World of Darkness Vampire The Masquerade STV 20th Anniversary Edition

Kindred of the East
The Relentless Age

Hell
You've returned wearing your own corpse
But your Suffering still shackles you
Hunger
Flesh, blood, and living breath
Your craving for Chi is neverending
Enlightenment
An eternity of night stretches before you
The only way out is Dharma
The Wheel of Ages turns.

The Demon Emperor ascends.
It is 1998, and you are Hungry Dead.
Kindred of the East
The Relentless Age
Celebrating 25 Years of Kindred of the East

KINDRED OF THE EAST: THE RELENTLESS AGE
Credits Special Thanks

Written By: hsienfan A giant thanks to the readers and participants of the RPGnet
Developed By: hsienfan, with assistance from RPGnet thread where this book was germinated and written, week by
Edited By: hsienfan week and section by section. Your cultural knowledge, systems
Logo and Layout: Coco Vanille and hsienfan advice, and (most of all) your enthusiasm and encouragement
made the time creating this project go by in a flash. I couldn’t
New Artwork: Tommy Lee (cover and Dharma illustrations)
have done this without our great Kindred of the East fan community.
https://tommyleeart.carrd.co/
Thanks also to my second readers, who helped me get this beast
of a text to the finish line. This book is all the better for your
input and efforts.
Disclaimer 1:
This book requires the use of Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition (otherwise known as V20) for a complete
play experience. However, in a pinch, most Revised-era core books and 20th Anniversary Editions of the other major
game lines (i.e. Werewolf, Mage, Wraith, and Changeling) will likely do just fine.
Disclaimer 2:
In addition to new artwork, this book contains a selection of the original artwork from the Kindred of the East gameline,
as well as from other products from around the Year of the Lotus. Care has been taken to select pieces that have aged
well in the years since first publication– but of course, nothing is perfect. Remember that the original artists were
completing work to specification, and that White Wolf in 1998 was composed of human beings who created a setting
with great potential and heart, despite some obvious flaws. Please proceed in the spirit of generosity and with an open
mind, and enjoy The Relentless Age.
© 2017 White Wolf Entertainment AB. All rights reserved.

Vampire: The Masquerade®, World of Darkness®, Storytelling
System™, and Storytellers Vault™ are trademarks and/or registered
trademarks of White Wolf Entertainment AB. All rights reserved.
For additional information on White Wolf and the World of
D a rk n e s s , p l e a s e , v i s i t : w w w. w h i te - wo l f . c o m ,
www.worldofdarkness.com and www.storytellersvault.com.
SECTION NAME 5
Kindred of the East
The Relentless Age
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction 5
Chapter One: Welcome to the Night World 13
Chapter Two: The Enlightenment of Monsters 31
Chapter Three: Character Creation and Systems 57
Chapter Four: Arts 77
Chapter Five: Storytelling in the Relentless Age 119
Chapter Six: Many Places to Make Trouble 129
Appendix I and II 167
4 KINDRED OF THE EAST: THE RELENTLESS AGE
“What is the life of a human being–

a drop of dew, a flash of lightning?”
― Ryuunosuke Akutagawa
ISNTRODUCTION
ECTION NAME 5
Introduction
Hakata, Japan. A warm summer night.
The restaurant is bustling, even at this hour. You expect to be taken to a quiet place in the back of the shop,
some kind of secret room, to meet the enlightened sage who will be training you– But no, they just give you a
menu and seat you right there, amidst the people getting ready for nightclubs and karaoke.
You don’t need to wait long. Several others come in and take their seats: A tough-looking guy in a hoodie
and face mask, reeking of aerosol. A gray-haired, serious-looking salaryman, wearing an ill-fitting suit and tie–
You immediately notice the dried blood under his fingernails.
A pretty young woman sits last, looking like she just came out of a college class. She looks over her shoulder
and whispers something, apparently to no one in particular.
There's a tingling in the air. On a hunch, you close your eyes and think of death.
When you open them again, you can see it floating by her shoulder: A decaying corpse-head, its eyes and
mouth aflame with the white fire of the ghost realm. Its tongue hangs out and drips black saliva, its jaw appar-
ently ripped away long ago.
“My lady,” it rasps, in a voice of scraping bones and wind. Then it bows respectfully– as respectfully as a
disembodied head can bow– and vanishes. The place grows as quiet as a grave, and everyone in the restaurant
suddenly turns away, as if your table doesn’t exist anymore.
This is the quiet place, you realize. Even in the middle of a noisy restaurant, surrounded by human eyes and
ears, it doesn’t matter– not if the great sage wishes for silence.
The two men defer to the woman– not a young woman, you understand now– and she turns to you.
“Welcome, newbie,” she says in an odd accent, like something that was long ago lost to time. "You've come a
long way from home. Are you ready to learn what you really are, and why you've returned?"
When you nod and say "Yes, Master," she smiles, showing you her fangs.
"Then let's begin."
It's midnight, and the immortals have gathered.

The Hungry Dead. • In India and Tibet, prophets of Clan Ravnos

say that they see an apocalypse in their dreams,
Monsters of the graveyard. Wicked ones who prey as desperate plans to save the world commence–
upon humankind, who feast on living flesh and and old warriors sharpen their blades for battle.
blood.
• A long-despised tribe of vampires has claimed
Peel away the romance of the modern vampire legend, territory in Japan’s southern islands, seeking
and what you find at the center are not figures of revenge against their Hungry Dead oppressors
darkbeauty,butsoullessbeastsfromoutofnightmare: with help from both the Camarilla and Sabbat.
corpse-demons who crawled their way out of hell–
ravenous enough to steal an infant’s dying breath, • InbothSoutheastAsiaandtheKoreanpeninsula,
or to descend upon the sick and elderly, leaving a cold war is growing hotter, as several kings of
themasbloodystainsonthewallsfortheirsatisfaction. the Thousand Hells are making their bid to
become the prophesied Demon Emperor: ruler
In the World of Darkness, the Hungry Dead are of the one-thousand-year Age of Sorrows.
very real, and their appetite for violence and suffering
is bottomless. Since time out of memory, they have In the idiom of the Hungry Dead, the 108 years
walked among humankind in their villages and between one’s initial rise from hell and the serious
cities, the hidden apex danger of the midnight hours. search for enlightenment are called the Relentless
Age: a chaotic, dangerous, and exciting time, in
Yet, for all their horrors, the Hungry Dead are not which they can either rise to greatness or burn to
doomed to an eternity as mindless killers. In their oblivion–eitherway,theirfateistobecomesomething
mortal lives, they lived lives of exceptional wickedness terrible and glorious, whether for one blazing night
or despair, and for that stain on their souls they or for millennia to come. The night world, too, has
were dragged to the Thousand Hells– But through reached its Relentless Age, and the decisions made
luck or the mysterious workings of fate, the Hungry by the Hungry Dead now will mark the world forever.
Dead managed to reclaim their dead bodies and
escape. And now, they say, their burden in the mortal WHATʼS IN THIS BOOK
world is the quest for enlightenment.
The remainder of this section contains some
In much of Asia– India, the Chinese mainland, the inspirational sources that will help players and
northern steppes, the islands and peninsular lands Storytellers fall into the mood of The Relentless Age,
of Southeast Asia, and more– the Hungry Dead followed by a lexicon of important in-game terms.
have organized themselves into a vast society: a night The rest of the book is as follows:
world, loosely united across cultures and polities by
the desire to become something more. They pursue In Chapter One: Welcome to the Night World,
perfected immortality through the workings of you will learn what the Hungry Dead are: how they
internal alchemy; they become mighty servants of rise from the Thousand Hells, how they organize
heaven or hell; they grow cults of mortal worship themselves, the spiritual realms that make up their
and reach, blasphemously, for godhood; they dive universe, and the other supernaturals with whom
into the mystery of humanity itself, to find what they share the night world.
they lost and save others in the process.
In Chapter Two: The Enlightenment of Monsters,
you will get a broad introduction to the four Virtues
But transcendence is not an easy goal even at the of the Hungry Dead, as well as a detailed overview
best of times. The great Dharmas of the Hungry of the Dharmas: the great spiritual philosophies
Dead vary widely in their outlook and philosophy, that define the night world, and which guide the
and coexistence between them ranges between Hungry Dead in their search for enlightenment.
friendly rivalry and all-out war. And in this time
especially, the year 1998, things are only getting In Chapter Three: Character Creation and Systems,
worse: you’ll get exactly what it says on the tin: how to
build a character, followed by new Backgrounds,
• An empire of the night has fallen in living plus the core systems that run The Relentless Age–
memory, and China’s supernatural community Suffering, Chi, Virtues, Dharma, and Enlightenment.
is being torn apart as warlords, revolutionaries
and saboteurs fight for the mandate to rule a In Chapter Four: Arts, you will learn about the
new world. various powers that the Hungry Dead have at their
disposal, including the dread Demon Arts and
SINTRODUCTION
ECTION NAME 7
Demon Regalia, the spiritual techniques of the Soul

Arts, and the transformative powers known as the
Godbodies.
In Chapter Five: Storytelling, we discuss the core

moods/themes of Hell, Hunger, Enlightenment,
Fate, and Destiny, including a handful of optional
tools that can be used to highlight these elements
in your game. Also included in this chapter is some
food for thought that may help when playing a game
THE HUNGRY
set in a different culture. DEAD: MYTHS AND
Chapter Six: Many Places to Make Trouble is the
“grand world tour” of the supernatural side of Asia
REALITIES
as of 1998, with a selection of setting descriptions,
example conflicts, and story hooks set in mainland
China, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, India, Vietnam, The Hungry Dead are ghosts risen from their
Thailand, and more. graves.
Appendix I: Special Systems and Example Characters False. The Hungry Dead are renegades from the
goes into rules for spirits, quick-play rules for other wheel of reincarnation– Not ghosts, and not revenants
supernaturals, and a selection of sample characters or zombies. Their flesh is dead, but it is immortal.
from among the Hungry Dead, vampires, and other Their spirits are broken and full of rage, but resolution
beings from across the night world. of their mortal lives won’t heal anything; the only
way out for them is enlightenment.
Lastly, Appendix II: The Way of the Demon Hunter
contains optional rules to play as a mortal Demon The Hungry Dead are vampires.
Hunter, including a unique system for Chi-based
powers that allows them to rise to the challenge of Technically true. They can drink blood like vampires
the Hungry Dead. from movies and TV– and like their Cainite cousins
who rule the night further west– but many of the
Hungry Dead learn to absorb energy directly from
living beings. An unfortunate number are also
perfectly happy to eat flesh like graveyard ghouls.
The Hungry Dead can be defeated by sunlight,

fire, and the power of holy monks.
True. The Hungry Dead burn equally well from

torches and the sun, and those with the proper
training can repel or even make weapons to
exterminate the Hungry Dead– Hence why the night
world is at night, and why it operates in secret. But
genuine true faith is hard to come by in this age,
and even a blessed wooden stake still needs to hit
its mark.
SELECTED INSPIRATIONAL SOURCES Television and Movies

• Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds, directed by
Religious and Spiritual Texts Kim Yong-hwa, originally from a webtoon series
by Joo Ho-min. The legal complexities of a
(A note for the ambitious: The following two bureaucratic afterlife are on full display here, in
recommendations are truly massive reads, which a tear-jerker film about a man’s final judgment
some devotees spend their entire lives studying. For and the various entities who help and hinder
the purposes of playing a game and having fun first, him.
it is recommended that you try consulting
summaries and guides to simply get the gist of some • Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, produced by
key concepts.) Ufotable, originally from a manga series by
Koyoharu Gotouge. The setting is 1920s Japan,
• The Lotus Sutra. Specifically a Mahayana Buddhist and the vampires are flesh-eating “demons.” But
text, the “Sutra on the White Lotus of the True to convey the mood of the Hungry Dead, few
Dharma” is where many of the more mind-bending shows are this accessible (and massively popular,
and mystical conceptions of the Buddhist cosmos as of this book’s publication).
originate from. Enlightenment is a living, eternal
thing, and all beings have the potential to reach • Infernal Affairs, directed by Andrew Lau and
it. Alan Mak. Released around the time period
depicted in The Relentless Age, this film portrays
• The Upanishads. Part of the Vedas, the ancient the underworld and police force of Hong Kong
origin of many strains of Indian spirituality with a twisty double-agent plot that is at turns
(grouped under the broad umbrella of tense and exhilarating.
“Hinduism”), these books ask questions of
humanity’s relationship with the universe– and • Princess Mononoke, produced by Studio Ghibli,
in some interpretations, whether the universe directed by Hayao Miyazaki. A young man
we see is even real. attempts to heal a spiritual curse, embarking on
a journey through an ancient forest that is slowly
Books and Comics dying. For the flavor of the Spirit Wilds and
Lower Heavens (and the corruption of Hell),
• Chainsaw Man, by Tatsuki Fujimoto (also a look no further than this classic.
television show produced by Mappa). Set in an
alternate 1990s where the Cold War never ended,
demons regularly attack the mortal world, and LEXICON
“devil hunter” is the most dangerous job in
Japan’s civil service. A visual inspiration for The Below is a non-exhaustive list of terms and institutions,
Relentless Age, particularly for Half-Devils. most of which will be frequently referenced in later
sections of this book.
• The Plotters, by Un-Su Kim. In the shadows of
modern Korea, secret guilds of assassins live Age of Falling Darkness: The current era of the
brutal and desperate lives– and yet, they dare Wheel of Ages, also called the Sunset Age, characterized
to dream. Brutal and unsentimental, this story by growing debasement, war and despair.
imagines a complex, puzzle-like hidden world
of killers that is very much like the night world. Age of Legends: An ancient age before known
history, characterized by grandeur of both beauty
• Sacred Games, by Vikram Chandra. A sprawling, and destructive passions. The Petals of Virtue claim
multilayered crime drama, in which the city of that their spiritual forebears, the heavenly immortals,
Bombay is the most important character of all. ruled and were eventually punished by Heaven in
A meaty tale that goes into the myriad possibilities this age.
of life in urban India, including its fascinating
mixture of religions and identities. Age of the One-Becoming-Many: A primordial age,
characterized by infinite potentiality. Said to still
• Underground, by Haruki Murakami. A collection exist, in small pockets, deep in the Lower Heavens.
of interviews and essays on the 1995 Tokyo sarin
gas attacks. A haunting and critical look at the Age of Sorrows: The next age foretold, considered
consumerist, work-based culture of 90s Japan, the nadir of the cycle of ages, characterized by cruelty,
as well as the forces that made it possible for a despair and the absolute rule of the Demon Emperor.
hidden underground of religious cults to thrive.
ISNTRODUCTION
ECTION NAME 9
Amakusa Blood Tribe: A “clan” of Japanese armaments and hideously beautiful mutations.
vampires, blending the native Caitiff (see
Tsuchigumo) and a Japanized bloodline of Clan Devil Soul: The distinct personality embodied by
Salubri. Centered in the Amakusa Islands, which the Hungry Dead Virtue of Wickedness. Audacious,
have been declared a Free State since 1993. blasphemous, and wise.
Beast Courts: Shapeshifters who take the form of Dhampyr: The child of both a Hungry Dead and
humans, animals, and things in-between. Native to mortal parent. Not immortal themselves, but extremely
both the mortal world and Spirit Wilds. long-lived, and possessed of strange luck. Also known
as Half-Damned and Golden Children.
Beast Soul: The distinct personality embodied by
the Hungry Dead Virtue of Vitality. Vibrant, lusty, Dharmas: The enlightened philosophies of the
and full of life. Hungry Dead, which promise an escape from their
cursed state.
Cainite: A race of vampires similar to the Hungry
Dead, who largely control the night world in the Dragon’s Nest: A location in the mortal or spirit
lands west of the Indian subcontinent. Their name worlds that naturally generates Chi. Highly valued
is a reference to the biblical tale of Cain and Abel. by all the creatures of the night world.
Century Rebellion: An uprising in China against Eastern Mariners: A Japanese-American bloodline,

the Five August Courts of the Quincunx (see descended from an aquatic Gangrel-like offshoot of
Quincunx), led by the Scorpion Eater societies and the Japanese tsuchigumo.
lasting from the fall of the Qing until the end of the
Cultural Revolution. Eruption: The unexpected release of a Hungry One’s
Suffering, which results in supernatural curses being
Chi: A general term for the life force stolen and inflicted upon the mortal world.
used by the Hungry Dead.
Faces of the Goddess: A major division of India’s
Cultivation: The development and practical use of Celestial Tribe Dharma, who believe themselves to
the four Virtues of the Hungry Dead. Advanced be formerly mortal souls gifted with the seed of
techniques of cultivation are referred to as the Soul godhood.
Arts.
Final Void: Total annihilation of the Hungry Dead,
Cultivator: A practitioner of the Soul Arts. analogous to Cainites’ Final Death. A failed journey
to enlightenment.
Demon Arts: Instinctual arts of violence, powered
by Suffering. Gauntlet: The barrier separating the mortal world
from the spirit worlds.
Descended: A major division of India’s Celestial
Tribe Dharma, who believe themselves to be aspects Ghost: A spirit native to the Underworld, usually
of the heavenly gods imprisoned in the Hungry (but not always) a former living human.
Dead state.
Ghost Soul: The distinct personality embodied by
Demon Emperor: The prophesied ruler of the the Hungry Dead Virtue of Renunciation. Cold,
coming Age of Sorrows, with absolute power over withdrawn and mournful.
both the Thousand Hells and the mortal world.
Heavenly Soul: The distinct personality embodied
Demon Hunter: A mortal whose profession is to by the Hungry Dead Virtue of Righteousness.
kill the Hungry Dead and other supernaturals who Shining, glorious and upright.
cause trouble.
Godbody Arts: Powerful arts of enlightenment,
Demon Hunter Families: Clans of demon hunters linked directly to Dharmic growth. Full mastery is
(both blood-related and adopted) who pass on special referred to as the Godbody of ___.
techniques and tools to combat the supernatural.
Great Clan: An extended family unit of Japan’s
Demon Immortal: A member of the Dharmas night world, composed of generations of blood-related
known as the Petals of Virtue. Hungry Dead and their chosen mortal descendants.
The main political unit of Japan until the foundation
Demon Regalia: Natural weaponry provided through of the Night-Temple in the 6th century, and then
the Demon Arts, which takes the form of cursed the Amakusa Blood Tribe in 1993.
Great Wheel: The entirety of the physical and Mortal World: Realm of humankind, the physical
spiritual universe, subdivided into the realms of world of the Great Wheel.
Beasts, Ghosts, Gods, Demons, and Humankind.
New Promise Righteousness Society: The de facto
Half-Devil: A demon of the Thousand Hells merged headquarters of the Petals of Virtue in California,
with the mind and soul of a mortal. centered in the declared Free State of Chinatown,
San Francisco.
Heavens: The realm of gods and dreams, one of the
spirit worlds of the Great Wheel. Only the Lower Night-Temple: The “second estate” of Japan’s night
Heavens are accessible to most. world, composed of monastic devotees of the Petals
of Virtue. Considered a single institution, rather
Heretical Triad: A derogatory term, used by some than four allied Dharmas. Also known as the Wheel
Petals of Virtue, to refer to the three independent of the Law, or “Hourin” in Japanese.
Dharmas of India (the Celestial Tribe, the Pure
Illusion-Truth, and the Ram-Hearted). Night World: The world from sundown to sunrise,
when the Hungry Dead and other supernaturals
Human Dharmas: The two Dharmas that revolve rise and hold court.
specifically around humanity and humankind–
Diamond Serpents and Rootless Trees. Petals of Virtue: The four "Immortal Dharmas" that
originate from China– Bone Flowers, Devil-Tigers,
Hundred Clouds: A poetic term for enlightenment Resplendent Cranes, and Thrashing Dragons. Also
and ascension. known as the Demon Immortals.
Hungry Dead: Creatures of the night, escapees from Quincunx: A Hungry Dead empire that controlled
the Thousand Hells. A single individual is called a China and surrounding countries from 1449 until
Hungry One. the end of the Century Rebellion in 1979. Also
known as the Five August Courts, referencing the
Immortal Dharmas: A sobriquet for the four key administrative cities of Chang’an, Chongqing,
Dharmas comprising the Petals of Virtue. Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.
Independent Dharmas: An academic distinction Ravnos: A Clan of Cainite vampires with origins in
for the Celestial Tribe, the Pure Illusion-Truth/ India. Co-founders of the Dharma of Mayaparisatya
Mayaparisatya, and the Ram-Hearted, which proliferate and enemies to the other Dharmas of the Hungry
but operate separately in India and the surrounding Dead.
region.
Realm of Beasts: The Spirit Wilds.
Labyrinth: The deepest part of the Underworld,
arguably equal to the Thousand Hells in its own Realm of Devils: The Thousand Hells.
right– but also separate, containing a hungry maw
that is the Final Void in its purest form. Realm of Ghosts: The Underworld.
Lay Student: A beginner in the Godbody Arts. The Realm of Gods and Dreams: The Heavens, both
subsequent ranks of achievement, in order, are higher and lower (see Realm of Living Prayers).
Initiate, Apprentice, Adept, and Master. Known more commonly in the English-speaking
world as the Dreaming.
Lesser Death: A hibernation state for when the
Hungry Dead are starving or too wounded to move. Realm of Humankind: The mortal world.
In contrast to the Final Void, which is true
nonexistence. Realm of Living Prayers: An alternate term specific
to the Lower Heavens, a subset of the
Little God: Heavenly beings exiled to the Lower Heavens/Realm of Gods and Dreams.
Heavens, who bond with special objects, places and
people to fulfill prayers in the mortal world. Relentless Age: A poetic term for the first years of
Hungry Dead existence, when one first indulges,
Lower Heavens: Part of the Heavens, one of the then eventually sheds human attachments.
spirit worlds of the Great Wheel. A realm where
dreams, destiny and prayers take tangible form. Renunciation: The Virtue of Ghosts, gateway to
the Underworld. See Ghost Soul.
Mirrorlands: The parts of the Spirit Wilds closest
to the mortal world and the Gauntlet.
ISNTRODUCTION
ECTION NAME 11
Righteousness: The Virtue of Gods, gateway to the Suffering: The curse of the Hungry Dead, the
Heavens. See Heavenly Soul. hell-tainted karma that suffuses their being and
occasionally erupts.
Scorpion Eater Societies: A group of secret
anti-imperial, anti-dharmic organizations, responsible Spirit Wilds: The realm of beasts, one of the spirit
for the downfall of the Quincunx in 1979. Their worlds of the Great Wheel.
inheritors are the “Dharma” of the Scorpion Eaters.
Talisman: An artifact or holy relic, often made of
Second Breath: A poetic term for the moment of jade, which naturally generates Chi and usually
return, when an escaped soul becomes Hungry Dead. possesses supernatural power.
Shadowlands: The parts of the Underworld closest Tempest: The deeper realm of the Underworld, an
to the mortal world and the Shroud. endless storm that rips ghosts to pieces. Islands of
stability exist deep in the Tempest, such as the western
Shroud: A term for the Gauntlet specific to the isle of Stygia.
Underworld and ghosts.
Thousand Hells: The realm of demons, one of the
Soul Arts: Refined arts of cultivation, based on spirit worlds of the Great Wheel.
manipulation of Chi and the four Virtues of the
Hungry Dead. Divided into Beast Arts, Devil Arts, True Bone Society: The main political unit of South
Ghost Arts, and Heavenly Arts. Korea, part city administration and part mafia family.
Inheritors of the Old Green Court of Kaesong, they
Soul Imbalance: A temporary state in which one of mainly exist to control the night world’s resources,
the Hungry Dead Virtues is overly dominant. especially Korea’s natural talismanic jade.
Newly-risen and those who lose their Dharma suffer
from constant imbalance. At its worst, entering Tsuchigumo: Native Caitiff vampires of Japan,
imbalance can trigger an eruption of Suffering. named after the losers of the ancient war that
established the Yamato people. Reviled and
Spirit: A being who lives in one of the spirit realms persecuted, the tsuchigumo were thought to be
of the Great Wheel, namely wildling spirits in the wiped out at the end of the Meiji era, until the
Spirit Wilds, ghosts in the Underworld, demons in unveiling of the Amakusa Blood Tribe in 1993.
the Thousand Hells, and Little Gods and living
prayers in the Lower Heavens.
Underworld: The realm of ghosts, one of the spirit

worlds of the Great Wheel.
Vampire: A blood-drinking monster, superficially

similar to but fundamentally different from the
Hungry Dead. Often (but not always) referred to by
the sobriquet “Cainite” or “Children of Caine.”
Virtue: Four separate souls that make up the

psychological and spiritual being of the Hungry
Dead, which must be kept in balance to pursue
enlightenment.
Vitality: The Virtue of Beasts, gateway to the Spirit

Wilds. See Beast Soul.
Wheel of Ages: The cycle of time, divided typically

into twelve ages. The Age of Unity, Age of
One-Becoming-Many, and Age of Legends occurred
before recorded history; the Age of Beautiful Sadness
and current Age of Falling Darkness have lasted for
millennia; and the coming sixth age, the Age of
Sorrows, will last for millennia more.
Wickedness: The Virtue of Devils, gateway to the

Thousand Hells. See Devil Soul.
Wildling, Wildling Spirit: Beast-like spirits native

to the Spirit Wilds.
World of Daylight: Sunrise to sunset, when the

mortal world is mostly safe from the supernatural.
Yama King: A ruler of one of the Thousand Hells.

