals damage.

••••• Empower (Modern)

A wraith skilled in this art can imbue a relic with one of his Arcanoi, creating a temporary
Artifact. While this power lasts, other wraiths who know the command to activate the relic's
power can invoke the art it contains.
System: The player rolls Strength + Inhabit (difficulty 8, +1 if the relic is thematically
inappropriate for the Arcanos to be placed in it). The number of successes indicate the
highest-rated art the Artificer may invest in the relic.
The player then selects a single art that the wraith knows and pays that art's activation cost one or
more times (including gaining any temporary Angst). If the art normally has no activation cost,
it costs 1 Pathos for this purpose. If the art normally is always active, it costs 1 Pathos per day
of use. This expenditure "fuels" the relic for the appropriate number of uses of that art. Finally,
the player spends 1 Corpus and 1 Willpower to "seal" the newly-created Artifact and chooses a
word, phrase, gesture, or other command that activates the Empowered art.
Anyone who knows the Artifact's activation command may spend 1 Willpower and use the
command to invoke the art it contains. If the art normally is always active, each invocation
instead activates it for one day. The user pays no additional Pathos, Corpus, or Willpower –
those costs were paid when the Artificer created the Artifact. However, if the art bestows
temporary Angst, the user's Shadow receives those points. The user's dice pool for the
Empowered art is normal, though she may substitute her Occult Ability for the appropriate
Arcanos. Once all Empowered applications of the art are used, the Artifact becomes a normal
relic again.
There is no way to "recharge" an Empowered item, save for a second invocation of this art.
Example: Vincent knows Wayfarer's Resolve, an ancient Argos •• art. He wants to place this
art into a relic St. Christopher medallion (invoking the Catholic patron saint of travelers).
Vincent's player rolls Strength + Inhabit against a difficulty of 8, gaining three successes. This
is sufficient to imbue a three-dot art and more than enough for the intended two-dot art.
In normal use, Wayfarer's Resolve has no activation cost and is always active. Vincent's player
decides to spend 7 Pathos to empower the Artifact for seven days of use, then spends an
additional 1 Corpus and 1 Willpower to finish the Empowerment.
Vincent gives the medallion to Monique and tells her its activation phrase, (a Latin prayer for St.
Christopher's protection). At any time – but hopefully not until she's in the Tempest, where
Wayfarer's Resolve is most useful – Monique can speak this prayer and activate the Empowered
art for one day. She can do this a total of seven times before the medallion's power is used up.

••••• Compel the Soulsteel (Ancient)

One of the Artificers' Guild's less pleasant aspects is the work it's done over centuries of turning
once-living souls into material goods. Common wisdom holds that soulforged wraiths are no
longer conscious (if the smith was competent, anyway...), but this art brings that comforting
thought into question. Compel the Soulsteel allows a wraith to draw knowledge from the soul
that comprises a soulforged item. Whether this is mere psychometry or actual communication
with a fragment of someone's trapped consciousness is an ongoing, bitter debate in Artificer
circles.
System: The player spends 3 Pathos and rolls Strength + Inhabit (difficulty 8). Each success
allows the wraith to ask one question of the target item. If the soul that was forged into the item
knows the answer, the character receives a brief vision or a moaned response. The soul can't lie
or dissemble, though it only answers each question to the limits of its own residual memories.
Compel the Soulsteel can only be used once on any soulforged item, ever, and each question
asked grants the querent's Shadow 1 point of temporary Angst.