They are godlike in their personal demesne, but
their ability to affect other realms of the Great Wheel
is circumscribed by personal vulnerabilities and by
ancient agreements with Heaven. Several are now
contending to become the Demon Emperor of the
Age of Sorrows.
SCECTION
HAPTERN1: WELCOME TO THE NIGHT WORLD
AME 13
The World of Darkness in 1998 is recognizably our A gang of motorheads with piercings and tattoos
world. This holds true whether you live in New York cock their ears to the faraway sound of monks
or Shanghai, a rural town in New Mexico or a remote chanting sutras, remembering a long-ago night: the
village in Nepal: night they met a girl out on a lonely road, looking
for a ride, who told them she was from hell.
Tokyo is still the largest metropolis in the world.
Winding beneath and amidst the modern sprawl, This is the world where the Hungry Dead rise, where
the subway can take you anywhere– from gleaming they re-carve their names into the wall of destiny
skyscrapers featuring every possible amenity, to and dare the gods to punish them.
run-down neighborhoods where organized crime
still thrives. But special ordinances and fear of
domestic terrorism have given the police new powers,
and the coming showdown between gangsters and
the law promises to be ugly.
The nomadic herders of Mongolia still roam the

grasslands. They use trucks as often as horses now,
and the distance between them and people of the
cities grows smaller with each passing year– the
threat of being enclosed by urban bureaucracy is
ever-present. But the eldest remain proud and
independent; they still know how to read the signs
in sky and earth, in the movements of the birds and
wolves.
The megacities of India are still on the rise. More

and more young people are leaving behind the
villages of their ancestors to find their fortune, as
technology and industrialization grows in India at
the fastest pace in the world. Meanwhile, poverty,
extremism and resentment simmers at the edges of
the subcontinent, which threatens to boil over into
sectarian violence.
The Asian Financial Crisis, which began in Thailand

in the summer of 1997, is not yet over. Forecasts of
global economic meltdown have not been averted,
and the financial remedies implemented to prevent
disaster have put a heavy boot on the backs of the
common people in Thailand, Indonesia, the
Philippines, and South Korea.
These and other facts of history, of life in Asia at

the end of the millennium, have not changed. But
it is the World of Darkness, after all– a gothic-punk
world of extremes, where old and new clash in city
streets, where passion rules after dark, and where
things beyond reason live in the shadows:
The entrance to a red light district, aglow with neon

and digital signage, is flanked by a pair of stone lion
statues– The people of the streets whisper that the
statues are guardians, that they will come alive at
night to hunt those who harm the street’s children.
A wire- and trash-strewn alleyway will lead to a

meticulously maintained shrine, covered in extinguished
candles. Relight each one with wooden matches,
and it is said that a burning god will answer your
most wicked wish.
SECTION NAME 15
ASIANS ONLY? OK, BUT SERIOUSLY, ASIANS ONLY?
Prospective players and storytellers may wonder if The more pertinent question among some gaming
the characters of The Relentless Age exclusively hail groups might be whether it’s a bad idea to even play
from Asian culture and Asian people. The answer Kindred of the East in the first place. After all, even
is no. People all over the world go to hell and return, a game set in the United States, featuring a cast of
and the night world is not closed to anyone on characters who may not be of Asian descent, is very
account of racial or ethnic background. likely to bump up against the Buddhist, Vedic, Taoist,
and otherwise Asia-centric assumptions of the night
However, bear in mind that Hungry Dead society world and the Hungry Dead condition. It’s inevitable
requires a strong support network, due to the difficult that some details may turn out to be incorrect or
nature of their curse. The Hungry Dead are off-base.
predominant and well-established in China, where
they have long enjoyed the resources, rituals, and But when the question is whether it’s a bad idea to
institutional capture necessary to entrench their even try, then the answer– again– is an emphatic
power– And for similar reasons, the Korean peninsula no. Non-Asian players are just as welcome to Kindred
and Japan are two other regions where the Hungry of the East: The Relentless Age as everyone else. There’s
Dead have long enjoyed being the top of the heap. a lot to love about the Dharmas, the diverse powers,
the Thousand Hells, and all the rest of the setting.
But elsewhere, in places like India and parts of No one should feel as though they don’t have a right
Southeast Asia, the Hungry Dead are not always the to enjoy it.
ruling power, and they often must share the night
world with their Cainite cousins. Once one reaches For those looking for additional guidance, Chapter
the western extremes of the old Silk Road, into 5 contains some basic advice regarding good practices
Anatolia and Eastern Europe, the increasing for playing a game of Kindred of the East, while still
dominance of the Camarilla and Sabbat clans makes being mindful of the cultures at the heart of the
the Hungry Dead a much rarer sight. setting. But in general, assume that this book
welcomes all readers, from all cultures, to give The
It's also worth noting that, given a long enough time Relentless Age a spin.
span, concepts like "racism" and "colonial
resentment" aren't so cut and dry– Vietnam, for
example, struggled with Chinese imperialism for
centuries longer than they struggled against the
French and Americans. Even if younger people have
legitimate reasons to hold on to grudges, the older
Hungry Dead who teach the Dharmas often don't
think in such terms; they've simply seen too much
come and go. Refusing to teach a new Hungry One
how to survive and rise to enlightenment, simply
because he's a Canadian named Smith? That’s a
dereliction of duty, not an act worthy of a righteous
master.
Chapter 6 and Appendix I of this book describes

some of the goings-on of the Hungry Dead west of
Asia, which can provide a template for how you wish
to run a game of The Relentless Age in a non-Asian
locality. Readers who wish to give it a try, amongst
players they trust, are encouraged to do what feels
right and what will lead to a good time at the gaming
table.
Thousand Hells this way, and there they remain for

THE HUNGRY DEAD: A PRIMER eons.
Beyond the known world of humankind, the World What makes the Hungry Dead different, and what
of Darkness contains a multitude of realms: There marks them for a unique and difficult destiny, is
is a dark and desperate underworld filled with ghosts, that they found a way out.
and an animal world filled with spirit-beasts. There
are hundreds of hidden heavens where the gods Individual stories of escape differ. Some Hungry
reside– and there are thousands of hells, all too easy Dead claim that they broke their own chains and
to find, which are filled with devils and the damned. fought, or that they climbed up infinitely long strands
of hair back to the mortal world. Others explain
If the ancient Vedic texts or Buddhist scriptures are that they bribed and enticed their jailers– proof, to
to be believed, existence is a process of cycling some Dharmas, that the hell-realms have become
between each of these realms in an endless dance corrupt and unworthy of their key position in the
of action and consequence, death and rebirth. If universe. But regardless of the tale, the soul leaves
that is the case, then the Hungry Dead are monsters hell and returns to the mortal world to reclaim their
without peer, for they stand outside the wheel of original body. The Hungry Dead heal their decayed
reincarnation entirely. Having torn themselves from remains, or they return from crematory dust– even
death, all that awaits them now is either enlightenment the smallest speck of ash is enough, if the will is
or annihilation, the Hundred Clouds or the Final there.
Void– For them, there is nothing else.
From that moment on, which is called the Second
Like ghosts, the Hungry Dead are at home in darkness, Breath, a new member of the Hungry Dead is born.
and they cannot stand the sun. Like beasts of the They are ready to shake the pillars of the earth and
wild, they hunt and kill because it is in their nature. walk the arduous road to enlightenment… But there
They live forever, like gods and immortals, and they are just two problems in their way.
smolder with rage to shame any demon. To be the
Hungry Dead is to embrace a mass of contradictions:
to embody all the realms of the universe and none Suffering
of them; to be more powerful and spiritually refined
than any human– and yet to be, at the end of the Everyone who takes the Second Breath has brought
night, nothing more than a walking corpse. a piece of hell back with them. This force, called
Suffering, is intrinsic to the Hungry Dead– It is, in
fact, the very karmic debt that pulled them into hell
Back from the Dead in the first place.
Putting it more plainly, the Hungry Dead are escapees. Once they escape, Suffering holds the souls of the
Hungry Dead together, allowing the corpse body to
Picture this: One day, a human dies in a state of rise and seek enlightenment. But time in hell has
spiritual defilement. This could mean the obvious– made the debt into something monstrous and hungry.
like being a thief and a murderer– or it could be a After the trauma of death and the Second Breath,
more complex stain on the soul, such as abandoning Suffering swells inside the Hungry Dead with every
an impoverished family to run off with a lover. cruelty, every callous use of power, clamoring to be
Defilement can even be as simple as being at the unleashed– And sometimes, when misfortunes align,
wrong place at the wrong time– Dying blamelessly, a Hungry One will lose control.
but in a state of torment and helplessness, is more
than enough. When Suffering erupts, curses rain down upon the
mortal world: Buildings become twisted and fall
Once they die, the soul that has been weighed down apart, bystanders are marked by strange wounds that
with suffering plummets into the nightmare that is refuse to heal, the spiritually sensitive go catatonic
the Thousand Hells. or insane. The worst tales describe armies of demons
flooding into the mortal world, ready to slaughter
Otherwise known as Naraka, Yomi, and other names, and take captives back to Yomi. The Hungry Dead
the Thousand Hells are exactly what they suggest: are always aware that they hold this seed of the
a patchwork of spiritual kingdoms, each ruled by a Thousand Hells inside them, and that only constant
godlike Yama King and filled with indescribable discipline can stop it from taking root and blooming.
tortures. According to the religious and folk
traditions of Asia, the soul is meant to be cleansed In many ways, the entire night world has been built
in these hells, purified and made ready for around the threat of Suffering, to forestall the terrible
reincarnation. Thousands, millions come to the things that happen when the spiritual corruption
SECTION
CHAPTERN1: WELCOME TO THE NIGHT WORLD
AME 17
of the Hungry Dead is not properly contained. a Chi-generating Talisman or a Dragon’s Nest, in
Suffering is what makes the Beast Courts look over the belief that they can forestall the need to feed.
their shoulders, what causes demon hunter families Unfortunately, such noble efforts rarely last long.
to train their children to the breaking point, and According to the Dharmas, the only true way to
what brings sorcerers and witches to think twice escape the cycle of endless hunger and violence is
before making deals with corpses. It is the ultimate to grow in enlightenment, to obtain freedom through
curse. the spiritual pinnacle called the Hundred Clouds.
Hunger Indeed, at higher levels of enlightenment, the Hungry

Dead have more rarified ways to survive: stealing
Hunger for Chi, the energy of life, is what gives the energy from the breath of the living, or through
Hungry Dead their name. They may be dead immortals special techniques of meditation. But the ultimate
escaped from Hell, with immense power at hand goal of transcendence, freedom from hunger itself,
and the night world at their feet– But they yearn is the journey of millennia– which, in this darkened
always for lifeforce, without which their souls unravel and desperate age, is guaranteed to no one.
and their bodies cannot even lift a finger. It is a
perfect irony that such mighty and fearsome creatures
are fated to suckle the living like parasites.
SOCIETY OF THE DAMNED
The Hungry Dead are motivated night after night
All Hungry Dead return to their bodies with the by the need for Chi, as well as the need to control
innate ability to eat flesh, tearing at unfortunate their Suffering. But what they actually want is a
bystanders for sustenance from the moment they trickier proposition, one that motivates them to
can open their eyes. But blood is the best medium create elaborate philosophies and institutions. In
by far, the first one young Hungry Dead learn– and the vast history of the Hungry Dead, entire empires
in the modern nights, they have ample opportunities have risen and fallen on the question of what they
to drink as they please. Their teeth produce should be doing with eternity.
razor-sharp fangs with just a moment’s concentration,
and their bite produces not pain but a cool, dulling It’s true: Even in death, you can never escape politics.
numbness, sometimes to the point of death.
As they learn the foundations of Dharma, new
Those who can’t bear the guilt often try looking for
Hungry Dead are like baby birds: utterly reliant on

their rescuers, staying near the Dragon’s Nests where
they learn to control their hunger and their raging
souls. A Hungry One is considered to be unshaped,
a larval non-entity, until they have successfully
drained blood from a human being (or sometimes,
LOCAL under stricter teachers, only once they have managed
to kill and consume a creature of the spirit worlds).
TERMINOLOGY Full personhood, meanwhile, is only achieved after
swearing an oath to the Master who will guide them
through the long night to come.
Hence, the default arrangement in the night world

is between a Master or Grandmaster, her allies, and
“Chi” is an authorial term of convenience, as well their intertwined students, all standing against the
as a legacy of the original Kindred of the East setting. Masters’ various enemies. But beyond that core
Ultimately, the Hungry Dead are creatures of their assumption, the political structures of the Hungry
environment, and they speak the languages of their Dead can vary widely from region to region. The
mortal peers. Although Hungry Dead can appear elaborate courtly institutions that once defined
anywhere in the globe, the night world and its China have little in common with the cults of
institutions are strongest in Asia– Hence, generally, personality and secret societies that dominate it now,
Asian languages are the norm. let alone with the extended clans and monastic order
that exists in Japan, or the modern-style cartels of
The following is a selection of languages that have South Korea.
a more or less direct translation for Chi, an ancient
concept that spans continents and encompasses Still, there are some common ranks that cross culture
both life energy and physical breath: and language, which are recognizable anywhere as
markers of Dharma and of concrete power among
• Burmese: pran the Hungry Dead. They are as follows:
• Cantonese: hei
• Hindi: prāṇ
• Japanese: ki, iki THE RANKS OF THE HUNGRY DEAD
• Khmer: praan
• Korean: gi Larva (Dharma Zero)
• Mandarin: qi Fresh from hell, or having fallen from (or rejected)
• Telugu: prāṇamu Dharma. Characterized by the eating of flesh and
• Thai: bpraan (pronounced the same as the Khmer a total lack of soul balance. Rather than a true rank,
term) larvae are generally considered non-persons, only
• Vietnamese: khí worth the weight of anyone who vouches for them.
Those who wish to use more culture-neutral The Novitiate Ranks
terminology in play (with the assumption that
characters are saying these terms in their native Celebrant (Dharma 1)
languages, even if players cannot or don't wish to) Fledglings, watched and trained but generally treated
are encouraged to default to Essence or Lifeforce. with a light hand. They are joyful and zealous in the
discovery of Dharma, yet still deeply attached to the
human world. Characterized by the drinking of
blood, and often by the settling of mortal grudges.
Aspirant (Dharma 2-3)

True entry into the stream of Dharma. Characterized
by the swearing of oaths to a master and to the wider
community, marking their initiation as full members
of the night world. In centuries past, it was also
marked by the moment a Hungry One realizes he
has lived past his human lifespan– but at the turning
of the new age, Dharmic advancement has become
highly unpredictable.
SCECTION
HAPTERN1: WELCOME TO THE NIGHT WORLD
AME 19
Dedicant (Dharma 4)
The age of maturity, characterized by greater
responsibilities in the night world-- and most
importantly, by growing out of the need for blood,
subsisting instead on breath and pure life-force.
The Elder Ranks

Master (Dharma 5+)
Characterized by full attainment of a Godbody Art,
or by manifold mastery of the Soul Arts. Socially,
this is the stage where the Hungry Dead are expected
to take on Aspirants and have leadership roles.
Grandmaster (Dharma 6+)

Characterized, primarily, through a legacy of students
who have themselves been recognized as Dedicant
or Master. Grandmasters are also known for their
effortless surpassing of mortal limits (i.e. traits at
6+ dots).
Great Sage (Dharma 7+)

Characterized by mastery of Chi and freedom from
the obligation to hunt. At this rank, Hungry Dead
typically withdraw even from the regular affairs of
the night world, making moves that are increasingly
cryptic and far-ranging.
The very pinnacle of Dharma (9 and 10) surpasses

any notion of rank; the All-Awakened or Conquerors
among the Hungry Dead have reached the point
where they disappear into legend and story. Those
reputed to be still active in the mortal world (such
as the Laughing Rainbow Mother, who founded the
Thrashing Dragons Dharma) are also called
bodhisattva, after the Buddhist concept of enlightened
ones who remain among us.
THE REALMS OF THE GREAT

WHEEL
In the religious traditions descended from the Indian
subcontinent, it is said that the universe is made up
of multiple realms. The oldest traditions name only
three: Heaven, Hell, and the World, while others
name fourteen lokas, and still others claim that there
are hundreds of separate worlds.
While the Hungry Dead are not a monolith of belief,

one thing they can agree on is the existence of five
distinct realms within their reach. Each realm is
considered the home of a particular type of being,
but visitations from outsiders are hardly unheard
of– The Hungry Dead, for one, are destined to walk
through them all in time.
The Mortal World: those with special knowledge. Beyond the Gauntlet,
there are still further walls dividing the spirit realms
Realm of Humankind from each other, dividing the high realms from the
The mortal world is the jewel of limitless potential, low. The Hungry Dead, in their unique position
the realm to which all the Hungry Dead return. It outside the cycle of reincarnation, are free to cross
is the world of festivals, fireworks and candied apples, all barriers and traverse the universe with impunity–
the realm of love and joy and beauty– and the world at least in theory.
where gangsters will break your hands for gambling
debts, the world of methamphetamines and At baseline, all Hungry Dead can use Chi to attune
sweatshops, where the innocent are brutalized their sight, peering into the shallows of the spirit
without recourse or hope. realms that jut against the realm of humankind. But
to actually speak to and be recognized by spirits, or
If the old Buddhist wisdom holds true, then to be to cross the barrier and go deeper into the realms,
reborn as a human being is to have your greatest requires special knowledge and training.
chance at enlightenment, as well as the greatest risk. Furthermore, simply being in a realm doesn’t make
It means standing at the crossroads of the universe one safe there– Arriving uninvited in the most sacred
to choose: Will I ascend in this lifetime? Or will I domains of Heaven will quickly bring you to the tip
fall? of a spear, while being unprotected in Hell or the
Underworld risks being trapped with no hope of
The mortal world is the primary setting for the rescue.
Hungry Dead, as well as the main platform from
which they go elsewhere. The Underworld: Realm of Ghosts
Simply dying doesn’t turn you into a ghost; you
At the edge of the mortal world is a massive barrier, must die with a deep craving that cannot be satisfied,
all-encompassing and invisible: the Gauntlet, which a passion that sustains and torments you beyond
separates the domains of flesh and spirit. Aside from the grave. The land of the dead reflects this
a handful of special gateways, the ability to cross the desperation in all aspects: from the inhabitants who
Gauntlet from the mortal world belongs only to
SECTION
AME 21
cling to the places and people they loved; to the Heaven, the man who was once known as Ying
howling storm-sea that exists just under the ground, Zheng is now an undying despot, ruling over an
waiting to swallow up those who fall into despair; unfathomably cruel society: an underworld where
to the very buildings and roads of the deeper only a handful of the emperor’s favorites and their
underworld, which were made by ghosts so desperate families have rights, and the rest are subject to being
to survive that they’ve turned other ghosts into bricks turned into white jade for even the slightest of
of moaning, quivering “white jade.” infractions. Rumors that his palace contains a stair
directly to the darkest depths of the underworld,
The Hungry Dead cross the Gauntlet (or in ghostly into the endless demon-maze called the Labyrinth,
parlance, the Shroud) to visit their human ancestors are as yet unverified.
and receive their wisdom; to search for books and
artifacts that have been destroyed but yet still exist The Spirit Wilds:
in the lands of the dead; to charter a ferry through Realm of Beasts
the never-ending Tempest that rages below the world;
to walk into the courts of petty ghost-kings and Everything in the mortal world has a reflection in
bargain for a lost lover’s soul. All Hungry Dead, the Spirit Wilds, a wildling spirit made ferocious
with some practice or the expenditure of Chi, can and animal-like by the energies that emanate from
look upon the Shadowlands that closely mirror and the realm: cars bedecked with razor metal; wildlings
overlap with the mortal world, and they can also of fine jewelry that are as colorful as they are sadistic;
find the hidden gateways into the Underworld. derelict buildings that are in fact giant spirits,
However, directly crossing the Shroud without a consuming the unwary like venus flytraps. It is a
gate, or going deeper into the realm, requires the primeval world of instinct, wild growth, and merciless
use of Soul Arts. predation.
In much of Asia, the Underworld is ruled by a Ironically, the animal and plant wildlings that reside
familiar figure: Qin Shi Huang, founder of the Qin here are more sapient and refined than the rest,
Dynasty and first emperor of a unified China. Styling almost human-like in their outlook; two-tailed goblin
himself “Yu Huang” after the Jade Emperor of cats will banter and exchange favors, while intelligent
night-jasmine spirits dispense careful wisdom from The Heavens:

their watchings in the dark. The only thing missing
from the Spirit Wilds, more often than not, is Realm of Gods and Dreams
humans themselves– and that’s very much how the The highest gates of Heaven are closed. Only the
denizens like it. All-Awakened or masters of the Soul Arts are said
to have access to that most rarefied domain– Visitors
The Hungry Dead enter the Spirit Wilds to hunt who return from behind the gates report that it is a
wildlings for sustenance in the manner of beasts; to collection of paradises beyond earthly conception,
entreat the spirit courts for clemency when they where infirmity and suffering have no place, but
cause chaos in the mortal world; to search for tutelary where the gods are uncaring of what goes on in the
dragons and wise qilin who hide among the common realm of humankind.
creatures; to go to ground and disappear from
enemies like a hare escaping from vipers. Like the For the rest of the night world, there is only access
Underworld, all Hungry Dead can spend Chi to to the Lower Heavens: a once-glorious realm, now
look upon the Mirrorlands– where the Spirit Wilds a land of shining ruins, where the living prayers to
most closely reflect the mortal world– as well as to the gods wait to be answered. Like the Underworld
find the glades and forest gateways that allow easy and Spirit Wilds, the Hungry Dead can attune their
access across the Gauntlet. Crossing without a gate, sight to look upon the gateways and parts of the
however, requires learning the higher techniques of Lower Heavens that are closest to the shores of
the Soul Arts. humankind. With time, they can eventually cross
over by learning the techniques of the Soul Arts.
Deeper in the Spirit Wilds, it is said that there are
pocket realms where totemic animal-gods exercise In the Lower Heavens, destiny, dreams and prayers
their rule, and where wildlings born from wickedness are all tangible things, able to be seen and spoken
and despair have homes to rival the Thousand Hells. to by those who walk the broken silver roads: A
Journeying to such places is difficult for the Hungry sacred tree in the mortal world, where countless
Dead, as the roads and gateways are vigilantly guarded couples have made their vows, glows in the Lower
by the Beast Courts: shapeshifters, neither man nor Heavens and sings of love and the power of its oaths.
animal, who have banded together to protect what A prayer for salvation from winter crystallizes,
remains of the world untouched by humanity. Cross snowballs and takes shape, becoming a dream-maiden
them, and the Hungry Dead is in for a very short who rules over a kingdom of ice. Great lions prowl
journey to the Final Void.
SECTION
AME 23
the paths nearest to Heaven’s gates, bestowing curses mortal world: the black gateways and shadowed
and blessings upon visitors depending on their roads, the stains of corruption, subjugation, and
mood. And at night, doorways of every type and suffering, all of which grow more numerous with
description appear on the hills and valleys of the the turning of the age– Proof, indeed, that the
Lower Heavens, each one leading into a sleeping coming Age of Sorrows is the Age of the Thousand
human’s dreams. Hells, an era in which the mortal world will have
no barrier to separate it from the realm of demons.
Even the Little Gods, the exiled heavenly beings
who consider the Lower Heavens their domain, do The Thousand Hells exist to torment the souls of
not understand every little thing that makes its home the spiritually defiled. That is their primary reason
in the Realm of Living Prayers. The Hungry Dead, for being, and the key activity that fuels their
for their part, visit the Lower Heavens to interpret continued health. No one truly dies in the Thousand
the weave of fate and the prayers of mortals close Hells– Wounds that would kill in any other realm
to them; to follow the trods into the darkest parts are endured, and even bodies that are totally
of the realm, where the world breaks down into its annihilated are soon revived, hale and whole, to be
original primordial clay, and where things of myth tortured once again. The highly sensitive will notice
and legend may be reforged; to lie in wait for an the twisting and screams of sinners turning into fine
unwary Little God, as an addict seeking a fix of strands of Chi, which weave into and reinforce the
golden blood– so long as the Hungry One can avoid fabric of the realm.
getting caught and facing the wrath of eight million
angry dreams. But beyond that commonality, each hell is entirely
unique, with its own inhabitants, concerns and
The Thousand Hells: methods of torture. The secret history of the night
world is filled with thousands of years of Hell’s
Realm of Demons conflicts, as each Yama King squabbles over their
Nobody wants to remember Hell. But sometimes a allotment of souls and territory. To anyone’s
child must return home, no matter how dark the knowledge, there has never been a single overlord
memories. of all the hells– But this may soon change, as the
age turns to the advent of the Demon Emperor.
Unlike the other realms, the Hungry Dead cannot
use Chi to look directly upon the domains of Hell.
Instead, they can see the marks of Hell upon the
CONTENDERS FOR THE THRONE

Some Yama Kings, hungry with ambition, are trying to expand their realms’ influence into the mortal world,
for it is said that the Emperor foretold will rule over not just Hell, but all the realms of the Great Wheel.
To the Hungry Dead who risk going into the Thousand Hells– to rescue innocents, to sabotage, or to obtain
precious intelligence– these are the kingdoms of greatest interest. They are:
• The Hell of Being Skinned Alive, ruled by the Iron Queen, the realm for those who hoarded wealth or
secrets to the detriment of others. The sinners here have everything ripped away from them by the howling
winds and sand, even skin and muscle and bone, until their rage-filled souls become the hungry winds
themselves. The only respite is found inside the Stillness Pavilion, a well-hidden courtyard built by the
heavenly immortals, where it is said that one may find a way to escape.
• The Hell of Boiling Oil, ruled by the wretched Unnameable, the realm for those who indulged in
gluttony and excess. It is an ocean-realm of melted human fat, where jellyfish-like demons swim both in the
smoky skies and under the greasy surface to grab at cooked sinners, and where court is held by the Unnameable’s
lieutenant demons within giant, building-sized bubbles of crystallized gelatin. Bundles of smoking, burnt
hair hang from the ceiling like vines– some of which are just long enough for a person to grab hold and
climb.
• The Hell of Burrowing Maggots, ruled by the Mistress of Pestilence, the realm for those who die of
disease– an unjust realm to many, but it is a niche that the Mistress is more than happy to exploit. What
appears to be an endless dune of white sand is actually a field of maggots, which obscures the souls buried
beneath as well as enormous, hungry megafauna that defy description. If you can find and endure being
swallowed by a particular creature called the Pale Beast, it is said that you’ll be expelled in the realm of
humankind.
• The Hell of the Burning Seas, ruled by the Mother of the Depths, the realm for those who suffocate
others or who die in water. A hell filled with glorious aquatic cities and beautiful creatures of every description,
yet none of its wonders can be enjoyed by the souls trapped there– for they drown endlessly, searching for
a surface that the Mother’s finned priestesses guarantee they never reach. If one instead swims downward,
dying again and again, they may find the lightless cave paths where escape is possible.
• The Hell of Upside-Down Sinners, the realm for those who victimized others through fanaticism and
surety. The identity of the Yama King who rules this realm is a matter of contention, but no one trapped in
this hell is in a position to care– If you’re an upside-down sinner, down is up, senses are jumbled and twisted,
deep-seated values become profanities, and vice-versa. It is a kingdom of unbridled madness, where only
those who fully embrace its transformative power may find a way out.
• Lanka, the Demon City, an ancient jungle realm covered in vine-choked ruins, which is ruled by a
demon calling himself King Ravana– It is one of several hells designated to warriors and killers for the state.
Lately a shadow of its glory days, there are few souls in the modern day who descend into Lanka directly.
But there is a flurry of new activity as of late, as “Ravana’s” generals steal souls from other realms, furiously
feeding the hungry beast that has awakened beneath the central temple.
• The Night Kingdom, where those who hid cruelty behind a face of honor and propriety sit in frozen
darkness, unable even to spark a warming fire, or to muster anything other than a heavy, overwhelming
despair. This hell is ruled by a Yama King who appears in the form of a seemingly harmless old man– He
claims the title of Lord Enma, God of Hell, but he delights in doling out false hope in a way that feels all
too human. How far he would take the game, toying with his favorite playthings all the way to the mortal
world, is anyone’s guess.
SECTION NAME 25
• The Pit of Salt and Iron, which is sometimes said to be the same as the less-prominent Hell of Eternal
Castration, where those who committed sexual violence are punished as one might expect. But others insist
that they are separate realms– that the Pit, with its salt flats studded with razors and spikes, is specifically
for traitors and failures. They say that the ruler of the Pit is pretending to be weaker than she really is, and
that she picks the ripest candidates for a chance to serve her interests in the mortal world.
• The Wicked City, where souls who die of overwork, or who suffer deaths of despair in urban anonymity,
will find themselves in an eternal nightmare city: a kafkaesque purgatory of neon and steel. Less than half
a century old, the Wicked City has become one of the most common hells from which young Hungry Dead
arise. The mysterious ruler of this realm– or rulers, for it is unclear who exactly wields the title “Mikaboshi”–
now threatens to be the main contender for the throne in the Age of Sorrows.
Other Yama Kings– of lesser hells, or ones not desiring earthly power– look upon the more ambitious realms
with dread, wondering what will come their way in just a matter of years.
ones to be eviscerated when the Beast Courts have

FELLOWS OF THE NIGHT cause for anger– And above all else, the beast-folk
are a very angry people.
A mortal human can go his entire life without
knowing that he shares the world with monsters. The Beast Courts are made up of master shapeshifters,
But once the brave or foolish take their first step able to take animal or human form at will. They
into the dark, the night world rarely lets them go. also have an array of spirit powers at their disposal,
Few in the know can unsee how the Hungry Dead with the entirety of the Spirit Wilds often rising up
have shaped Asia’s cities to serve their pleasure: the to aid them when the chips are down. But the
after-hours cafes and bars, the night markets and beast-folk are most feared by the Hungry Dead for
houses of vice, the candle-lit temples and shrines their war form, which turns them into hulking,
that welcome midnight visitors. razor-clawed gods of carnage. Even the
diplomats, spies and scouts of the courts– foxes,
But even if they claim to have built it for themselves, rats, crows, and other innocuous creatures– have
the night world doesn’t belong to the Hungry Dead this innate capacity for violence, making them more
alone. They are just one of several supernatural clans, than a match for the powers of the Hungry Dead.
each with their own powers and sphere of influence.
As the Age of Sorrows dawns, the tenuous ebb and Finally, as some have had the misfortune to discover:
flow of peace in the night world may turn towards There are spiders in the Beast Courts, too– enormous
unity, as they band together to resist the ascension ones, masterful in dark and bloody sorceries, who
of the Demon Emperor– or it may dissolve into the move much, much faster than you’d ever expect.
kind of chaos that leaves the world in flames.
Servants of Heaven
The Beast Courts
The gates of Heaven may be closed, but Heaven is
The Hungry Dead are taught to always be careful far from absent. Celestial lions, deadly garuda, and
and polite when traveling abroad, for the deadliest even the occasional heavenly maiden live in the
beings in the night world are found in the wild places mortal world in secret, pursuing agendas known
between cities. At times staunch rivals to the Hungry only to them. Some beings have even lived among
Dead, at other times their most terrifying allies, the humankind for centuries, taking on the traits of
shape-changing beast-folk and their courts have various myths and legends– and at times being the
enough power to give even the most warlike Hungry source of them.
Dead pause.
Collectively, these divine spirits– whether loyal
The wild beasts of the world may be diminished and servants on a mission, heavenly exiles, or divine
hiding in the modern age, but they still endure in ne’er-do-wells– are known as the Little Gods. Despite
secret: Wolves, bears, tigers, even giant serpents the many forms and powers at their disposal, the
prowl the realms of flesh and spirit, defending their one commonality that unites them is that they are
territories from both human overreach and spiritual far from home.
corruption. This makes the Hungry Dead, for their
parasitic appetites and hell-tinged nature, In their pure form, the Little Gods are frailer and
warily tolerated at the best of times, and the first more delicate than even the weakest ghost, withering
if they walk unprotected among the mortals and
their defilements. But they also wither if they don't
walk among them, listening to human dreams and
fulfilling human prayers. So, to fulfill their nature
and shield themselves from death, each Little God
has to choose an anchor in the realm of humankind:
either a special object or place that will house their
divine spirits, or a special mortal vessel– human or
animal– who is willing to blend mind and soul with
them.
When they don't have an anchor– when the human

vessel dies, or when the beloved shrine falls into
disrepair– the Little Gods have no choice but to
bide their time in the Lower Heavens. There they
wait, vulnerable and disconnected, itching for an
opportunity to rejoin the dance of mortality in a
new incarnation.
SECTION
AME 27
Envoys from Clan Tzimisce are said to be deeply

impressed by their Korean counterparts.
• In Ginza, Tokyo, the Hungry Dead give the Beast

Courts free reign to slaughter Half-Devils whenever
they arise. Hence, to survive in Japan’s glitziest
neighborhood, the demon-blooded have learned
to hide behind irreproachable beauty and civility,
becoming the most renowned hosts and hostesses
in town.
• In the balmy streets of Columbo, Sri Lanka, the

Half-Devils are near-equals to the Hungry Dead–
cousins of the night, who might call upon the
dead immortals for moonlight tea, but who serve
no one and keep no counsel but their own.
Travel the night world awhile, and you’ll find that

there is no consensus about what to actually do with
The Little Gods weave the beauty of dreams into Half-Devils, beyond the simple fact that they exist.
the mortal world, answering prayers to gain the Some Hungry Dead, with the casual heresy of the
notice and favor of Heaven’s ministers. They rarely young, will even go so far as to call some Half-Devils
find the Hungry Dead beautiful, and they have many their oath-sworn friends.
clever tricks to ruin a monster’s night– But they are
not invincible, and the immortals have found that Dhampyrs
the golden blood of the Little Gods is delicious and
intoxicating. The Half-Damned. The Golden Children.
(For rules on heavenly blood addiction, see Chapter Dhampyrs are the fruit of a union between mortals
5, Storytelling.) and Hungry Dead: When a human woman takes a
Hungry Dead lover, or a Hungry One commits to
Half-Devils having a child of their own, any resulting birth is a
unique fusion of both– a child not as powerful as
When a demon of the Thousand Hells chooses to their immortal parent, but able to enjoy the world
give up its ephemera and merge with the flesh and of daylight in a way Mom or Dad never can.
mind of a human being, the result is a Half-Devil.
Also known as “f iends,” “ fomori,” and In the night world, Dhampyrs help their undead
“demon-blooded,” Half-Devils are dangerous parents with daytime affairs, and they oversee the
creatures, who possess supernatural power in the mundane tasks of courtly life. Those who live to
form of hellish disfigurements: a wickedly clawed adulthood can expect lifespans well over a century
hand that can rend both stone and flesh; hypnotizing and more, with sharpness and health right up to the
eyes that dilate like a cat’s and allow the bearer to end.
see ghosts; a red button-switch imbedded in the
neck, which transforms its owner into a deadly From the start of their strange lives, Dhampyrs are
monster every time it gets pushed– The sheer variety also blessed with deep reserves of luck and good
of demonic features is as endless as the hells themselves. fortune– a side effect, it is said, of being born to a
parent who exists outside of reincarnation, as this
According to conventional Hungry Dead wisdom, makes the very existence of the Dhampyr an anomaly
Half-Devils are pitiful, lesser beings, driven solely by of fate. The Golden Children are skilled bodyguards,
base urges and a thirst for mayhem. In this, they accountants with the magic touch, magnificent hosts
agree with the Beast Courts, who are united in their who always know the right thing to say to please
desire to rend every Half-Devil limb from limb. The their undead benefactors.
increasing presence of the demon-blooded
everywhere in the world– from Delhi to LA, so it’s Throughout history, the Half-Damned have been
said– is merely a sign of the corrupted age. alternately treated as toys, as trusted servants– in the
style of western vampires and their Ghouls– as special
• In Busan, South Korea, certain Devil-Tigers take heirs destined to become just like their Hungry Dead
pleasure in collecting demon-blooded servants, parents, and everything in-between. But with the
subjugating them and making an art form out fall of the Quincunx in China, some Dhampyrs have
of cultivating their most striking disfigurements. taken advantage of the political chaos to commit
the ultimate sin in the eyes of their parents: to strike The mythical, virtuous demon hunters of ages past,
out on their own and forge their own destiny. who balanced the mortal and supernatural worlds
with wisdom and a sharp blade, are long gone. What
Wizards and Witches remains are collections of ancient techniques– some
say stolen from the Hungry Dead, others say gifted
Even monsters fear human magic. Legends speak of by the gods– that can even the scales between humans
sages who can move at the speed of thought, who and monsters, if said human is willing to pay the
can shape metal and stone to their desires, or who cost. These techniques have spread around the night
can withstand the deadliest of hells as though taking world, picked up by demon hunter families that rise
a springtime stroll. According to the Hungry Dead, and fall over the decades:
if there’s any commonality to mortal magicians, it’s
that their power takes ten thousand different forms, • In Japan, a status quo that existed since the Edo
and you’ll never know what you’re truly dealing with era has fallen: The Yanagi clan of demon hunters
until it’s too late. has perished at the hands of the Hungry Dead,
and their rivals in the Okamoto clan have joined
The ceremonial magicians of the Wu Lung are the forces with the corporate world, becoming the
best known in China– hardly a surprise, as their private security firm Strike Force Zero.
ancient reputation for arrogance, and for solving
problems with fistfuls of gold and lightning, has • In the city of Rajasthan in northern India, a
been fully earned. But the night world contains secret society of Sikhi controls the population
sorcerers and mystics of all kinds: the Buddhist of Hungry Dead, only allowing the most virtuous
weikza of Burma, shamanistic mudang in Korea, to live. So far, the Hungry Dead themselves are
masters of mantra and deadly war-techniques in the not aware that they are sheep being corralled by
Indian subcontinent. There are even Asian magicians the shepherd… But the men are growing old,
trained in the styles of Europe, whose occult arts and slip-ups happen.
have enjoyed centuries of fosterage in cities like
Nagasaki, Hong Kong and Mumbai. • In southern China, a long tradition of
wandering warriors is on the decline– or it was,
More dangerous than all of them, however, is the until the night world erupted in chaos starting
far-reaching Technocratic Society: a sect of sorcerers in the 1970s. Now college students are banging
who reportedly hate their own kind, who despise down the doors of retired, shell-shocked masters,
magic and harness it solely as a weapon to destroy eager for an explanation and a way to take back
the night world. Open encounters between the the night.
Hungry Dead and “Those Who Wear Black” are
rare but unsettling, and supernaturals who have • In South Korea, poor demon hunters from the
escaped from their secret laboratories report horrors Jeolla region have made a devil’s deal, getting
to rival the tortures of hell. If the rumors are true, paid to track down dangerous people and objects
and these hypocrite wizards exist in far larger numbers all across the Pacific Rim. The mysterious woman
than their more mystic brethren, then the night who calls herself “Warden Kim” gives them
community may be in even worse danger than anyone plenty of money for the goods– almost enough
realizes. to not ask questions.
Demon Hunters Rules for Demon Hunters, and the powers of the
Demon Hunter Families, can be found in Appendix
For every family slaughtered by the Hungry Dead, II.
there is a child hiding in a crevice who witnesses it
all. For every human enslaved by a vindictive . . .And Vampires
Devil-Tiger, or turned into a Godling’s anemic lover,
there is a friend or family member who cannot bear Until about three centuries ago, there was little
to watch them waste away, who digs for the truth reason for the Hungry Dead to care about the night
until they can’t turn back anymore. world of Europe and beyond. They assumed that
For such people, what awaits is usually a dark, those lands had their own Hungry Dead, and scant
desperate life, ending in violence once they take one reports they received of a war between “princes of
step too far, or they make the wrong gamble. But the night” were more than satisfactory. Even
sometimes, a person in need will cross paths with translations of the Book of Nod were thought to be
the people who make it their life’s work to deal with an allegorical story of the Hungry Dead state, adapting
monsters– What follows then is no less dark and Dharmic teachings into a form more palatable to
desperate, but there is the tiniest flicker of hope that Europeans. After all, why would it be anything else?
what waits at the end is justice.
Only a select few had the experience to know
SECTION
AME 29
differently: dedicated scholars of Valeren or the

Dragon Tear, Indian Hungry Dead who regularly
crossed claws and blades with the Ravnos, warriors
of the old Khanate who found themselves facing
the horrors of Koldunic Sorcery. The full awareness
that they were two separate species came only
gradually, as western colonialism did its work and
brought Cainites on ships and trains to Asia.
What was once specialized knowledge became

widespread and well-understood by the late 1800s,
as their worlds fully began to collide: The Hungry
Dead and Cainites shared the night, but they couldn’t CREATING A
be more different from each other.
The effects of this revelation are still being felt in

DHAMPYR
the modern nights. The Cainite bloodlines of Asia–
small, insular, and made powerless in various ways The process of conceiving and carrying a Dhampyr
through Hungry Dead dominance and ignorance– does not require any magic rites or special powers.
have found their second wind, demanding to be Contrary to popular myth, it does not require the
seen as equal in status to the rest of the night world. Hungry Dead to cultivate Vitality (i.e. to mimic the
And younger Hungry Dead, charmed by the realization functions of a living being) as they carry a human’s
that “Draculas” are real and not hellbeasts like child, nor does one need to be doing so if they are
themselves, have begun overtures with vampires that siring the child with a human, aside from the obvious.
fill elders on both sides with dread. And arranging signs and auspicious portents to
conceive a Dhampyr can be helpful, but they are
As of late, the fact that the Hungry Dead do not not required– Ultimately, the Golden Children are
experience the Blood Bond has been a revelation a quirk of destiny rather than a mechanistic process;
to the Children of Caine– And equally so to the they will appear when they appear.
Hungry Dead, the fact that Cainites can completely
enslave one another by simply tasting each other’s After a pregnancy that proceeds as normally as it
blood is fascinating. Where that knowledge will take can, the birth of a Dhampyr is often traumatic and
them has yet to be seen. bloody, and it inevitably ends in a stillbirth. The
Hungry Dead parent– or another Hungry One acting
as godparent– then feeds a point of Chi to the dead
infant, upon which it returns to life. The parents,
of course, rarely let their children forget afterwards
that the Dhampyr is only alive because of their
generosity.
CAINITE
BLOODLINES
IN ASIA
Those with an interest in Asian Cainite Bloodlines

should note that both Vampire: the Masquerade 20th
Anniversary Edition and Vampire: the Dark Ages 20th
Anniversary Edition contain a wealth of information
about what bloodlines exist in India, Mongolia,
China, and elsewhere. It should be assumed that
all of these bloodlines exist and interact with the
Hungry Dead, but that they are suppressed and
muscled out wherever the Hungry Dead hold the
most power.
In addition, this book introduces two new bloodlines:

in Chapter 6, the clanless Amakusa Blood Tribe of
Japan (and their American Gangrel-esque
descendants, the Eastern Mariners); and in Appendix
I, the also-clanless mountain vampires of Korea,
who share a symbiotic relationship with fox-spirits
of the Spirit Wilds. Enough information has been
provided to make them playable and hopefully
interesting– but bear in mind that this book is
focused on the Hungry Dead first and foremost.
SECTION
CHAPTERN2: THE ENLIGHTENMENT OF MONSTERS
AME 31
The Hungry Dead are creatures of enlightenment. Vitality, the Virtue of Beasts
It is the defining struggle of their condition, as well
as the crowning achievement that (they believe) Vitality is the Beast Soul, reflecting the life energy
makes them the rightful princes of the night world. of beasts and other wild creatures. At its best, it is
In this chapter, the nature of the Hungry Dead soul the joy of physical desire and living in the moment.
will be revealed, and their many paths of enlightenment When it is imbalanced and overtakes the other
explained in detail. Virtues, Vitality becomes the gateway to gluttony,
mindless instinct, and orgiastic oblivion.
THE SOULS OF THE HUNGRY DEAD:
Wickedness, the Virtue of Devils
VIRTUES
Wickedness is the Devil Soul, reflecting the manifold
There is no court of Hungry Dead that does not terrors and torments of hell. At its best, it is the
value the rescue and fosterage of their own kind. virtue of audacity and revelation, a spark of wisdom
Among other reasons, this is because a brand-new obtained at the price of pain. When a Hungry One
Hungry One, fresh from their Second Breath, gives loses control and allows Wickedness to go out of
everyone a rough time: They hunger for raw, order, it becomes pure spite, taking joy in the death
freshly-killed flesh, and their instincts scream at of all beauty and hope.
them to gorge at the slightest opportunity, leaving
bloody chaos in their wake. Experienced Hungry Dead learn not just to keep
their Virtues in balance, but to cultivate them: They
Those who survive those first nights describe a feeling can view the world through charged eyes, peering
similar to being possessed, or being on the world’s into the spirit realms or reading invisible skeins of
worst cocktail of party drugs– From minute to minute, power and destiny. With practice, they can even
hour to hour, their personalities change from train their souls to channel vast spiritual powers,
megalomaniacal to paranoid and vindictive, from which the Hungry Dead collectively refer to as the
frenzied with lust to weeping and borderline Soul Arts.
catatonic. With time, the Hungry Dead come to
understand that this is their burden: that they are Full rules for Virtues and Soul Imbalance are in
spiritually fractured and imbalanced beings, Chapter 3; full rules for the Soul Arts are in Chapter
containing four partial souls in one body. 4.
These souls, or Virtues, each reflect a realm of the

Great Wheel: the world of Beasts, Ghosts, Gods,
and Devils, all residing within the corpse-bodies of
those who return– It is proof indeed that the Hungry
Dead are beings who stand outside reincarnation,
for better or worse.
The four Virtues of the Hungry Dead are:

Renunciation, the Virtue of Ghosts
Renunciation is the Ghost Soul, reflecting the cold
and silence of the grave. When under control, it is
temperate and calming. When a Hungry One loses
control and allows the Ghost Soul to dominate over
the other Virtues, Renunciation becomes the decay
of all life and possibility, replaced only with stillness
and shadows.
Righteousness, the Virtue of Gods

Righteousness is the Heavenly Soul, reflecting the
lofty order and idealism of the divine. When under
control, it embodies the kind of fruitful, correct
speech and action that strengthens society. When
it is over-dominant and imbalanced, Righteousness
becomes glory-hounding, authoritarian, and
unforgiving to the point of sociopathy.
SECTION
AME 33
THE DHARMAS
Dharma gives purpose to the Hungry Dead. More
than the remembered torments of hell, more than
the emptiness that forces them to steal life, Dharma
is what takes the Hungry Dead condition and turns
them into something greater– into Demon
Immortals, Allah's chosen, Godlings, and
bodhisattvas-in-waiting.
An ancient Sanskrit word that means, among other

things, “cosmic law” or “moral duty,” Dharma refers,
in the night world, to a collection of philosophical
paths followed by those who have taken the Second THE TERM “DHARMA”
Breath. Some Dharmas, like the Eastern Road of
Heaven, are only a few centuries old, while some in
the Celestial Tribe claim to have been present since Once again, as with “Chi,” Dharma as an in-setting
the dawn of civilization. The Petals of Virtue even term is a legacy feature of Kindred of the East. The
believe in a long-lost “Age of Legends"– predating word “dharma” is also important to real-world
any known human history– in which heaven and religions that have informed this version of the
earth were close enough to touch, and from which setting, such as Buddhism and the Hindu faiths
their immortal philosophies were ultimately (some of which refer to their beliefs as the “Eternal
conceived. Dharma” or the “Dharma of the Concluding Vedas”).
Regardless of their origins, Dharma has been and Bear in mind that the term has many different uses
remains the axis of the Hungry Dead condition– and contexts, and that its use here is meant to evoke
the ultimate quest for perfection and enlightenment, the quest for enlightenment at the heart of the
which colors everything that they do. Even Scorpion Hungry Dead state. Those wishing to avoid the term
Eaters, who oppose Dharma for philosophical and altogether during play are encouraged to use variations
political reasons, could be said to practice Dharma of “Path” or “Way” instead.
in spirit, for they still seek a better and more honest
world. The simple fact is this: Without something
to believe in, the Hungry Dead are merely monsters.
Descriptions of the major Dharmas are on the

following pages. Rules for attaining, rising, and
falling in Dharma are in Chapter 3.
THE PETALS O
THE IMM
DHARM
We are heavenly
immortals, now
fallen from grace.
Watch us rise.
SECTION NAME 35
OF VIRTUE:
MORTAL
MAS
These are the four Dharmas most prevalent in East

Asia and the greater sinosphere, with origins in
ancient China. The Petals of Virtue are highly
interlinked, sharing a belief that they are the spiritual
descendents of immortals who fell from grace in a
mythic Age of Legends– and now, they say, the
challenge is to regain true immortality in this age.
Among the Dharmas, the self-styled “Demon

Immortals” hold the most stock in the belief that
the world is turning toward an Age of Sorrows, and
that the prophesied Demon Emperor must be
stopped at all costs. While they are still reeling from
the loss of a unified China under the Quincunx (see
the section on Mainland China in Chapter 6), the
Petals of Virtue still have deep networks of resources
and allies at their disposal, which they use to advance
their ends all over the world.
the natural collectors and information-brokers

BONE FLOWERS among the Petals of Virtue. They maintain the
libraries and histories of the Hungry Dead, and they
Death is the soil from which all existence grows. To are the premier teachers of all things obscure and
the Hungry Dead who follow the collection of sutras esoteric.
known as The Midnight Jewel, the world is a vast
garden, and the immortals are its keepers. Ultimately, the Bone Flowers find themselves in the
position of advocating for the silent and invisible,
Certainly, they may prune and reshape life when whether dead or alive.
necessary– which earns them a reputation as ruthless
assassins and manipulators. But above all, the Bone Concepts:
Flowers work endlessly to till and enrich the underlayer
of death. They are the scholars of long-lost knowledge, Underworld Revolutionary - The land of the dead
the defenders of ghosts against the grinding cruelty is ruled by tyrants. You lived and died in a time of
of the underworld. Only by acting as advocates for unrest, murdered by government guns. Now that
death, they say, can the Hungry Dead truly honor you’re back as one of the Hungry Dead, you’ve
their duty as immortals, and thereby reclaim their discovered that the spirits of the departed are ruled
rightful place. by an authoritarian despot far worse than any dictator
in the mortal world. Unlike your last run at
According to a historical commentary on The Midnight revolution, you have many more powers at your
Jewel called Words of the Black Metal Egg, the Bone disposal– and this time, it will take more than a
Flower Dharma was founded by White Ash Peony, bullet to kill you.
a disgraced heavenly immortal from the Age of
Legends. Like others who were punished with the Dead God Priestess - For every ancestor spirit and
curse of the Hungry Dead, her true name and her god whose altar candles are still lit, there are a
life were erased from the world, leaving only a dark, hundred whose living families are dead, or whose
gnawing void in their place. In shame and terror, followers have forgotten them. Such a powerful but
White Ash fled into the underworld, deep into the abandoned spirit is in grave danger of becoming
spirit-storm known as the Tempest, where she rescued spiteful and corrupted. That’s where you come in–
the ghost of a young scholar. They journeyed together You’re their very last friend in the mortal world,
to the Far Shores, undergoing numerous trials as keeping a rolodex to check in on ancestors and gods
White Ash learned of her dead state and her ultimate and to do them the occasional favor.
purpose.
Kindly Death Dealer - Everyone must die, but it
Soon, she and the scholar-ghost fell in love, whereupon doesn’t need to be agony. A horrible death pulled
they returned to the Shadowlands so she could bear you down to the Thousand Hells, and as a young
his child. It is written in the commentaries that Hungry One, you’re determined not to let it happen
when the birth was finished, and she looked upon to anyone else. Using the powers and rites at your
her stillborn son suckling upon her breast, White disposal, you track down the most hideous destinies,
Ash Peony smiled and was awakened. the worst deaths that are just on the horizon of
happening– And you offer those victims a way out:
Death and Rebirth: a peaceful death, on their terms.
The stereotype of the cold, detached Bone Flower Tenets:

is a fiction by uncreative rivals. On the contrary,
when a member of the Dharma cares to speak of Walk among the ghosts and listen to their silence.
their old lives, there is often evidence of deep Remind the living to grow, and to mind the dead.
passions, as well as equally deep regrets. They will Gather what you can from the falling leaves.
act in secret as benefactors or “ancestor spirits” to Treat the truth as one treats a precious gift.
their living families, becoming figures of legend as Above all: Tend diligently to death and its beauty.
the years become decades– And eventually, once
decades become lifetimes, siblings and cousins may Example Suffering Triggers:
at last reunite, forming complex partnerships between
ghosts and the Hungry Dead. • Ignoring a ghost or human who has come to
you with the truth.
Bone Flowers are inclined to the Godbody of Bone, • Stealing Chi from ghosts, or bullying them to
which allows them to create gardens of their namesake meet your needs.
and to inflict death, when necessary, with precision. • Willfully allowing knowledge or secrets to be
Unsurprisingly, they also cultivate the Ghost Arts– lost.
In fact, their inclination toward ghosts makes them • Desecrating the dead or their memory.
SECTION
AME 37
cultivate the Devil Arts, and although Demon Regalia

DEVIL-TIGERS has a special place in their arsenal, the Devil-Tigers
also have a thorough appreciation for the purifying
Hell, at its best, is a place of transformation: where Godbody of Flame.
the wicked become pure, where suffering begets
grace. But the Thousand Hells no longer function Within Hungry Dead society, Devil-Tigers are often
this way, if they ever did. The wickedness of the feared as enforcers and saboteurs, leg-breakers and
Yama Kings is more like a malignant cancer than demon-wranglers– but their spiritual tenets also put
an enlightening whip-crack– and for their dereliction them in the unique role of finding and educating
of duty, the world slowly dies. new Hungry Dead. These “Infant Devil Civilizers”
only rarely recruit new Devil-Tigers, instead
The collection of esoteric poems known as The Songs recommending their charges to other Dharmic
of Hell, as well as its companion piece The Discourse teachers they know and trust. In this way, Devil-Tigers
on Iniquity, outlines what it means to be a true demon, are the glue that supports the Petals of Virtue and
to use one’s immortal nature to purify the cycle of the wider night world.
existence. The Hungry Dead who abide by these
teachings immerse themselves in the world's evils
and inflict suffering as a demolitionist uses dynamite, Concepts:
to revitalize a corrupt universe and build something
greater. Only after an audacious embrace of Shrine-Breaker - Not all gods are righteous; some
Wickedness, say the Devil-Tigers, can enlightenment deserve to be punished. In life, you were an unlucky
be found and true immortality restored. child, cursed by misfortune and happenstance. As
Hungry Dead, you found the corrupt ancestor spirit
The origin of The Songs of Hell has been lost to history, that had plagued you since birth and tortured it
and the original immortal who fell from grace and until there was nothing left. Now you look for other
penned the poems is a mystery. The author of The misbehaving spirits, those who prey upon mortals
Discourse on Iniquity, however, was a Hungry One in or who have become stagnant and arrogant, and
the time of the Shang Dynasty, who used the you give them an overdue lesson in humility.
pseudonym “Hundred Autumns Sage” in the style
of the heavenly immortals. He was once an First Night’s Collector - A newborn of the Hungry
unenlightened monster, a beast that roamed ancient Dead is a terror. A werewolf undergoing First Change,
China preying on innocents with impunity, until a just-awakened magus, or a ghost who fails to rip
he found himself caught and returned to the very their caul and becomes a raging spectre– those can
deepest of the hells. As he endured the cold torments be much, much worse. In this huge and lonesome
of shadow-demons who promised he would never city, you’re the only one of the Hungry Dead who
leave again, a mysterious being approached in the helps them. You track down the many newborns of
dark and began to brand him with ideograms. the night world, mitigating the worst damage and
helping them find their place.
The Demon Immortal who would take the name
Hundred Autumns Sage slowly read the words Foreman of Hell - Hell is broken, but it can be
burned into his flesh, memorizing them and repaired; all that remains is someone brave enough
internalizing their meaning. When it was finished, to do it. You delve into Yomi with your crew of
he became a flaming beast, redolent with stripes demons and fellow immortals, armed with holy
and claws, and ascended from Hell with a roar heard sutras (along with less savory tools), and you carve
throughout all the realms. out places where the proper functions can be restored.
Under your watch, souls are finally being purified
Death and Rebirth: and finding transcendence– But the Yama Kings
are beginning to turn a curious eye your way.
Devil-Tigers were often familiar with evil in their
living days. Both victims and perpetrators of violence Tenets:
number among their ranks, as well as crooks and
swindlers of every kind. Although Devil-Tigers should Ride your demons as a prince rides a chariot.
theoretically rise above such petty sins, young Hungry Wield pain with wisdom and generosity.
Dead often find themselves repeating old patterns: Embody the flash of light and the darkness that
They get involved in organized crime and the follows.
underground vice trade, or they wield their influence Cultivate the brightest embers into roaring flames.
over corrupt civil organizations and temples. Above all: You are a devil fit to rule Hell– be glorious.
The fact that Devil-Tigers have wicked spirits at their

beck and call makes such work especially easy. They
Example Suffering Triggers: torn and the corpses cooled, they are faced with an
unbearable void of purpose.
• Using violent methods out of anger or impatience.
• Avoiding pain that is necessary or useful. The book of instructive mantras known as The Empty
• Ignoring a teaching moment for someone who Gate is named after this very phenomenon, and
shows promise. along with the Eightfold Lotus Path, it points the
• Treating any demon– even a Yama King– with way to what a Resplendent Crane should do with
fear or submission. the rest of eternity. In the world of the Hungry Dead,
the Resplendent Cranes are the administrators, the
RESPLENDENT CRANES rite masters, and the overseers of the law and custom.
To that end, they master the Heavenly Arts of
Righteousness, as well as the refined and elegant
A perfect society is possible. The Mandate of Heaven, powers of the Godbody of Jade.
once lost, can be obtained once more. So says The
Eightfold Lotus Path, the teachings that make up the The Resplendent Cranes are the ones who ensure
backbone of the Resplendent Crane Dharma. that a court runs smoothly and handles its various
crises with grace– and unfortunately for the Cranes,
For the heavenly immortals, becoming Hungry Dead there is almost always a crisis at hand.
was a fitting punishment. For the Demon Immortals
of the here and now, it is the ultimate test of virtue. Concepts:
The Cranes see it as their task to bring the world in
harmony with Heaven, and to that end, they are Golden Publicist - In the modern age, the grace of
willing to play any number of roles: at times the kings rarely shows itself as a crown; instead, it’s
peacemakers, at other times the warriors and Rolexes and sports cars, pieces in the news, being
firebrands. Rather than being overly concerned with photographed in the best and most exclusive
individuals, they cultivate at the level of families, restaurants. You are a vizier to underworld princes,
societies and empires– And just as a king’s greatness political darlings, and to the kings and queens of
comes from a thriving land and people, so too can the entertainment business, ensuring that your
the Demon Immortals find redemption in a world favorites win everyday hearts and minds– and that
that they have returned, piece by bloody piece, to those who displease you will die loathed by the entire
the glory of the gods. world.
The Resplendent Cranes claim that the root of their Night World Tagger - You consider yourself a civic
Dharma is the discipline gifted by Heaven, and as sign-maker, armed with spray paint and a talent for
such their founder was no less than the Heavenly parkour: You mark the places where dangerous
Emperor himself. But The Eightfold Lotus Path– their beast-folk have made their nests, the tucked-away
key modern text, composed of a series of dialogues cafes where it’s safe for the Hungry Dead to drop
and fables– began circulating in the second century their masks, the abandoned homes where the local
during the Three Kingdoms period. It spread in the ghosts have become powerful and angry. It’s endless
night world like a storm, forming the inspiration work, as the city changes every night and the mortal
for several attempts to found an empire of the Hungry police crack down on graffiti– but at least you’re
Dead in China’s history. never bored.
In The Eightfold Lotus Path, which is set shortly Emergency Cleaner - Everyone you call upon loves
following the Age of Legends, a venal, cowardly you like you’re their long-lost mother. Granted, they
immortal named the Marquis of Xue holds several tend to be covered in gore, standing in the midst of
conversations with the gods of Heaven and Hell, as some unspeakable horror that needs to be cleaned
well as with a monstrous figure called Zao the up in the next twenty minutes or less– but you’re
Wanderer. In the end, when he meets the Jade not the judgmental type. You fix what needs to be
Emperor and asks to be forgiven, he is touched upon fixed, you send bloody clothes to the most discreet
his third eye, whereupon he is transformed into a laundry services, you dispose of inconvenient
perfect yellow butterfly. witnesses… and by the end of the night, everything
is harmonious.
Death and Rebirth:
Tenets:
It is said that nothing forges a Resplendent Crane
like the fire of crimes unanswered, of injustice left Bring forth harmony like a thunderbolt.
to smolder. They rise from their graves like the classic Uphold the pillars of honor and dignity.
tales of wronged ghosts, taking vengeance upon the Correct the weak and unrighteous, as you were once
living who failed them. And once all the flesh is corrected.
SECTION
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Protect the society of the immortals. Death and Rebirth:

Above all: For the perfection of Heaven, be
relentless. In the case of the Thrashing Dragons, stereotypes
about their mortal lives are largely true. They tended
Example Suffering Triggers: to live highly controlled and repressed lives, or had
their desires constantly thwarted by circumstances
• Allowing unrighteous behavior to go uncorrected. beyond their control. Ironically, they are the ones
• Destroying something harmonious, whether most likely to forget their old families entirely, to
intentionally or by accident. mark their dates of rebirth as the moment they
• Giving aid to an avowed enemy of the Immortal became something new.
Dharmas.
• Inflicting humiliation or shame for one’s own The Thrashing Dragons love the Godbodies of both
satisfaction. Blood and Flesh, as well as the Beast Arts that allow
them to commune with the Spirit Wilds. But in the
THRASHING DRAGONS night world, Dragons are most known (and most
infamous) for their propensity to bear and sire
Make no mistake: The Hungry Dead are alive. They Dhampyr children. In the places where the Petals
grow, they change, they cut like a knife through the of Virtue dominate, most of the Golden Children
world and relish the fat and sinew. To the Thrashing have a Thrashing Dragon parent. This happens to
Dragons, things like breathing and warm blood are make the Dragons incredibly effective at operating
crutches; the mortal world takes living for granted, in the daylight hours, easily putting the other Hungry
and so most of them fail to actually live. Such a sad Dead in their debt.
existence, they say, is unworthy of the immortals.
Concepts:
The oral teachings and history of the Dragons is
colloquially known as The Ten Thousand Scattered Idol Master - You live in a city of a thousand gods.
Seeds, and its exact contents vary from place to They may sing and dance and dress in girlish costumes,
place. But the common thread is a devotion to life but you remember old nights of torchlight and ritual;
as a binding, all-encompassing force, which animates you recognize the fires of worship. Controlling music
even the moaning ghosts and makes rocks and fallen venues and producers isn’t quite like running shrines
trees shake in the wind. The Thrashing Dragons and priesthoods, but the money and blood are much
take those lessons to heart by enmeshing the Hungry the same. And if the spirits ride waves of fans, turning
Dead in the world around them– no dusty monasteries idol-pop concerts into frenzies of energy and power–
or hermitages, for those who truly wish to live. They then surely Heaven smiles.
are the envoys among other supernaturals, the ones
who cultivate partnerships in the mortal world, the Iron Chef - You’ve worked in Michelin-starred
priests and priestesses who show their love to the restaurants in Shanghai, snuck into the too-colorful
spirits with wild, unforgettable festivals. kitchens of Swar for a taste of ghostly delicacies,
sampled grilled liver in the company of foxes. Now
The founder of the Thrashing Dragons Dharma was you’re a caterer with a unique clientele, and your
a heavenly immortal in the Age of Legends– and stoves run hot until sunrise. Sometimes the
the secret is, she’s still here. The Laughing Rainbow ingredients are of questionable legality, and the
Mother regained true immortality among the first events you feed can get unexpectedly tense… But
generations of the Hungry Dead, alchemizing herself only a monster turns down good food.
into a pure avatar of life. But like the Goddess of
Mercy, she made the fateful decision to turn back Legacy Damned - As a kid, you thought people just
at the foothills of Heaven and look down upon the grew up to be Hungry Dead someday. It turned out
world before her ascension. When she saw the to be true in your case; Hell is a hazy memory, and
wretched beings escaping from Hell and languishing you adjusted to no sun well enough. Your dreams
in misery, the Laughing Rainbow Mother returned, of striking out on your own, leaving the orbit of
swearing that she would not rest until the Demon your terrible immortal mother and her harem of
Immortals were redeemed. supernatural men, are unfortunately being squashed
all over again. But slowly, you’re beginning to find
She walks in moonlight and wears a thousand faces, out that you can be greater than any of them.
with jasmine and pools of wild rice appearing in the
places she has walked. Most of the Dragons swear Tenets:
that they’ve met her personally at least once; it is
said that you can recognize her by her smile, which Pull life from the air and earth; become the storm
is crooked and flawed and as warm as sunshine. and the earthquake.
Feast charitably and without shame.

Foster the spirits and help them thrive.
Be worthy of the sunrise that ends the night.
Above all: Be as alive as you can be. Anything less
is an abomination.
Example Suffering Triggers:

• Using Chi only to rise and to heal wounds for
more than one night.
• Taking something meaningful without offering
a gift in return– pleasure, pain, a memory, death.
• Driving spirits out of a place they have made
home.
• Willfully denying the chance at a new experience,
for oneself or others.
“It is a common failing of childhood to think

that if one makes a hero out of a demon,
the demon will be satisfied.”
―Yukio Mishima
SECTION NAME 41
THE MIRROR AND THE WHEEL:

THE HUMAN DHARMAS
We are human‒
or we try to be.
Never forget where
you came from.
These two philosophies can be found all over Asia

and the globe, sharing origins in ancient India and
Nepal. Mostly unconcerned with the origins of the
Hungry Dead, they instead focus on humanity as
the means of personal and global liberation– Their
core beliefs, however, couldn’t be more different
from each other, despite being grouped together.
The Diamond Serpents and Rootless Trees typically

have a policy of coexistence with others, though they
are among the first to be persecuted when hardline
Petals or Godlings come to power. The Serpents,
being most concerned with the enlightenment of
humankind in the Age of Sorrows, have recently
become proactive about spreading their doctrine
into the power vacuum of China, as well as further
west to the Hungry Dead rising in Europe and the
Americas.
communal access to Dragon’s Nests, to designated

DIAMOND SERPENTS “hunting nights” meant to take down monsters and
Your skin may be cold, your heart may be still, you criminals. When the Serpents cultivate supernatural
may walk as a prisoner to never-ending night. But power– whether Demon Arts, Soul Arts, or their
are you not still you? Is it not a gift beyond all prized Godbody of Ash– it is to protect their ability
kindness, to return from Hell wounded and flawed, to remain as human as possible in a dangerous world.
yet still human?
Concepts:
To those who follow the Dharma of the Diamond Boss’s Wife - “Sister,” the men call you now, with
Serpents, to think of oneself as “Hungry Dead” is respect and awe. They all know the story of how you
to predestine oneself to inhumanity, to cut off access miraculously survived an assassination attempt,
to true liberation before you even see its possibility. coming out of the hospital with hardly a scratch.
A human gifted by the gods is still human; a wretched The brush with death has made you bolder, they
beast of a human is still human. So too are the say, inspiring you to handle your husband’s projects
Diamond Serpents human, even when burdened while he’s in recovery. Not just the public-facing
by unimaginable curses and blessed with great power. side of the family, but the rough, brutal parts, too–
and you’re finding you have quite the talent for it.
Above all, say the Serpents, they have returned to
pay a specific debt towards the enlightenment of Colossus Killer - Life in the mountains can be rough,
the world, a mystery that keeps them deeply entwined but you’ve never regretted learning your way around
with the realm of humankind. The discovery of this a trap and a bow, how to throw a sling– or, if necessary,
destiny, let alone its enactment, can be the quest of how to bash a skull in with a rock. The hunting
a thousand years. parties you’re in now go deep into the Mirrorlands,
hunting the giant, lumbering spirit-beasts that
The Diamond Serpents believe that their foundational terrorize the forests of the Spirit Wilds. Armed with
scriptures, The Mirror of the World, are a gift that flasks to collect the life-giving heartblood, you protect
transcends time– from the prophesied Maitreya your people and keep them fed.
Buddha at the end of the universe, according to
some, or from the future purified Emperor of Hell. Identical Twin - You died and went to Hell, but
The Mirror– which tells the tale of a man named your twin lived on. Three years later, he’s a respectable
Kataragama, who defeated the demon king Ravana policeman, living in the big city and dating a nice
and reclaimed his own humanity– is recorded to young lady. He was always the goody-goody while
have appeared in southern Nepal during the reign you were the troublemaker, and now you remind
of Ashoka the Great. It has remained a persistent him of it every new moon, visiting to share lurid
presence, despite periods of heavy persecution by tales of your misadventures in the night world. He
other Dharmas. It is only more proof, say the Serpents, hasn’t taken you up yet on your offer to come along…
that their doctrine holds the sacred truth. but he’s your beloved little brother. You’ll wear him
down eventually.
Death and Rebirth:
The Diamond Serpents, more than any of the Hungry Tenets:
Dead, return to their mortal families and resume
their old roles in the human world, with an aim to Reach out to the world with human hands.
do things better this time. Hell was just a reminder Weep for the treasures you will lose– Then be joyful.
of what really matters, a rightful chastising for one’s Give gods and demons their fair due, nothing more.
prior failings. But as years pass and mortal relations Protect the hope of enlightenment.
fall away, the Serpents gradually see themselves as Above all: Live well.
just one facet of a greater whole: a precious jewel of
humanity, which must be fostered and protected. Example Suffering Triggers:
As a natural consequence of their beliefs, Diamond • Using supernatural powers when a human
Serpents in the night world are singularly focused solution is still viable.
on resources. Without wellsprings and talismans • Swearing devotion or fealty to any spiritual being.
that give them access to precious Chi, the Hungry • Attempting to forestall the end of something
Dead have little choice but to steal life from humans. that has reached its time.
Most of them have stories of early nights surviving • Living for multiple nights without love for a
on their family’s blood– and of times they went too human, or for a human endeavor.
far, when hunger drove them to do terrible things.
Solutions to the problem vary, ranging from

SECTION
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the entirety of human existence, taking on different

VARIANT DHARMA: identities, professions– even apparent sex, age, and
THE GREAT CLANS physical ability– in a passionate search for new
insights.
The Great Clans are a native institution of the Japanese
isles. In essence, they are extended family networks, in Those who have a passing knowledge of the Dharma
which the Hungry Dead watch over and protect the interests often distrust the Rootless Trees– They’re empty
of their descendants. In some vassal families of the Great sociopaths, it is claimed, with no principles that
Clans, the mortal descendants are even aware and clued-in they won’t abandon when it suits them. But the
to the plans of their ancestors. truth of the matter is that a Rootless Tree uses human
existence as a sacred tool, and has no problem
The eldest of the Great Clans have roots in the Jomon distinguishing the maker beneath the mask. Members
period, but their most profound transformation occurred of the Dharma say that the Hungry Dead should
after the arrival of the Indian and Chinese Dharmas in not be kings, scholars or revolutionaries, but artisans
the 6th century CE. While declaring war on the Immortal above all: They must take the clay of the human
Dharmas of the Night-Temple, the Great Clans took to experience and bake it in the fires of true
the philosophy of the Diamond Serpents with much understanding, producing brick by brick their own
enthusiasm, adapting it to fit their needs. road to liberation.
In the modern nights, the Hungry Dead of Japan may Unlike other paths, the Rootless Trees don’t have
follow any Dharma they please, whether they associate a foundational text that they can point to as their
with a Great Clan or with the Night-Temple (see the origin. Instead, the beliefs of the Dharma are expressed
section on Japan in Chapter 6). The following variant in the form of a universal mantra, called the
tenets are maintained by the elders of the clans, as well Thunderbolt Triune or the Secret Wheel of Joy:
as by ultra-traditionalists who seek a “purer” practice.
“I take refuge in the human. I take refuge in the world.
Tenets: I take refuge in the palm of my hand.”
Enlightenment is interdependent; no one can rise From those simple three phrases– which originated
alone. from northern India, but whose creator has long
Do not forget your human blood. since ascended beyond the Great Wheel– a rich
Spring, summer, autumn, winter– Nothing lasts, tradition of art has flowed for centuries, glorifying
not even death. the lotus of humanity and those who have had the
Your family makes you the equal of gods and demons. privilege of witnessing it unfold.
Above all: Honor your clan and ensure its greatness.
Death and Rebirth:
Example Suffering Triggers: If anything unites the Rootless Trees from their
• Denying a member of the Great Clan who has mortal lives, it may have been the desire to create
formally asked for assistance. something lasting. In fact, young Hungry Dead often
• Traveling into the spirit worlds for reasons other find their way to the Dharma when they attempt to
than duty or necessity. return to their mortal lives and old dreams, only to
• Accepting a risk or setback for the benefit of a have everything rapidly crumble before the realities
supernatural being outside of the family and its of their new state. Having a vivid awareness of
alliances. impermanence, they claim, is the first step toward
• Living for multiple nights without being in the making of true beauty.
proximity to the Great Clan or its mortal
descendants. Rootless Trees are renowned for possessing all manner
of perceptive techniques and powers of insight– a
necessity, when their spiritual practice revolves
ROOTLESS TREES around observing human nature. Perhaps ironically,
many Rootless Trees possess at least the first stage
The Hungry Dead are no longer human; to pretend of the Dragon Tear, though they rarely reveal it while
otherwise is a sad delusion. But so, too, is the aim “in-character.”
of transcending or surpassing humanity, as if such
a thing were possible, or even desirable. Instead of In the night world, Rootless Trees typically don’t
being either bound to human life or abhorring it, have the urge to form a society, preferring instead
say the Rootless Trees, you must move within the to move within other Hungry Dead courts as free
phenomena of humanity. Just as sap moves through agents. When they do gather as a group, it is in
a massive tree, the Rootless Trees circulate through small, temporary retreats, to enjoy each other’s
company and to share everything that they have

experienced in their human lives. A Rootless Tree
often emerges from these retreats inflamed with
inspiration, desiring to experiment in a bold new
direction.
Concepts:
Many-Layered Conmaster - You can be anything
the job requires: a wealthy trust fund heiress, a
gambling addict, a shy businesswoman in over her
head. When a perceptive and persistent human peels
back those layers and sees the cunning, yet charming
criminal underneath, they often feel flattered, as
though they’ve been let in on a precious secret. It’s
that specific feeling you’re looking to explore, the
delicate process of building trust and love– until
you’re done with them.
Deep Sea Fisher - Your current interest is in mankind

at the outer extremes of its environment, where it
is not meant to survive and yet, somehow, it does.
You’re finding illegal night-fishing boats to be a
fascinating mix of humans, all trapped in a
pressure-cooker of ambition, distrust, and fear of
the depths. You’re discovering, too, that the
superstitions of fishermen aren’t all bunk, that
sometimes there really are mermaids and monsters
at sea.
Cult Groupie - What you love about humans is their

endless ability to get into serious trouble. This is
just one fringe religious group of many you know
and frequent– but you’re paying extra attention to
this one, because its leader is on the cusp of
something world-changing: a terrorist attack that
would make Aum Shinrikyo look like babies, or
even something that crosses into the forbidden
powers of the Yama Kings. For now, you smile and
praise the leader, and you observe.
Tenets:
Eat the fruit of every human life.
When you’ve learned what you can, be merciless.
Abhor stagnation and seek bold change.
Find hidden beauty in the high and low.
Above all: Understand the Secret Wheel of Joy.
Example Suffering Triggers:

• Rejecting a feature of your human identity out
of personal distaste.
• Finding evidence of a prior human identity that
was not properly destroyed.
• Revealing your true Hungry Dead nature to a
mortal.
• Willfully ignoring an opportunity for radical
change while wearing a human identity, or trying
to seek radical change while not wearing one.
SECTION
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“When you do something,

you should burn yourself completely,
like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.”
― Shunryu Suzuki
THE INDEPENDENT
SECTION NAME 47
TS
Our fates are

intertwined, but
we stand apart.
Follow the sacred
truth.
The following three Dharmas are most prevalent in

the South Asian cultural sphere, with origins traceable
to ancient Buddhism, Hindu/Vedic traditions, and
Islam. They are often denigrated by the Immortal
Dharmas as a “triad” of heresies– But in truth, though
they interact heavily in the subcontinent, each
philosophy is independent and stands alone in the
night world.
figures had they reached old age. Some remember

THE CELESTIAL TRIBE signs and visions in their dreams, visions that
Here is the secret: They are not one tribe. Just as continue even now in daysleep: great shadowed
the term “Hinduism” obscures the thousands of battlefields, mushroom clouds howling with spirits,
distinct spiritual traditions within India, the “Celestial gods and demons clashing blades.
Tribe” is in fact a kaleidoscope of separate tribes,
interrelated yet distinct. In the night world, the Celestial Tribe knows better
than anyone that it takes a village to raise a god…
However, when they care to study and group their and that other Hungry Dead, especially those from
kind, the tribes generally recognize themselves in Hindu cultures, look upon the Godlingsasblasphemous
one of two philosophical streams of Dharma. They frauds. Hence, when the Tribes have control of an
are: area, they address threats to their power with
overwhelming force and the power of Demon Arts,
• The tribes of the Descended, who claim that ensuring that they have a firm hand on blood and
they are the blessed avatara of the gods, sent by worship.
Heaven to fix the rampant corruption of the
age. If they had not been tricked by the demon This also means that Godlings rely heavily on their
kings, they say, they would each be as glorious followers to keep the enterprise running at all hours–
and powerful as Krishna or Hanuman on earth. which is why they quickly master the ancient Godbody
But instead, they were captured and tortured, of Devotion. This art, called “Prayer-Eating” by
forced to inhabit the flesh of corpses to keep outsiders, is the sacred art of communing with
them from their divine fire. It was a cruel and mortals as a divine being should: a higher creature
clever ploy by the forces of Hell, to be sure... But addressing the low and worshipful.
the Descended are gifts of the gods, and nothing Concepts:
can keep them down forever. Slowly, they unchain
themselves from their unjust Hungry Dead state, Adversary - You are one of four gods, a minor
drawing mortal admirers and devotees as they pantheon that has wrested control of a neighborhood
purify for the battle to come. from a cell of Indo-British vampires. Your three
siblings are all good and virtuous, with beautiful
• The tribes who call themselves Faces of the altars and happy followers. You, on the other hand,
Goddess, who say that they were truly nothing have your name whispered by frightened children,
but mortals, and quite deservedly in Hell– weak, and you can hear people praying to never see your
cowardly, and wicked to the last. But in the midst face. That’s fine– This town was hard-won, and there
of their torments, their souls were visited by is value in a devil to keep people in line.
Shakti: the primordial and supreme power, who
exists within all reality and all time. Lifted by God of Fashion - Heaven demands a sense of style.
her transcendent touch, they were commanded The gods above may be able to weave sunlight and
to reincarnate– which they did, returning to birdsong into their holy vestments, but you and your
bodies that could barely contain their new divine tribe live on earth, and so you make do with silk
essence. For the Faces of the Goddess, to be and velvet– even polyester, if the festival calls for it.
Hungry Dead is to be primal clay, inert but ready Your skill with beautiful, god-worthy clothing is
to be shaped. Now they play the game of divinity, becoming a source of fame: You have access to the
sprouting cults of worship to glorify themselves best fabrics, western tailors, jewelers and sari-makers,
and serve as a gateway to the limitless truth. and you know the power of a glorious display.
Within these mutually exclusive philosophies, there Motivational Speaker - Tony Robbins has got nothing
are branches, splinter cells, and heresies. The so-called on you. Your seminars are taking places by storm,
“Godlings” war viciously amongst each other for with people paying enormous sums to participate
territory and followers, at times making enmity with in your nighttime "empowerment retreats."
the Ravnos and the other Dharmas an afterthought. Truthfully, what you offer isn't that amazing– some
Yet they are all bound together by the eternal dharma meditation and yoga, a bit of pop psychology. But
of the subcontinent, as well as by the certitude of the key is that your followers just can't do it without
their divinity. you. They feel bonded to you, they see you in their
dreams… and they don’t admit it, but they even pray
Death and Rebirth: to you.
Those who rise and join the Celestial Tribe often
led lives of unusual portent. They were the children Tenets (Descended):
who could speak to ghosts, the prodigies of their Free your divine nature from its shackles.
local temples, who might have grown into holy
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Use your power righteously and without hesitation. to prosper– and at the end of a long and difficult
Never abandon the powerless. road, it is said that the most dutiful will join God’s
Honor the festivals of the gods. side in heaven, to stand in the light among the
Above all: Fulfill your destiny; defeat the enemies virtuous.
of the age.
When the Cainite Road of Heaven began to wane
Tenets in Europe was approximately when the Eastern Road
of Heaven began to come into its own. This makes
(Faces of the Goddess): it technically one of the youngest ways of
You have been gifted your divinity– embrace it. enlightenment for the Hungry Dead, though the
Expand the god and demon within. Ram-Hearted would never countenance being called
Accept the worship of the faithful and answer their a “Dharma.” The spiritual practices of unbelievers
prayers. automatically mark them as creatures of temptation
Revel in the festivals of the gods. and darkness, theoretically to be converted or
Above all: Reject dualities and limitations; incarnate destroyed on principle… But in actuality, the
the sublime truth. Ram-Hearted more often opt for begrudging tolerance
of other Hungry Dead, rather than zealotry and
Example Suffering Triggers: crusading. It’s a hard world out there, after all, with
many worse monsters to bear.
• Denying one’s godhood in word or deed.
• Not using supernatural power to solve a problem Death and Rebirth:
when it is available.
• Refusing to take part in a festival or holy place According to the Ram-Hearted, the Hungry Dead
when it is near. state is challenging by design. Only sinners who
• Ignoring followers who ask directly for your aid. have tasted hell have sufficient motivation to serve
• (Descended) Attempting and failing to destroy God in the most difficult of ways, in bodies that so
a demon who you have declared your sworn delicately balance incredible power and crippling
enemy. weakness. Although their mission commands them
• (Faces of the Goddess) Deliberately inflicting to move among mankind in a way similar to the
fear without also a show of mercy or graciousness; Diamond Serpents, followers of the Eastern Road
deliberately showing mercy without also instilling of Heaven almost never choose to return directly to
a measure of fear. their families, instead placing their faith in other
Ram-Hearted to act as faithful watchers and guardians
THE EASTERN ROAD OF HEAVEN: of the community.
THE RAM-HEARTED “Community,” or ummah, is the word that rules

the Eastern Road of Heaven: Without the mortal
No one said it is an easy thing to follow God. Yes, community of faithful– the great mosques, the calls
the drinking of blood is unquestionably haram– but to prayer, the teachings of the mullahs– the Hungry
so is alcohol, yet the great Sufist poets were probably Dead are spiritually lost. And without the community
not being metaphorical when they wrote about the of the Ram-Hearted, mortals are naked and unarmed
pleasures of wine. And of the five prayers required in the world of night, while new Hungry Dead are
by the faith, two are during the day; who is so doomed to a meaningless, wretched eternity. No
anointed among the Hungry Dead that they will matter what difficulties lie ahead, the chosen of God
rise, burning like a pyre, and perform them? will not allow this to happen.
Truly, we all have failings– But what really matters, Like Islamic scholars of the medieval age, the
say the Ram-Hearted, is that they create a world Ram-Hearted have long acquired the eastern secrets
where the faithful can improve. of the Soul Arts, and they have an appreciation for
the Godbodies of Jade and Storms. When they must
To the followers of the Eastern Road of Heaven, use Demon Arts to protect the community, they
God the All-Merciful has plucked them– the most tend to favor the brutal elegance of weaponry from
imperfect, flawed and undeserving– from the their Demon Regalia, wielding swords and daggers
suffering of hell, in order to undertake a holy mission: of black metal.
They must defend the human faith from threats
that humans do not understand and cannot fight, Concepts:
challenges that they have little hope of overcoming Oasis Guardian - In the hills outside a rural village,
without the help of monsters. The Ram-Hearted, there is a wellspring of power that draws
named after the symbol of Ibrahim’s unwavering supernaturals for miles around. The shapeshifters
devotion, protect the garden of Islam and allow it
and djinn and other creatures that stop by your new flame.
grotto are not evil beings– Just creatures, in your
estimation, whose lifestyles tend to get them into In the Philippines, the Hungry Dead of Quezon City led
trouble. You offer them the ancient way of hospitality by Sofia Alcantara have revived an exclusionary,
and a friendly ear, listening to news of the night fundamentalist interpretation of the Western Road, much
world in exchange for a cup of coffee and an evening’s to the consternation of their night world brethren (see
sanctuary. Chapter 6). And further to the west, where the Hungry
Dead become rarer and much changed from their fellows
Beggar Paladin - Because they are invisible in the in Asia (see the Assorted Secrets section in Appendix I),
eyes of hypocrites, monsters believe that orphaned remnants of the original Western Road still remain, a
children, the disabled, and the diminished elderly piece of the ancient past on its last legs.
make for easy pickings. You’re certain that God has
chosen you to disabuse the monsters of their illusions. Tenets:
You walk with the unfortunates in the winding
alleyways of the city, listening to their whispered Obey and serve your spiritual betters.
warnings and rumors, letting them feed you, and Do not allow any demon to live.
serving as their terrible protector. Remind humankind to love God and fear evil.
After every victory, repent for your sins.
Reluctant Envoy - To the north, the blood-guzzling Above all: You are a warrior for God. Never forget.
vampires of the Ashirra make a mockery of the faith.
To the south, ancient would-be Godlings of the Example Suffering Triggers:
Celestial Tribe haunt the ruins of Hindu temples…
And you, in the middle, have unfortunately drawn • Allowing a demon to escape punishment, either
the diplomatic short straw. You watch over and willfully or accidentally.
parlay with the wicked ones, ensuring that they keep • Disobeying an order after you have sworn an
to their borders, and occasionally– God help you– oath of loyalty, or allowing a disobeyed order to
coming to their assistance on the most grave matters. stand unpunished.
• Failing to censure improper conduct within a
Tenets: church or in the presence of church leaders.
• Fighting, especially killing, for personal vengeance
Your God has spared you from hell; or satisfaction.
never forget.
Be dutiful in your faith and charity.
Destroy the evils that lie beyond humankind.
MAYAPARISATYA:
Learn gratitude from your hunger, and do not kill THE PURE ILLUSION-TRUTH
for it.
Above all: Defend the community of faith. The Dharmas are a chain around the necks of the
Hungry Dead. They should not exist; indeed, they
Example Suffering Triggers: do not exist, at least not in the sense that they actually
lead to anything meaningful. Perfected immortality
• Killing or permanently maiming while feeding. or godhood is not enlightenment; it’s just power.
• Allowing a faithful Muslim to come to harm Transcendence into the human spirit is like trying
from the night world. to shove your way back into the womb. And there’s
• Refusing hospitality to one who has been gracious nothing at all to say about trying to ascend by bowing
and polite. to every spirit and ghost that passes you by. What,
• Failing to give nightly thanks through prayer then, is left of enlightenment?
and charity.
The answer, say the devotees of Mayaparisatya, is
VARIANT DHARMA: THE WESTERN nothing. Enlightenment is nothing, and to understand
that is to understand the center of the universe.
ROAD OF HEAVEN
Unlike what many Cainites would believe, the
The spiritual path known as Via Caeli, which once so-called “Eastern Path of Paradox” is not merely a
flourished in the Cainite world, has long lain dormant peculiar moral code of the Ravnos. The Hungry
since the rise of the Camarilla. In its movement eastward Dead version of Mayaparisatya teaches that at the
and subsequent adoption by the Hungry Dead, the Christian core of reality is a void, a nothingness, from which
variant of the Road of Heaven was shed in favor of the the universe springs forth as an elaborate illusion.
Islamic one. But this relic of the Dark Medieval remains The devotees of Mayaparisatya are dedicated to
intact in certain places, an ember waiting to become a liberating themselves and others from this complex
SECTION
AME 51
and ever-evolving trap that binds all beings. In but in his stead, you hunt down and dispatch the
practice, this ranges from destroying creatures monsters who murder and enslave mankind.
who are too lost in the indulgence of evil to be
saved, to attacking entire belief systems that further Monkey King - Sometimes you miss not bothering
enslavement and suffering. with this Dharma crap. But you got bored of making
trouble in Guangzhou, then someone told you that
To those who follow the Petals of Virtue, there was more to learn in India… and it just spoke
Mayaparisatya is nothing less than a heresy. The to you, somehow. One red-eye flight and a lot of
devotees of Mayaparisatya counter that the notion walking later, and you’re taking lessons from a weird
of real enlightenment has become increasingly old vampire, doing your best to learn some Tamil
corrupted the further it has traveled out– that in before you get your head kicked in. But sometimes,
fact, the Pure Illusion-Truth is the original you think you can catch the sweet jasmine whiff of
Dharma, from which all others are inferior copies. what you’re really here for.
Death and Rebirth: Tenets:

The deeply intertwined history of the Hungry Dead Remember the supreme truth of illusion.
and Clan Ravnos in India is well known. Their Inspire the supreme truth in all beings.
millennia-long conflict still rages in the center of Face your nature and allow it to blossom.
the subcontinent, fueled by self-aggrandizing myths Do not accept slavery in any form.
and legends on both sides. But in the southeast and Above all: Seek the emptiness at the center of all
in Sri Lanka, the conflict has not just cooled since things.
long ago, but time has even allowed for a rich
cross-pollination of ideas between them: Ravnos can Example Suffering Triggers:
teach the basics of Mayaparisatya to the Hungry
Dead, and a Hungry One, in turn, can help young • Enslaving the will of a sapient being, even
Ravnos shed their Humanity and move to the Path temporarily.
of Paradox. • Ignoring a member of the night world who is
wrapped up in an obvious delusion.
Not many Hungry Dead learn Mayaparisatya– or its • Allowing political or social concerns to override
infamous signature power, the Godbody of Illusion– the truth.
as their first path. The usual profile of a devotee is • Assuming a human identity for reasons other
someone who already failed at one Dharma, who than a practical goal.
was at risk of losing themselves permanently to the
hell-realms of Naraka before they were rescued. And
recently, with the rise of the Scorpion Eater societies
in mainland China, there has been a surge of
travelers coming westward to India, as they hear
tales of an anti-Dharmic philosophy much older
and more established than their own.
Concepts:
Fateful Barkeep - Most folks just need a little help
to break their illusions. You use the winds of destiny
to pull people into your tucked-away bar, where you
serve a drink and offer to play a game– It’ll be well
worth their time, you always promise. Once they
accept, you pull those people into a nightmare realm
of trials and tribulations, designed to fully strip away
everything they think they know and believe. By the
end of the night, no one is left unchanged.
Rakshasa Hunter - When the Children of Ravana

fall to temptation, when the vetala take pleasure in
eating the flesh of innocents, the spirits call to you
for justice. Your curved blade was forged by one of
the vampires that you call brother, a Ravnos who
rescued you when you were a lost Devil-Tiger. That
man has long since disappeared to his final destiny,
“Desire is a chain shackled to the world,

and it is a difficult one to break.”
―Siddhartha Gautama
SECTION NAME 53
THE OUTSIDERS
We are free‒
and that is worth
everything.
Donʼt underestimate
us.
The remaining Dharmas st and
completely outside the mainstream.
One of them is ancient, while the other
is relatively new to the night world–
not even a Dharma in the true sense,
but a philosophical rebellion against
Dharma itself.
Scorpion Eaters nominally “rule” over

Mainland China, though the truth is
that the former territories of the
Quincunx have descended into total
anarchy. The anti-dharmic philosophy,
which made its members nimble and
unpredictable when warring against the
overgrown empire of the night, has been
sorely tested in the shadow of the
Scorpion Eaters’ victory.
Meanwhile, the Cerulean Veils are much

looked down upon, as they have been
for most of their history– But their view
of the world is vast, and they may have
answers to some of the night world’s
deepest problems.
city is minimal– Instead, the spirit courts are

CERULEAN VEILS incredibly powerful and organized, supported by
Animism lives on, churning constantly beneath their Cerulean Veil agents who lay the groundwork
other religions that come and go. In countries that for their potency. Rival Hungry Dead who see a
call themselves nominally Buddhist, or Muslim, or promising “empty town” are usually in for a rude
who even take pride in being a fully secular society, awakening.
the spirit houses and roadside shrines are still
well-decorated with garlands and fruit. Spirit-workers Concepts:
and shamans may be shunned by officials, yet they
still find an eager clientele coming to their door– Night Falconer - She is your fourth hunting falcon,
albeit usually in the twilight hours. How can this descended from the previous three. And like the
be? ones before, you have bonded with her spirit to form
a sacred partnership. You hunt for sustenance and
The answer, say the Cerulean Veils, is simple: It does as your profession, being hired on occasion as a
not matter where you are or what you believe. The messenger or assassin. At those times, you follow
spirits are real, and they demand recognition. your quarry through the sea of grass, into the cities,
and deep into the roads of spirit. With the help of
The historically minded trace the ancient origins of your sharp-eyed friend, you can find anyone.
the Cerulean Veils to the vast skies of Mongolia,
hidden in the endless seas of grass that gave rise to Holistic Ghost Doctor - Like the human body, the
the horse-riders and their shamans. But, much like spirit world must be thought of as a single
the great Khanate eventually became just another interconnected system. You track and maintain the
dynasty of China, so too have the Veils adapted to health of creatures that even other Veils would tread
the places they have gone, merging with native spirit underfoot without noticing: the primal, nearly
doctors and adopting new animist practices with mindless proto-beings that swirl through the spirit
ease. Unlike the other Dharmas, with their sacred world like plankton. You try to explain that you see
texts and well-defined communities of knowledge, a big problem emerging in the underlying biome, a
the Cerulean Veils exist in synergy with their local subtle but growing corruption– Now if only someone
spirit world, changing with it like the currents of a would listen to you.
secret ocean.
Urban Exorcist - Contrary to expectations, the spirits
Wherever they are present, the Veils are mostly are not ignored by people in big cities. Quite the
tolerated, if not necessarily respected. The Demon opposite, in fact: If you had a coin for every dumb
Immortals of China and the Godlings of India alike kid who tries a love spell and summons some kind
often judge the beliefs of the Veils to be odd, of succubus, every poor girl who talks to a water
“primitive” and unworthy– Even if they end up spirit and gets merged into a river-demon… you’d
being useful sometimes, say the Petals and the have enough money to get out of here. But you’re
Celestial Tribe, it isn’t a measure of one’s true the only one in town who actually cares about what
enlightenment. To the Cerulean Veils, this kind of happens, both to the spirits and the humans. So
underestimation suits them just fine. Let the others you stay.
squabble over power and transcendence; they will
tend to the real world. Tenets:
Death and Rebirth: Attend to the spirits and perform the proper
ceremonies.
In some ways, to become a Cerulean Veil is a rational Help the spirits who have strayed from their true
and evidence-based decision. The Hungry Dead may nature.
walk in unliving bodies, with souls scarred by Hell, Tread across the earth to absorb its full glory.
but what of it? They are a particular class of being Knowledge and wisdom are to be shared.
with their own traits, no different from classifying Above all: Obey the will of the spirit world
something as “human” versus “rabbit” or “slime
mold.” What matters is that they are here, and that Example Suffering Triggers:
their eyes and ears plainly tell them that the spirit
world is the linchpin holding the universe together. • Failing in an attempt to cleanse spiritual
corruption.
The Cerulean Veils practice all manner of powers, • Staying for too long in a place where the spirit
but the key to their presence, whenever they appear world is healthy and thriving.
in numbers, is that ritual and propriety to the • Refusing to share helpful information, even to
invisible world flourishes. The pervasive control of an enemy.
mortals that usually accompanies a Hungry Dead • Refusing the formal request of a powerful spirit
SECTION
AME 55
(i.e. Rank 3 or higher). their demons. But the real truth is that the Hungry
Dead already possess an inner nature, one that is
VARIANT DHARMA: capable of self-control, reason and intellect. The real
truth, which the Dharmas will never accept, is that
THE KIN OF IZANAMI the Hungry Dead can grow in wisdom and power
without having to sell their souls to a cartel of
One of the original Mongolian strains of the Cerulean self-important mystics.
Veil Dharma posits that the Hungry Dead are lost droplets
of Tengri, the divine personification of the universe that The name “Scorpion Eater” is relatively new in
occasionally incarnates in mortal form. Whether Japan’s Hungry Dead history, arising from rumors surrounding
heretical Kin of Izanami are twisted, funhouse-mirror the anti-dharmic societies of early twentieth-century
descendants of the original Dharma, or if they’re a fully China. Whether or not the initiation ritual really
home-grown horror, is a matter of academic debate. involves swallowing a live scorpion and letting it
sting you from within, the final outcome is perfectly
The Kin believe that they are fragmented incarnations of horrific to the Dharmas by itself: A Hungry One
Izanami-no-mikoto, the primordial kami of death and who does not follow a Dharma, who will never grow
defilement. By dying and returning from the Thousand in enlightenment, yet who has managed to remain
Hells, they have awakened to their chthonic birthright, perfectly sane and functional– and able to consume
wearing bodies that strive to match their self-mother’s blood, not just flesh.
decayed glory.
The Hungry Dead are not creatures of enlightenment,
But unlike the Celestial Tribes, the Kin do not care for say the Scorpion Eaters. They are creatures who
personal godhood. Rather, they believe that there are others already have the tools they need to survive and thrive
scattered throughout the realms– humans, wildling spirits, without the Dharmas. And for those who are not
and others– who are fragments of Izanami like them, afraid to stand on their own, they will gladly show
waiting to be found and awakened through torture, ritual the way.
murder, and tainted Chi. It is for this reason that the Kin
of Izanami hide themselves very well among their Veil Death and Rebirth:
cousins, for they are hunted down whenever they are
discovered. The real tragedy of the Hungry Dead is that they
can never go home again. Even for the lucky few
Tenets: who are spared clear memories of Hell, the experience
of trying to “follow their humanity” is like trying to
Honor Izanami and her children, the myriad kami. recite the lines in an old movie that they only
Help the pieces of our self-mother realize their true half-remember. Even the most desperate Hungry
nature. Dead eventually give up.
Wander the realms of flesh and spirit to find our
kin. But for many Hungry Dead, the experience of
Knowledge and wisdom is to be shared with our learning Dharma is not at all better. The masters
selves. emphasize “praxis before understanding” precisely
Above all: Cultivate the universal garden of Yomi. because they know that a Dharma is an unnatural,
willful process. You have to force yourself with all
Example Suffering Triggers: your heart to believe– then, if you’re lucky, you
might reach the first summit of understanding.
• Deliberately offending a powerful kami (i.e.
Rank 3 or higher) Or you might not. The teachers might whip you,
• Keeping a secret from one of the Kin. throw you into a pit of ghosts, force your mind open
• Ignoring a promising lead toward a fragment of with their twisted arts, all for it to mean not a single
the self-mother. crumb of enlightenment. What then? Hence, from
• Staying for too long in a place where your work the perspective of a newly-risen Hungry One, the
is currently finished. logic of the Scorpion Eaters sounds eminently
reasonable.
SCORPION EATERS
The Petals of Virtue claim that Scorpion Eaters are
“The Hungry Dead are creatures of enlightenment.” barely-sapient monsters, who infest cities and turn
them into orgies of cannibalism and rampant chaos.
It’s a pretty lie, but that doesn’t make it true. But the truth is that the anti-dharmic movement
was organized and driven enough to take down the
Certainly, the Dharmas wish it was the truth– that Five August Courts of China– using the dark powers
without them, the Hungry Dead would be lost to of the Demon Arts, yes, but most of all with sheer
determination. Even among Scorpion Eaters who imperialists have long been staked for the sun, you’ve
are not interested in active revolution, there is that found yourself at a loss in the new order: too violent
same fierce streak of independence and unwillingness for polite society, too idealistic for the realpolitik
to bend the knee in all of them. rising stars. If they don’t need you anymore, you’ve
been thinking of heading west to find something
Concepts: new.
Deprogrammer - Your parents were new agers, the Tenets:

kind who got roped into various pyramid schemes
and left you holding the bag. So when you came You are Hungry Dead.
back from Hell and were told to obey the “Devil-Tiger” That’s it. Good luck.
and call him “Great Sage,” you knew exactly what
this was. You got out with the help of your new
friends, learning the truth and earning your place
as a talented inquisitor: You take young captives
under your wing, the most zealously devoted ones,
and you slowly earn their trust, all the better to put
cracks in their Dharma– then, at the right time, to
shatter them.
The Vampire Lestat - You died and came back just

as your career was taking off, and you’d rather be
damned again than go back to busking in subway
stations. You know you’re not a normal rockstar,
and sometimes being around so many thumping
hearts makes you want to crack ribs and rip at
entrails– But another one of the Hungry Dead taught
you how to lean into the monstrosity, how to live
with it inside you. And as it turns out, when you
tell everyone you’re a vampire and refuse to do
daytime shows, the fans love it.
Old Revolutionary - Things were easier when you

had an enemy. You fought foreign invaders as a
mortal, then after you became Hungry Dead, you
joined an anti-dharmic society to fight the regime
that ruled your country at night. But now that the
GOT ANY MORE?

What you see here are just the broad strokes of enlightenment in the night world. A few variant Dharmas
have been covered in this chapter, and there are two additional Dharmas waiting to be described in later
pages (the heretical Ebon Masks in Chapter 6, and the Sikhi Dharma of the Lion in Appendix I). Also, rules
for creating Dharmic sects– which reinterpret and focus the Dharma according to specific themes– can be
found in Chapter 5.
But obviously, the night world is vast and full of potential for much more. Gaming groups are encouraged
to adapt tenets or create new ones in the interest of local flavor or representation. Remember that tenets
largely determine the flavor of what earns dharmic experience or mitigates Suffering (see Systems in Chapter
3), while triggers for Suffering are open to interpretation and reflect each character’s perspective on their
Dharma (see Theme and Mood in Chapter 5).
SECTION
CHAPTERN3: CHARACTER CREATION AND SYSTEMS
AME 57
In Kindred of the East: The Relentless Age, you play as

one of the Hungry Dead at the end of the 20th
century, one of the most dynamic times in the history
of the night world.
At the precipice of the foretold Age of Sorrows, your

THE DHARMAS: characters will go on globe-trotting adventures,
looking for artifacts and clues to forestall the
A SUMMARY ascension of the Demon Emperor. They will engage
in bloody shadow warfare on the neon-lit streets of
Asia’s cities, against mortal gangsters and government
agents, as well as going blade to blade with monsters
The Petals of Virtue just like themselves. They will dive into Hell itself
to save their loved ones– or they will destroy every
• Bone Flowers - Protect the silent and invisible; mortal dream they ever had, as the price paid for
tend diligently to the great garden of death. enlightenment.
• Devil-Tigers - Become a perfect demon, worthy Whatever they end up doing, the lives of the Hungry
of ruling a new hell. Dead never fail to be interesting.
• Resplendent Cranes - Follow the way of harmony;
bring glory and order to a corrupt world. CHARACTER CREATION GUIDE
• Thrashing Dragons - Become the lightning and Below is a step-by-step guide to build one of the
the laughing rainbow; embed yourself in the Hungry Dead. This section is intended to be used
pulse of life. alongside the character creation section of Vampire:
the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition.
The Mirror and the Wheel
Step One: Character Concept
• Diamond Serpents - Cultivate your humanity;
bring enlightenment to the whole of the mortal • Write the character’s name, your name, and the
world. chronicle title, if any.
• Rootless Trees - Live and die a thousand lives, • Answer the following questions:
and learn from each and every one.
How did you die?
The Independents
Why did you go to hell?
• Celestial Tribe - Rise to the godhood and worship
that is your right. Who are you now?
• Ram-Hearted - Honor God the All-Merciful; • Use your answers to these questions to inform
defend the community of faith. your character’s Concept.
• Mayaparisatya - Dive into the truth of emptiness; • Choose Nature: the core of who your character
shatter the world-illusion. is.
The Outsiders • Choose Demeanor: the face your character
presents to the world.
• Cerulean Veils - Wander the world and honor
the spirits. • Choose Dharma: the road your character currently
walks– see left chart.
• Scorpion Eaters - Be proud and sure of what
you are. Reject the bullshit. • If you already have an idea, write the name of
the character’s Master.
• Write your character’s Destiny: Similar to

Concept, this is a short phrase that embodies
who they will be in the not-so-distant future.
For a general guideline for what to write, think
SCECTION
HAPTERN3: CHARACTER CREATION AND SYSTEMS
AME 59
of the next time the character looks at themselves Costs and Considerations:
in the mirror and realizes how much they’ve
grown and changed. What does that look like? Demon Arts cost one dot per level, much like Cainite
Disciplines.
(System-wise, note that a Storyteller can choose
to replenish all of a character’s Willpower once Characters obtain a new piece of Demon Regalia (a
per story, in the event that the character either demon weapon or demonic feature) automatically
takes a significant action toward the fulfillment at levels 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 of each of the three Demon
of their Destiny, or accepts a major setback that Arts– Unlike other traits, the trait limit for Demon
resists an unwanted Destiny.) Arts is always 10.
• Finally, consider the concepts and destinies of Soul Art techniques are acquired on an individual
the other player characters. Discuss the roles basis (i.e. not sequentially) and can be bought using
you will play, and whether or not to pool relevant a number of dots equal to the technique’s level.
Backgrounds. Techniques can only be purchased up to the dots
of the character’s Virtue ratings– for example,
Steps Two and Three: Select Wickedness 2 means you can only buy 1- or 2-dot
Devil Art techniques.
Attributes and Abilities
• Follow V20 rules for assigning ratings to Attributes Godbody Arts cost two dots per level, and are
(7/5/3 dots, split between the categories of purchased sequentially like Demon Arts. The character
Physical, Social, and Mental). must have a matching or higher level in Dharma.
• Follow V20 rules for assigning ratings to Abilities Step Five: Finishing Touches
(13/9/5 dots, split between the categories of • Dharma begins at a rating of 1. Note: Scorpion
Talent, Skill, and Knowledge). Eaters can never go higher than Dharma 1.
Step Four: Select Advantages • Set starting Willpower equal to the character’s
• Follow V20 rules for assigning Backgrounds (5 highest Virtue. Use the Virtue ratings before
dots). freebies are spent.
Available V20 Backgrounds for the Hungry Dead: • Starting Suffering is always zero.
Allies, Alternate Identity, Contacts, Domain, Fame, • Finally, spend 15 freebie points.
Haven, Herd, Influence, Mentor, Resources, Retainers,
Status. Freebie Point Costs
New Backgrounds: Attributes: 5 freebie points/dot

Abilities: 2 freebie points/dot
Talisman - a sacred object, which naturally generates Ability Specialties: 1 freebie point/dot
Chi and may possess supernatural powers. Demon and Soul Arts: 6 freebie points/dot
Godbody Arts: 12 freebie points/dot
Dragon’s Nest - ownership of a small sacred space Backgrounds: 1 freebie point/dot
that generates Chi; alternatively, possessing usage Dharma: 4 freebie points/dot
rights of a larger shared space. Virtues: 2 freebie points/dot
Willpower: 1 freebie point/dot
Rituals - social and spiritual rites of the Hungry
Dead and of the night world. • Set starting Chi points equal to the result of
one rolled die, plus one for each dot in Domain
• Assign Virtue ratings: All four Virtues and/or Herd. Consult the following chart to
(Renunciation, Righteousness, Vitality, and determine your character’s maximum Chi pool.
Wickedness) start with a baseline of 1 dot. Assign
7 more dots as desired. Experience Costs
• Choose Arts: Select one Demon Art at Level 1, Use experience points to represent growth in play,
along with one piece of Demon Regalia. Select or to have more powerful starting characters.
three more dots of Arts as desired; see Chapter Experience costs for most traits are exactly the same
4 for descriptions of all of the Arts. as V20, with the following additions:
DHARMA AND ASSOCIATED TRAITS
Trait Chi
Dharma Max Chi Pool Godbody Max
Maximum Per Turn
1 5 10 1 1 dot
2 5 11 1 2 dots
3 5 12 1 3 dots
4 5 13 1 4 dots
1 mastery, all
5 5 15 2
others 4 dots
2 masteries, all
6 6 20 3
others 4 dots
3 masteries, all
7 7 25 4
others 4 dots
4 masteries, all
8 8 30 6
others 4 dots
5 masteries, all
9 9 40 8
others 4 dots
10 10 50 10 No Limit
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AME 61
New Experience Point Costs DHAMPYR AND HALF-DEVIL PCS

Demon Art: New rating x 5
Soul Art: Technique rating x 6 The half-mortal children of the Hungry Dead, as
Godbody Art: New rating x 8 well as the half-mortal demon-blooded, follow
Dharma: New rating x 2 (dharmic experience points standard mortal rules for character creation as
only) outlined in Vampire 20th Anniversary Edition. This
includes Attributes, Abilities, Backgrounds, and
Virtues (which are the mortal Virtues of Conscience,
Alternative Option: Linear Self-Control, and Courage).
Experience
Additional considerations are outlined below:
For those who wish to avoid the pitfalls of using two
different systems for initial character builds versus Dhampyr Characters
experience over time (In a nutshell, the issue is that
this creates a system of “optimal builds” for character Humanity:
creation, essentially punishing the later effectiveness Dhampyrs use Humanity, just like other mortals.
of characters who aren’t optimized right out of the Note that whenever they lose a point of Humanity,
gate), the Storyteller may instead opt for a simple Dhampyrs suffer from a craving for bloody, raw
equivalency: Every 2 experience points equals one flesh that lasts for the rest of the night, inflicting -3
freebie point, which can then be used to purchase to all dice pools until sunrise, sunset, or whenever
traits in the same way as during character creation. the hunger is satisfied (with the equivalent of 1
Or they may simplify even further and grant a freebie aggravated health level of flesh– which is itself likely
point per session, though this will amplify the a trigger for Humanity checks).
significance and rarity of any “dharmic freebie points”
obtained in play. Arts:
A Dhampyr may buy a one-dot Soul Art technique
for 10 freebie points, or for 20 experience points
during play. Note that Dhampyrs rarely learn more
than 2 Soul Art techniques over the course of their character will be compelled to take an action thematic
lifetimes, but this is not at all a hard rule, especially to its bonded demon that triggers a Humanity check–
in the current age. Soul Arts require 1 Chi to activate for example, gorging on a dead person’s blood, or
for the scene. Dhampyrs do not have access to starting a fight that ends with terrible violence. This
Demon Arts or Godbody Arts, unless they gain urge prevents the further use of Demon Regalia
Demon Regalia by becoming Half-Devils– Finally, until it is satisfied.
Dhampyrs cannot be trained in the Demon Hunter
secrets of Awakened Chi (see Appendix II), but they Soul Imbalance:
can sell their souls to the Yama Kings like any mortal Half-Devils do not suffer soul imbalance in the same
(see the sidebar after Hellweaving in Chapter 4). way at the Hungry Dead, but their devil halves may
take over the body for the scene if the human half
Chi: is ever incapacitated, suppressed, or in a
Dhampyrs have a natural Chi pool of 3, which circumstance of extreme peril and stress.
replenishes at a rate of 1 per sunset. They can also
use Talismans or Dragon’s Nests for Chi, though
such valuable resources are uncommon for Dhampyr NEW TRAITS AND SYSTEMS
use (and should thus have a compelling backstory).
Chi may be used by Dhampyrs to heal injuries in a Backgrounds
manner similar to their parents, though Dhampyrs
cannot feed on blood or flesh to replenish their Chi Talisman
pool. Talismans are treasures from the gods, or sarira left
behind by ascended Dharmic masters, or dangerous
Luck: weapons forged by the blacksmiths serving the Yama
Dhampyrs are exceptionally lucky. Any Dhampyr Kings. Whatever their origin, these are valuable
may unconsciously spend 1 Chi to unlock “luck receptacles of Chi, which are used as bargaining
points” in a scene equal to the Dhampyr’s Humanity. tokens or as favors for treasured students. At higher
Each point can be spent for bonus dice on rolls, or levels, Talismans also possess unique supernatural
to cancel out levels of bashing or lethal damage powers.
before they occur, as coincidences and strokes of
fortune help the Dhampyr float through even the To “drink” the stored Chi, the owner simply needs
most dangerous situations. All luck points unused to touch the Talisman and concentrate for a turn,
at the end of the scene are lost. gaining one Chi point per turn. Talismans regenerate
Chi at a rate of one every sunrise. Empty Talismans
Half-Devil Characters can also be manually refilled from a Hungry One’s
Arts: personal Chi pool, if necessary– By dripping blood
A Half-Devil may buy a Demon Regalia feature for upon it, or breathing upon it to transfer energy.
5 freebie points, or for 10 experience points during
play. Unlike Hungry Dead characters, they cannot Taking this background represents the owning of a
buy Demon Regalia in the form of separate weaponry– single Talisman, which can be any object small
They must be bodily mutations. Furthermore, enough to be held by one hand. Note that Talismans
demonic features must either be fully displayed, or above 2 dots represent powerful and coveted objects,
they can be hidden with either a Stamina roll for which ideally play a role in the story itself.
the scene (Difficulty 7) or for a full day and night
with 1 Willpower point– but by default, features • Your Talisman can generate up to 1 point of Chi.
are always considered “on.”
•• Your Talisman can generate up to 2 points of
Note that Half-Devils do not have access to Godbody Chi, and may possess a minor supernatural ability:
Arts. They may only have access to Soul Arts and Purchase 2 dots of Soul Arts, which can all be
an internal Chi pool if they are also Dhampyr. activated for a scene by using 1 Chi from the Talisman.
Half-Devils, like Dhampyrs, cannot be trained in
the Demon Hunter secrets of Awakened Chi, but ••• Your Talisman can generate up to 3 points of
they, too, can sell their souls for power if they wish. Chi, and possesses a supernatural ability: Purchase
3 dots of Soul Arts, which can all be activated for
Humanity: a scene by using 1 Chi from the Talisman.
Every Demon Regalia feature reduces a Half-Devil’s
maximum Humanity by 1. Furthermore, if Demon •••• Your Talisman can generate up to 4 points
Regalia is used a number of times per night– i.e. in of Chi, and possesses a potent supernatural ability
a dramatic dice roll– exceeding the allowed amount or set of abilities: Purchase 4 dots of Soul Arts,
(10 minus the Half-Devil’s current Humanity), the which can all be activated for a scene by using 1 Chi
SECTION
AME 63
from the Talisman. Dragon’s Nest

Dragon’s Nests are natural wellsprings of Chi in
••••• Your Talisman can generate up to 5 points either the physical or spirit worlds, where raw energy
of Chi, and possesses exceptional supernatural power: flows much more easily. The Nest could take the
Purchase 5 dots of Soul Art Techniques, which can form of a small sacred space that you own entirely,
all be activated for a scene by using 1 Chi from the or it could be an enormous complex brimming with
Talisman. Talismans at this level of power also Chi, for which the Background merely represents
typically involve stipulations or curses, which harm your share of usage rights.
the bearer if they are met.
Each dot in the Dragon’s Nest Background represents
Note that Talismans do not exactly replicate specific the number of Chi points generated by the location
Soul Art techniques; rather, the techniques should each night, which can only be absorbed through
be purchased as a general guideline for what the active rest. One Chi point is given per scene, which
Talisman can do. a visitor can absorb directly into their Chi pool or
into a drained Talisman.
Example Talisman: Pearl Magatama (•••)
An ancient bead, shaped like a rounded number 9, which Note that Dragon’s Nests are typically a shared
is made of rainbow mother-of-pearl. In the Shinto Background, and that Dragon’s Nests above 2 points
conception of the universe, the dividing line between “kami” are high-value locations, which one can expect will
and “ghost” is tenuous at best; this talisman, once wielded have different parties vying for ownership and control.
by a holy woman from the original days of the Yamato
clan, has the power to draw both to the wielder. • The Dragon’s Nest is small, or you have a small
share of it– You and one other can receive 1 Chi
Chi Pool: 3 per night.
Related Special Abilities: At the Gates of Wind and •• A larger and more bountiful Dragon’s Nest–4
Water (Beast Art •, calling Rank 0 kami), Beacon Chi per night, which can be distributed between
of Longing (Ghost Art ••, calling ancestor-spirit you and any guests as desired (no more than 2 Chi
kami) each).
••• A powerful Dragon’s Nest, often a
Example Talisman: Wooden Kukri (••) marker of great status– 9 Chi per night, which
The great Diamond Serpent guru Arya, who attained the can be distributed between you and any guests
Hundred Clouds in the 19th century, was once a mortal as desired (no more than 3 Chi each).
boy who loved to play with wood weapons, imagining •••• One of the greatest of Dragon’s Nests,
himself a great hero of the epics. When the enlightened inevitably the subject of bitter disputes– 16 Chi per
one ascended beyond the Great Wheel, his last remaining night, which can be distributed between you and
childhood toy was one of the relics he left behind. any guests as desired (no more than 4 Chi each).
••••• A legendary Dragon’s Nest– 16 Chi per
Chi Pool: 2 night, which can be distributed between you and
Related Special Abilities: The Touch of Ghost-Metal any guests as desired (no more than 5 Chi each).
(Ghost Art ••, able to harm any spirits that visibly
manifest themselves in the mortal world) Example Dragon’s Nest:
Glade of the Great Grass Sea (•••)
For other example Talismans, see the “Mark of To this day, the Mongolian steppes remain a huge expanse
Excellence” (•, California) and “Good Wife’s Nail” of grass and blue sky, dotted by the occasional pool of
(•••••, Malaysia) in Chapter 6. For special water. This is one such place, a remote watering-hole for
Talismans specific to mortal Demon Hunters, see the native fauna, which is also a favorite hiding-place for
Appendix II. the Cerulean Veils to meet and tell their tales.
Max Chi: 9 per night (no more than 3 Chi per

person).
Note: This Dragon’s Nest is located in the mortal
world, and as it is quite remote, the Gauntlet rating
related to all realms is low (5 during the day, 4 at
night). For the purpose of entering the Spirit Wilds
at night, there is effectively no Gauntlet to worry
about.
Example Dragon’s Nest: Djinn Clubhouse (••) of masters having sworn oaths to each other in centuries
The great cities of the djinn are said to only be accessible past, with a bond that endures and is informally passed
to those with proper maps guiding them through the spirit down to their students. In some cases, these bonds even
worlds. But there are certain outposts in the Lower Heavens, cross the clans of the night world, with beast-folk or wizards
houses and grottos where the creatures of smokeless fire pledging friendship to the Hungry Dead. If anything can
hold court, so they may be near the endless fascinations be said to be universal in the night world, it is the rich
of the mortal world in Indonesia and South Asia. tradition of sworn love and camaraderie among the
unlikeliest of monsters.
Max Chi: 4 per night (no more than 2 Chi per
person). System: Every participant in the ritual must contribute
Note: This Dragon’s Nest is located in the Lower one point of Chi, which can take the form of a
Heavens, and as such can only be accessed by crossing variety of symbolic actions. Some regions share a
the Gauntlet. cup of blood-spiked wine in a tradition similar to
the Sabbat’s Vaulderie, while others cut their hands
For other example Dragon’s Nests (including a and join palms together in a circle as they recite
tainted version that gives poisoned Chi), see the oaths of brotherhood. The rite master spends one
sections on Singapore and Thailand in Chapter 6. point of Willpower to complete the ritual, after
which the participants are considered to be part of
Rituals a night family.
Rituals are the backbone of Hungry Dead society,
the means by which they build and maintain the Once per night, a member of the night family can
night world. A circle of Hungry Dead usually has contribute a point of Willpower so that another
one member who serves as the designated rite master, member may achieve success in a task, for which
but anyone can learn these rituals with the right both family members must be in immediate proximity
teacher. to each other. In addition, members of the night
family have +1 die at all times when rolling to try
This background mainly covers knowledge of major and find the other family members. This applies
rituals, which are applicable in the night world regardless of physical distance or location in the
regardless of one’s home country or Dharma. When Great Wheel, though crossing the Gauntlet to find
it comes to minor, more local social rituals, a a captured comrade will require the use of Soul Arts.
character with the Rituals background may add their
Background rating once per session to an applicable Also, note that night families are usually bound
Etiquette, Expression, Empathy, or other roll that together by a shared ideal, or an oath to perform a
involves maneuvering around supernatural social certain task together, such as “resist the Tremere
niceties. occupation of Hong Kong,” or “search for and
redeem all the ghosts from the 1997 typhoon.”
(Notably, this bonus can apply whether the character Whenever two or more members of the night family
is among beast-folk, Little Gods, her fellow Hungry are actively working together to pursue that sworn
Dead, or others, as there is an assumption that the goal, they get +1 die to all actions related to the goal.
night world has certain expectations in common.
It does not, however, apply when dealing with Finally: The bond of the night family may be broken
outsiders visiting for the first time.) by any individual simply by declaring it to the others
and spending 1 Willpower. Once that occurs, the
• You know 1 major ritual. bond is broken for everyone.
•• You know 2 major rituals.
••• You know 3 major rituals. Contain Suffering
•••• You know 4 major rituals. Rites of castigation– of mortifying the flesh in pursuit of
•••••(+) You know 5 or more major rituals. purity– exist all over the world. The Hungry Dead adapt
local customs of pain when performing this ritual, which
Major Rituals inflicts grievous wounds in exchange for removing a Hungry
One’s Suffering. This, ironically, is considered to be the
easy way out, a last resort for when the curse has swelled
The following are rituals that exist throughout the beyond what the night world can tolerate.
night world. Below is a brief description of each
ritual’s function, followed by specific systems. System: The ritual is as long or brief as the rite master
wishes, but it costs 1 Willpower point to begin the
Bond of the Night Family process each time. Typically, the practice involves
Contrary to what one may expect, the Hungry Dead are reciting a list of the Hungry One’s afflictions: the
encouraged to co-mingle with fellow Celebrants and Demon Arts they have used and how, the ways in
Aspirants of the different Dharmas. This is often the result which they failed to live up to their dharmic ideals,
SECTION NAME 65
GAUNTLET RATINGS
Hungry Dead characters will want to factor in the Gauntlet when they’re using certain Soul Arts, or
when they wish to cross over into one of the spirit realms. Use the following chart as a quick guideline
for the Gauntlet in the general area, bearing in mind that Gauntlet ratings may vary in the same place
according to which realm you’re focused on.
Gauntlet Rating Description
These ratings are reserved for actual gateways into the

spirit worlds– The low Gauntlet rating applies only
once certain keys or passphrases have been met. A ra-
3 or below ting of 2 means mortals may knowingly cross by
spending 1 Willpower; a rating of 1 means anyone
can cross, even accidentally.
A spiritually charged place, such as a temple or shrine

that has been lovingly maintained. A Dragon’s Nest
4-5 located in the mortal world may score at 4 at certain
times of the day or year.
The average rating in the night world. A quiet city street

after dark, or a natural area not often frequented,
6-7 may score at 6.
The average rating in the busier world of daylight, with

people and cars and buildings all around. A very pub-
8-9
lic, very non-spiritual place (like a city licensing
office) may score at 9
A deliberately or magically thickened Gauntlet, such as a

10 warded laboratory maintained by the Technocratic
Society.
and so on. The recipient, for her part, will be bound The Forked Road
hand and foot, surrounded by candles or torches, Young Celebrants are not punished for changing their
and her only role is to confirm– or deny– her sins. Dharma; it is an expected risk in this early part of the
journey. It is only once one reaches the rank of Aspirant,
The rite master then rolls Willpower+Dharma at having sworn oaths to a master, that moving to a new
Difficulty 7. If the recipient of the ritual is unwilling, path poses some social difficulties. Still, with this ritual,
then there is a contested Willpower+Dharma roll it is possible to change in the course of a single night– In
instead. Whatever successes the rite master obtains the hard-luck world of the Hungry Dead, such ease is a
equals the number of Suffering points that can be rare gift.
potentially wiped away, provided the recipient takes
1 health level of aggravated damage for each point System: The rite master spends one Willpower, and
of Suffering… Then all the torch-flames, whips, and at the end of the night a Hungry One may change
other tools in the room are used to fulfill this their current Dharma to a new Dharma at level 1,
transaction. without the need to go down to zero and relearn
everything from scratch. If, however, the Hungry
For obvious reasons, this rarely removes all Suffering One’s former Dharma was higher than 1, he loses
from a target. But it can dull the edge enough that those additional levels as if he had sacrificed them
the remainder is manageable through retreat and to wipe away Suffering– The lost levels convert into
meditation, either by choice or by force. their equivalent value in regular (non-dharmic)
experience points.
Enlightenment’s Artery
This ritual is the basis for the dharmic cults and schools Infant Devil Godmother
that are the default social arrangement in the night world. This ritual is one of the specialties of the Devil-Tigers, who
With this ritual, a Hungry Dead master and student see rescue and fosterage as one of their sacred duties.
mutually grow through a tutelary relationship, leaving Anyone can know this ritual, but it is the rare Devil-Tiger
them stronger together than they would have been who doesn’t have it in their toolkit. In lands without a
separately. Typically, as the ritual’s name implies, the strong night world, the lack of this ritual is one of the
ceremony involves a bloodletting and a sharing of Chi, major reasons Hungry Dead are a much rarer sight, as it
symbolizing their commitment to let wisdom and life flow becomes far more unlikely that a newborn from Hell will
between them. survive those first chaotic nights– Not impossible, but
extremely difficult.
System: Those who swear an oath to follow a dharmic
master do not need to love or even like their teacher, System: The rite master spends one point of Willpower
but both master and student must consent at the and touches the Larva. For the rest of the night, the
time of the oath by each spending 1 point of new Hungry One has control of her Virtues and
Willpower. From then on, the master gains one experiences balance as if at Dharma 1, though falling
point of dharmic experience for every level of Dharma into Soul Imbalance will require the ritual to be
that the student obtains under the master’s tutelage. performed again.
The student also benefits: Every point of dharmic
experience he gains directly from the instruction of Note that the first time this ritual is performed for
his master comes with a bonus regular point of a new Larva is especially charged with symbolism
experience, and he permanently gains the Status and portent: As long as the Larva spends one point
Background at one dot when dealing with the of Willpower over the course of the night to obtain
master’s other students (both former and current). an automatic success on a dramatic roll, she obtains
one point of dharmic experience that night, as she
The master-student bond lasts until either party begins to understand her condition. This dharmic
breaks their bond by announcing its end and spending experience is considered universal– Even if the ritual
a point of Willpower, or at the moment when the is performed by a Devil-Tiger who then passes the
student reaches a level of Dharma that equals the Larva on to a Bone Flower, they still only need 1
master’s. Note that this ritual does not preclude the more dharmic experience to reach the first level in
possibility of informal master-student relationships– the Bone Flower Dharma.
and also note that no one in-universe possesses a
perfect “Dharm-o-meter” to determine whether This ritual can only be performed in its full form
someone is truly of the elder ranks. However, a once for every Larva. After that, doing the ritual
Hungry Dead character may only take one formal again can help them regain soul balance each time,
student at a time at Dharma 1-4, with one additional but they must obtain dharmic experience the slow
student possible for each level beyond 4. way, by experiencing new things or reaching new
internal insights.
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AME 67
Obeisance to the Great Masters When the rite master is finished, he ritually destroys
In this age of double-crossings and hidden identities, a the paper and spends 1 point of Willpower. For the
ritual to announce who you are and where you come from remainder of the night, all Hungry Dead or other
seems almost quaint– Critics of the Obeisance ritual point persons of noteworthy rank in the night world will
out that it is still perfectly possible to lie about who you have an instinctual understanding that the new
are. But in a night world where strangers are immediately visitors have properly announced themselves, and
suspect, where intruders are often dispatched with extreme that they have come for a purpose. Those who roll
prejudice, a simple gesture of good faith and tradition, Perception+Awareness and achieve a success at
backed up with the mysterious power of this ritual, can Difficulty 7 will also know each guest’s name and
be all the difference between a good night and a bad one. have a sense of their lineage.
System: Hungry Dead who are new to a particular Peace of Monsters
city, or even visiting a new haven, can perform this A simple but important ritual, the Peace of Monsters
ritual, which costs the donation of one point of Chi features prominently whenever warring factions of the
from all parties who wish to formally announce night world sit down to parlay. Those sitting down who
themselves. On a piece of ceremonial paper, the rite swear to peace will find that any violence saps their mental
master puts down the name and two levels of energy and leaves them less capable– Not an insurmountable
master-student lineage of each individual, which difficulty, but enough to maintain shows of good faith
takes at least one full scene to finish– for example, among all parties.
one person alone would be announced as: “Sakamoto
Yuri, student of Master Ono Tadaharu, student of System: Every person in the scene contributes two
Jinnai, 29th head of the Black Snow Devil-Tiger points of Willpower, which is collected by passing
School of Sapporo and recognized Grandmaster of around a symbolic object– a cup or bowl, an effigy,
the Wheel of the Law.” The ink used by the rite a line of the sutras brushed on a piece of paper, and
master contains the blood or charged breath of each so on– and placing a personal item inside or upon
individual announcing themselves.
it. Those donated points of Willpower may not be contribute to the creation effort with rolls of their
used for the rest of the scene. If the scene of dialogue own, but the key requirement of everyone participating
passes without incident, then all Willpower is in the ritual is the donation of 1 Chi point.
restored, minus one point for the rite master’s
contribution. If, however, any significant violent Mortal offerings to spirits tend to offer only 1 point
action is taken (i.e. initiates systems for combat), of Chi, which goes to the first spirit who takes it.
then the object breaks, and all the donated An offering by a Hungry One using Spirit Banquet,
Willpower points are lost for everyone. however, contains 3 points of Chi, plus any points
donated by other participants. This is a gift, and any
Punishment of Heaven’s Eye attempt to harm or feed on the spirit-guests breaks
Legend says that this was once a Soul Art technique, the ritual and negates the donated Chi. Spirits at
exclusive to the Hungry Dead alone, until a mortal Rank 1 or 2 who feed at the banquet should be
alchemist cracked the code and shared the ritual with considered to be favorably disposed to all of the
everyone– And what a fine mess that became. It is still ritual participants for one lunar month, similar to
the premier method of punishment, used when a Hungry a level-1 Blood Bond (see V20 rules for Blood
One has committed crimes worthy of nothing less than Bonding). Spirits at Rank 3 will only be affected for
the Final Void. But in the modern nights, it is just as a night and a day, while those at Rank 4 or higher
often wielded by a rival master’s Dhampyr son, or by a will bestow a favor at their discretion.
demon hunter with a relentless grudge.
System: The Hungry Dead, unlike their vampire Backgrounds and the Spirit World
cousins, are normally immune to wooden stakes
and other such wounds to the heart– They will be Note that unlike the default assumptions of Vampire:
damaged as in a normal attack, but they will not the Masquerade, the Hungry Dead have easy access
experience the total paralysis that Cainites do. to the spirit worlds. There are multiple methods to
However, those who have this ritual can bless any see various types of spirits, and communication
appropriate implement (which takes approximately across the Gauntlet needs only a 1-dot Soul Art or
thirty seconds, or five turns in combat) and spend an equivalent Talisman. Furthermore, the Hungry
one point of Willpower, whereupon the tool has Dead also have innate abilities that allow them to
the ability to paralyze a Hungry One and hold them find hidden gateways into the spirit world.
in place for 24 hours.
Hence, characters can very easily have spirit allies,
Unlike vampires, the range of tools that can be spirit contacts, even havens in the spirit world or
blessed this way has a wider variety: Both wooden herds of spirits for feeding. Use the same rules for
or metal stakes, even plastic ones can be blessed this spirit Backgrounds as you would for regular ones,
way, as well as prayer strips that can paralyze if including shared Backgrounds. For example, what
securely attached (with a hammered nail or a piece the original edition of Kindred of the East called the
of duct tape) directly to a Hungry One’s forehead. “Nushi” or Totem background would here be
Use V20’s staking rules for blessed stakes to the considered a shared Allies or Mentor background,
heart, and use a contested Dexterity+Athletics or representing a powerful spirit backer.
Brawl roll when a character tries to attach a blessed
prayer strip in the heat of the moment. The effect SUFFERING
fades once 24 hours is up, unless the rite master
takes the time to bless the implements again. Suffering is the curse of the Hungry Dead, carried
over from the Thousand Hells. On the character
Spirit Banquet sheet, Suffering is a temporary track similar to
Spirits love Chi as much as the Hungry Dead– But Willpower points, tracked from zero to ten. Characters
depending on local customs, feeding the spirits blood straight begin with Suffering 0 and raise or lower the rating
from one’s veins ranges from “unsettling” to “completely over the course of the story.
unspeakable.” The Hungry Dead use the Spirit Banquet
ritual to honor the spirits in a manner that befits their Gaining and Losing Suffering;
world, preparing a grand meal for a visiting god, or leaving
a token of appreciation for the house-spirits and their work. Systems
A Hungry Dead character gains one point of Suffering:
System: The rite master spends at least half an hour,
spends one point of Willpower, and rolls Intelligence • Each time they activate a Demon Art or its
+ Crafts for the gift they wish to create for the spirits: advanced power.
a literal banquet table, a plate of delicate snacks,
paper dolls and stacks of hell money, or whatever • When performing an action that is antithetical
else makes sense for the locality. Others present may to their Dharma (e.g. withholding charity as a
SECTION
AME 69
Ram-Hearted, or sowing distrust among allies psychological, or cosmetic in nature. For example:
as a Resplendent Crane). The player rolls a dice
pool of 10 minus their Dharma rating at Difficulty • A God-Imbalanced character attracts glorious
8; success means nothing happens, failure means and terrible spirits who are eager to punish.
gaining a point of Suffering, while a botch means
gaining two. • A character in Ghost Imbalance finds himself
surrounded by shadows, decay and the cries of
• When indulging in heinous and exceptionally desperate wraiths.
callous actions, such as casual murder or mass
destruction. This can trigger a check for Suffering • A character in Beast Imbalance causes local
even for Dharmas that place value on inflicting wildlife and nature-spirits to turn suddenly
pain (such as Devil Tigers), or who don’t follow hostile.
any particular moral code (such as Scorpion
Eaters). No Dharma allows for a total free-for-all. • A Devil-Imbalanced character inflicts disturbing,
unwanted visions and dreams upon the psychically
A Hungry Dead character sheds one or more points sensitive.
of Suffering:
Mortal bystanders in the area suffer a similar
• Upon successful performance of the ritual imbalance to the Hungry Dead in their own thoughts
“Contain Suffering” (see Rituals Background). and actions, which can quickly turn a crowd into
an unruly mob. In the worst eruptions (Suffering
• When performing a significant action (i.e. 3), the physical world may subtly fall apart,
requiring a dice roll to determine success or endangering old or shoddy infrastructure and
failure) in accordance with their Dharmic tenets. inflicting one bashing damage on everyone in the
Only one point per night can be shed this way. scene.
Note that Scorpion Eaters have no access to this
option. At Suffering 4-6, the Hungry One possesses a
darkened aura and a twisted fate, which is plainly
• By resting at a Dragon’s Nest for a scene, which visible to anyone with the proper paranormal senses–
removes one point per night. Doing this bars In Cainite territories, it is often mistaken for the
the character from absorbing any Chi from the telltale mark of diablerie. When this level of Suffering
Dragon’s Nest for that night, and the 1 point is unleashed, the immediate scene around the
of Chi he would have absorbed is lost. character warps, twists, and transforms, as the mortal
world is intruded upon by pieces of the Thousand
• After one full night without accruing any Suffering, Hells:
upon the end of the night at sunrise.
• A Hungry One who has visited the Hell of
• By sacrificing a point of Dharma, which clears Burrowing Maggots will leave bystanders wounded,
the entire Suffering track (see systems for left with dark trails and other evidence of
Dharma, below). flesh-burrowing parasites– one lethal damage
for everyone in the scene, plus severe illness for
Aside from those options, the only way the Hungry any mortals.
Dead can lose their accumulated Suffering is by
botching either a Willpower roll or a Virtue check • Another one of the Hungry Dead, who escaped
to resist Soul Imbalance. The resulting state is called the Hell of Upside-Down Sinners, will briefly
an eruption of Suffering. turn an office building into a maze-like
nightmare, where no door leads where it should
Eruptions of Suffering: and the inhabitants can’t help but blurt out
Systems their most antisocial desires– and act upon them,
in an eruption of Suffering 5 or 6.
When Suffering erupts, the character clears their
Suffering track, returning their rating to zero. In mature night societies, Hungry Dead are detained
However, the harmful effects that take place for the and forced to undergo purification when they are
scene range from unsettling to catastrophic. found at this level. When left alone, the resulting
chaos and attention of demonic entities can damage
At Suffering 1-3, the Hungry One is still acceptable the night world of an entire town for months.
to the night world at large, though the reek of
corruption becomes more noticeable the more At Suffering 7+, the Hungry One’s entire being
Suffering they hold. When Suffering erupts at this pulses with horrific potential. The sight of them fills
level, most of the negative effects are spiritual, even mundane witnesses with a sense of anxiety and
foreboding, like looking upon a bomb ticking down 6 to drain their spiritual energy, Difficulty 7 if
to its final seconds. When the night world fails to they are unwilling. Each Chi point taken requires
capture or kill such a cursed Hungry One, and their a full turn and affects the living just like having
Suffering is unleashed, this terrible potential is their blood taken (i.e. taking more than two
realized: Few can hope to outrun the nightmares points can seriously harm or even kill them).
that sprout from the earth, or the demons that This process is physically invisible, but appears
appear with shackles in hand– Without exceptional in the spirit realm like a transfer of pale vapor.
power to resist, one can only curl into a ball and
hope to survive. • At 7 or higher, the character can feed on the
world itself: They must be in a quiet environment,
For a chart that can randomly generate an eruption with at least five minutes to concentrate. Roll
of Suffering, see Chapter 5, Storytelling. Dharma at the Difficulty of the area’s Gauntlet
rating to siphon energy. Taking more than two
CHI points at a time will invariably damage the local
spirit world, which inflicts a point of Suffering
Chi is the energy of life, stolen by the Hungry Dead. upon the feeder.
On the character sheet, Chi is a temporary track
typically going from zero to ten, though higher Using Chi: Systems
Dharma ratings will raise the upper limit beyond Most starting characters may spend 1 Chi per turn,
that amount (see the Dharma chart in Character which increases with further enlightenment (see
Creation). Like Blood Pool in V20, the rating rises Dharma chart for the rate of Chi points that can be
and falls over the course of play, though the closer spent per turn). The Hungry Dead have many
it comes to zero, the emptier and more desperate different ways to spend Chi, but three basics apply
the character is. to all of them:
At zero Chi, the character spends the remainder of Awakening - The Hungry Dead can instinctively
the night careening from Soul Imbalance to Soul sense nightfall, spending 1 Chi every evening to
Imbalance, willing to do anything to obtain even a reanimate their bodies and rise. Like their western
tiny amount of precious Chi, up to and including vampire cousins, there is no way for the Hungry
massive abuse of the Demon Arts. If that night ends Dead to avoid this tithe, which applies whether or
with still nothing gained, the character falls into the not they actually do anything for the night. For the
Lesser Death– an emergency state of deep slumber, rare Hungry Dead who must stay awake through
in which only an infusion of Chi will save their the daytime, they will also spend 1 Chi to remain
minds from the blackness of non-existence. active from sunrise to sunset.
Obtaining Chi: Systems Healing - With just a moment’s concentration, a
Hungry One can circulate their energy through cuts
To gain Chi, characters have no choice but to take and broken limbs, restoring the corpse-body from
it. Without access to rare and special resources, for even the most horrific wounds. 1 Chi restores a level
most starting characters this means: of bashing or lethal damage, while 5 Chi (plus 1
Willpower point) restores one aggravated level.
• Dharma 1+: Drinking the blood of the living,
which follows V20 rules for feeding. Cultivation - With time and practice, the Hungry
Dead can channel Chi through their Virtues to gain
• Dharma 0+: Eating flesh. If the victim is alive, access to spiritual abilities, which the Hungry Dead
every point of aggravated damage (lethal for call cultivation. For rules on cultivation, see “Virtues,”
mortals) gives 1 Chi– If recently slain within below.
the last hour, then the Hungry Dead may eat as
much as they want to, up to 7 points.
VIRTUES
• With the practice of certain Soul Arts or access
to a gateway, the Hungry Dead can also eat Virtues are the four souls of the Hungry Dead, the
spirits in the same way they eat flesh. measure of their spiritual and psychological balance.
On the character sheet, each of the four Virtues is
Characters with higher Dharma ratings unlock the rated from 1-5 for starting characters, though it can
following options: go to 6 and beyond for those with the equivalent
Dharma rating. A Hungry One’s rating in the Virtue
• At 4 or higher, the character can feed on “breath”: represents the potency of that soul within them, as
They must be either touching a target, or close well as their insight and understanding of the
enough to kiss them. Roll Dharma at Difficulty principle behind that soul and its associated realm.
SCECTION
AME 71
Using Virtues: Systems for

Cultivation
The Hungry Dead can spend 1 Chi (or roll the
Virtue rating at Difficulty 7) to access cultivation:
a supercharged soul-state that grants special benefits,
as well as granting access to the Soul Arts.
Note that only one Virtue can be empowered this

way at a time. Attempting to move from one soul
to another in the same scene imposes a cumulative
-1 penalty for every shift, as the Hungry One reels
from the energetic flux.
THE LESSER DEATH
The benefits of cultivation last for an entire scene:
The length of a Lesser Death, in which the Hungry
Renunciation Dead are in a vulnerable state of deep slumber, can
The Hungry Dead slips into the quiet of the grave, vary depending on the circumstances:
becoming something like a half-ghost. She is forgotten
within minutes by mortal passersby who leave her If they fall into Lesser Death due to filling all their
presence, and is difficult to spot (+2 Difficulty) unless health levels with lethal damage, the Hungry One
someone is actively looking for her. Like a ghost, is “dead” for one scene, after which she may rise
she can also perceive signs of decay in the world, and use her Chi to heal.
such as illness or an approaching death, which look
to the cultivator like an enhancement of existing If they fall into Lesser Death due to being at zero
flaws and blemishes– cracks are bigger, wrinkles and Chi for a whole night– or all their health levels fill
liver spots are darker, shadows are fuller and deeper. with lethal damage and there is no Chi left to heal
Finally, she gains the ability to look directly into the them– then the Hungry One stays in their suspended
Shadowlands and find its gateways, although speaking state indefinitely, until they are given Chi or have
with ghosts or interacting across the Shroud without an opportunity to take it. Those who stay in Lesser
a gate requires the use of Soul Arts. Death for days, months, or even years eventually
take on a mummified appearance, but this is
(Gain 1 Willpower in this state when you successfully superficial; if a suitable source of food is nearby,
offer comfort to the pained and grieving.) then the Hungry One may roll Willpower at
Difficulty 8 to rise and take one turn’s worth of
Righteousness action.
The Hungry One swells with the beauty, grandeur
and authority of Heaven. Lesser creatures, such as Unlike the often-vivid dreams and nightmares of
mortals with low Willpower (3 or less), are more daysleep, Hungry Dead who survive the Lesser Death
inclined to fawn and be agreeable to her wishes, report an absolute nothingness, which leaves those
while even powerful beings will give some regard to left in it for too long (a year or longer) in a state of
the cultivator. Like a god, she can also see marks of terrified madness upon awakening, which lasts for
divine favor, creativity, and destiny, which take the at least one lunar month. Finally, those who are
form of poetic and dreamlike overlays upon the attacked in Lesser Death, or who are exposed to
mortal world– however, understanding specific sunlight or fire, are doomed to the Final Void once
details and their meanings without logical leaping all their health levels are filled with aggravated
requires the use of Soul Arts. Finally, she gains the damage.
ability to look into the Lesser Heavens and find its
gateways, and with the proper Soul Art techniques
can cross the Gauntlet to interact with the realm of
gods and dreams.
(Gain 1 Willpower in this state when you respond

to mortal subservience with an appropriately godlike
generosity.)
Vitality
The Hungry One blooms to life, restoring her
heartbeat, her breath, the sweat on her palms. For
the time being, she is indistinguishable from a living Virtue rating represents not just the intensity and
human, even under intense medical scrutiny. Like power of the soul, but the level of control and mastery
a beast of the natural world, her physical senses that the Hungry One has over that soul as well.)
become sharper and more expansive, gaining an
exceptional degree of perception (-2 Difficulty to Beast Imbalance
perception rolls)– She may even operate in total For the scene, the Hungry Dead has given in to their
darkness, as other senses become more than powerful animal instincts: feeding gluttonously, wildly attacking
enough to compensate. Finally, she gains the ability perceived threats, or fleeing at any cost.
to look into the Mirrorlands of the Spirit Wilds and
locate spirit gateways, although directly speaking to Example Conditions (roll Vitality to resist):
spirits and interacting across the Gauntlet without
a gate requires the use of Arts. • Eating human flesh.
(Gain 1 Willpower in this state when you successfully • Feeding when extremely hungry, at a Chi pool
encourage others to give in to the joy of life and its of 3 or less. (+1 Difficulty)
pleasures.)
• Filling all the way to the Crippled health
Wickedness level, or taking 2 or more damage from fire
The cultivator releases the devil within. Mortals or sunlight. (+2 Difficulty)
with a conscience (Conscience 3 or higher) are struck
with fear and shame that makes them halting and Devil Imbalance
hesitant before the Hungry One, while creatures of For the scene, the Hungry Dead is interested only in
powerful wickedness (such as bane spirits, spectres, exercising pain and suffering upon others, which can be
or even humans of Humanity 3 or lower) recognize openly vicious or deceptively subtle.
the aura of a peer and are friendlier as a result (-2
Difficulty to social interactions). The cultivator also Example Conditions (roll Wickedness to
gains the ability to sense the presence of spiritual resist):
corruption, such as gateways to the Thousand Hells
or nearby Half-Devils. She can also sense minds that • Using a Demon Art to cause harm to an innocent.
are being influenced or constrained by outside
powers, including her own– but by exactly what, • Witnessing an immoral or harmful plot come
whether mundane or supernatural, requires the use to glorious fruition. (+1 Difficulty)
of Soul Arts.
• Following your Dharmic principles with great
(Gain 1 Willpower in this state when you confront sacrifice, only to have them lead you to failure
others in a way that challenges their self-perception.) or humiliation. (+2 Difficulty)
Soul Imbalance: Systems Ghost Imbalance

For the scene, the Hungry Dead becomes cold, clinical
The Hungry Dead are creatures of peerless discipline, and morbidly obsessed with the dying/dead, or they become
balancing the ebb and flow of their Virtues with completely corpse-like and catatonic.
great skill… until suddenly, something out of control
happens, and all the spinning plates come crashing Example Conditions (roll Renunciation to
down. That chaos is the state of one soul dominating resist):
over all the others, a condition called Soul Imbalance.
• Resting in a shrine for the honored dead or a
When faced with a dramatically appropriate condition graveyard for more than a week.
to enter Soul Imbalance, the player rolls the Virtue
rating associated with the condition, with a default • Being rejected by the living for your dead state.
difficulty of 6– Some especially dramatic conditions (+1 Difficulty)
may impose higher difficulties, as listed below.
Success on the roll means maintaining control, • Killing someone from your old mortal life. (+2
failure means falling into Soul Imbalance for the Difficulty)
scene, and a botch means both Soul Imbalance and
an eruption of any stored Suffering (see rules for Heavenly Imbalance
Suffering, above) For the scene, the Hungry Dead brings heaven to earth:
order, authority, grandeur, and the vicious correction of
(Note: Unlike Cainites and their rules for those deemed morally weak and unrighteous.
Frenzy/Rotschreck, the Hungry Dead roll the Virtue
itself to resist its imbalance, not its “opposite” – The Example Conditions (roll Righteousness to
SECTION NAME 73
NEW MERIT: SOUL VIRTUOSO (3 POINTS)

The Hungry Dead can only cultivate one Virtue at a time (with the exception of Hellweaving and the
perceptive powers of the Dragon Tear– see Chapter 4), and switching between different Virtues in the same
scene is a fraught process, as described earlier. However, characters with this merit have a brief grace period:
Each scene, they may switch from one Virtue to another, one time, without incurring the -1 dice penalty.
This benefit only occurs the first time they switch cultivations, after which any subsequent switches in the
same scene will incur the penalty as normal.
resist): Talisman.
• Having your authority challenged by an immoral If they have trained under the Way of the Scorpion
or unworthy person. Eater and intend to stay there, then the first level
of their Dharma is the last such purchase they will
• Looking upon a singular work of beauty that make– Otherwise, follow the rules for increasing
the Hungry One has worked hard to make real. and decreasing Dharma through dharmic experience,
(+1 Difficulty) below.
• Successfully bringing down a perceived evildoer, Gaining Dharma
only to find that you were wrong or that things
have become worse. (+2 Difficulty) To represent moments of enlightenment, profundity,
and insight, Hungry Dead characters have a second,
DHARMA separate track of experience points, called “dharmic
experience.” These points eventually build up to
dots of Dharma.
Dharma the enlightenment of the Hungry Dead,
the means by which they grow in power and Note that “enlightenment” does not mean such
potentially transcend their curse. On the character moments must be exceptionally mystic or inscrutable
sheet, Dharma is a dot rating from from zero to ten, to gain dharmic experience. A character botching a
which represents the character’s enlightenment. roll at a critical moment (or succeeding beyond their
This rating will rise and fall during the course of wildest dreams), or learning something that profoundly
long-term play. changes what they thought they knew about a
Freshly Risen: situation, is an example of the kind of granular
insight that grows Dharma.
New Hungry Dead
System: A completely new Hungry Dead character System: Dharma cannot be purchased through
(right from the moment of their Second Breath) regular experience, only dharmic experience.
suffers from the following drawbacks until they have Dharmic experience can used to raise Dharma,
obtained sufficient experience points to buy the first Virtues, or Willpower, and these points are obtained
level of a Dharma: each time that a character experiences something
unique or dramatic that could be considered
• +1 Difficulty to resist Soul Imbalance, which enlightening. For starting-level characters, awarding
they must check for at the beginning of every one point every other session or so is not unlikely,
new scene as their Virtues jostle for dominance though characters should be actively searching for
(select any Virtue at random). new insights in order to earn their dharmic experience.
• No ability to drink blood, unless it is from a Losing Dharma

Hungry Dead teacher. Moments of spiritual blindness, when a character
acts contrary to their Dharma, can easily result in
• A check for Beast Imbalance every time they a point of Suffering each time they occur. When
feed, unless it comes from resting at a Dragon’s enough Suffering accumulates, a character may need
Nest or absorbing Chi from an appropriate to harm their own enlightenment simply to survive.
System: When the Storyteller believes the character Cainite Paths

has encountered a Suffering Trigger (see Chapter 2
for a detailed description of the Dharmas and their The Hungry Dead are a worldwide phenomenon,
triggers), the player rolls a dice pool equal to 10 with an unlucky few rising far from the night world
minus the character’s Dharma rating, at Difficulty of Asia or its outposts. These Hungry Dead– if they
8. A success means nothing happens, failure means are not immediately killed by happenstance– most
gaining a point of Suffering, while a botch means often get picked up by the Children of Caine, who
gaining two. Suffering may also be automatically believe they have found one of their own kind. Given
accrued, when there is a particularly severe and the violent first feedings of so many neonates, the
blatant transgression against Dharma. fleshy appetites of the Hungry Dead are often
overlooked by Sabbat packs. Their wild, inhuman
At any time, a player may opt to wipe away all of the natures even appear to make them excellent candidates
character's Suffering, or stop it from erupting, in to learn the Paths of Enlightenment.
exchange for losing one level of Dharma. Whether
or not the character consciously makes the choice, System: A Hungry Dead character who has been
their enlightened nature reaches out and contains tamed and taught a Cainite Path of Enlightenment
the backlash of hell within the Hungry Dead, obtains the ability to drink blood and does not
becoming diminished and damaged as it averts progress above a Path rating of 1, much like a Scorpion
disaster. As part of that loss, the player receives back Eater.
the experience point value of the lost level of Dharma
(for example, moving from Dharma 3 to 2 will earn But unlike a Scorpion Eater, followers of Paths do
6 experience points), half of which is dharmic not lose the +1 Difficulty to resist Soul Imbalance,
experience while the other half becomes regular. as they lack the necessary self-knowledge to truly
control themselves. If there is one benefit to this
If a character is unwise or unlucky enough to reach difficult unlife, it’s that the would-be Cainite’s Path
10 Suffering, their next point of Suffering is either rating is very difficult to get to zero, as only the most
a karmic explosion of hell-energy, or they heinous and antithetical acts will force a roll against
automatically lose one point of Dharma to wipe the Path loss at level 1. However, if it ever occurs, the
slate clean, following the rules as outlined above– character rolls their lowest Virtue.
This choice ultimately belongs to the player.
Humanity
Woe betide a Hungry One found by the Camarilla.
Hungry Dead who have survived after some time
on Humanity describe it as walking on a world of
eggshells, in which the slightest wrong move makes
the floor fall out from under them. For this reason,
new Hungry Dead who are taken in by the Camarilla
or Anarchs don’t last very long.
System: A Hungry Dead character on Humanity

gains no benefit whatsoever unless they are lucky
enough to start at Humanity 8 or higher, in which
case they are treated the same as the follower of a
Path of Enlightenment for however long they can
make it last. The character rolls their lowest Virtue
rating to make any Humanity checks, and the
moment they fall to Humanity 7, they lose the ability
to drink blood entirely– which usually leads to a
breathtaking race to the bottom.
As an optional rule, Hungry Dead who come to

understand what they really are and the nature of
their curse can use dharmic experience to synthesize
their Humanity rating into the Dharma of the
Diamond Serpent at level one. However, trying to
reach the status of Dedicant will require a Master
to teach them the deeper truths.
SCECTION
AME 75
ACHIEVING ENLIGHTENMENT
The possibility truly begins to whisper to the Hungry
Dead, once they have made the first breakthrough
into drinking living breath:
Enlightenment is possible.
WHAT ABOUT
The Rite of the Hundred Clouds:
Systems for Ascension
COMBAT? OR WHAT
Starting at Dharma 4, a Hungry One can start to ABOUT. . .?
see the contours of the final ritual they will need to
perform in order to reach the Hundred Clouds,
though they cannot yet attempt it. Like the story of Every effort has been taken to address concerns
the Buddha resting in the shade of the bodhi tree, unique to the Hungry Dead, but general rules for
they come to understand that some kind of action combat, environmental situations like electrocution
will be necessary, though exactly what the Hungry or falling, and other such scenarios are left for those
One will have to do is still hazy and mysterious. interested to reference in Vampire: the Masquerade
20th Anniversary Edition.
Once per story from Dharma 4 onwards, the Hungry
One rolls Dharma at Difficulty 7– If they have Some things to keep in mind:
mastered a Godbody Art, then they roll Dharma
each time they activate the master-level power. A • Hungry Dead are vulnerable to sunlight and fire
botch means accumulating a point of Suffering, in exactly the same way as Cainites, including
while a failure or simple success means they get daytime penalties.
nothing particularly special. Only obtaining a number
of successes equal to 10 minus the character’s Dharma • Also like Cainites, Hungry Dead halve all bashing
rating will grant them insight into a component of damage before it is applied on their health track.
their final ritual.
• Hungry Dead do not experience vitae addiction
The ritual components will differ from person to or the Blood Bond, though their children and
person-- a specific person, a specific object or location, retainers still can.
a time or day, and so on. Eventually, with enough
insight, the Hungry One can intuit a general picture • Hungry Dead also do not have the raw ability
of what they must do, though the total picture can to increase Physical Attributes by pumping blood
sometimes be disturbing (such as knowing that one points, relying instead on their Demon Arts,
needs a ritual with an explosion, hundreds of mortal Regalia, and the more oblique powers of
deaths, and an hour to meditate in a circle made of cultivation.
human ash).
• Stakes to the heart don’t work on Hungry Dead,
From Dharma 6 onwards, the Hungry One can unless those stakes have been blessed with the
actually attempt the rite with what they know. At Punishment of Heaven’s Eye Ritual. Per the
the conclusion of the rite, the player rolls the ritual, the Hungry Dead are also vulnerable to
character's Dharma rating, with the following prayer strips in a way that Cainites are not.
stipulations:
• Lastly, decapitation still does exactly what you’d
• Dharma 6: Difficulty 10, 9 successes needed (1 expect, regardless of who it is (unless one has
success removed per ritual component used– the Godbody of Flesh active– see next chapter).
minimum number of successes needed is 1)
Otherwise, when a situation is in doubt, please use
• Dharma 7: Difficulty 9, 8 successes needed the guidelines established in V20.
• Dharma 8: Difficulty 8, 7 successes needed

A botch means disaster: a return to zero Dharma, pure immortals, and her last bloody footprints on earth
from which the character is unlikely to recover unless crystallize into a Talisman in the form of a garnet, shaped
a new road is taken. Failure is a moment of blindness, like a singing sparrow.
inflicting four points of Suffering from the pain of
having enlightenment so near, only to be taken
away– after which the rite cannot be attempted again
for at least another year.
Success, however, completes the journey of the

Hungry Dead. They reenter the Great Wheel to
re-entwine themselves or to rise beyond it, rewriting
time and space in a fashion of their choosing: a
living immortal who smiles in the daylight; a new
Yama King presiding over a better, purer Hell; a true
god at last, ready to make war with heaven... or
simply gone, ascended to fates unknown.
Meeting the required number of successes means

the Hungry One leaves nothing behind in the mortal
world. Each additional success beyond the minimum
means that she will leave behind a sarira, an artifact
of enlightenment: Create a Talisman or multiple
Talismans, with a total dot level equal to the number
of successes obtained. More than five additional
successes is in the realm of the truly miraculous,
such as the Marks of Excellence left behind by Jiejie
Li (see California in Chapter 6).
Otherwise, note that this ends the game, as the tale

of at least one of the Hungry Dead has concluded
on a note of eternal hope. If you reach this point
over the course of much roleplaying, then
congratulations on a job well done.
Example Rite of the Hundred Clouds

Mari of the Blue Dawn, a Great Sage of the Resplendent
Cranes (Dharma 8), is prepared to pursue the final mysteries
of internal alchemy. She has received several visions: once
when she was a Master forced to wander China as a
penitent (Dharma 5), again when she activated the full
Godbody of Storms to defeat a powerful demon (Dharma
6), and yet again as a Grandmaster aiding one of her
student’s students (Dharma 7). Her latest, fourth vision,
obtained at the foothills of Mount Kailash, has convinced
her that she can now make the final leap.
The ritual implements are: A sword forged by hand and

hammer, quenched in the blood of a holy man; a great
storm that wipes a village and its inhabitants from the
earth; a battle with a tiger-striped opponent worthy of
Mari’s strength; and a thunderbolt, received through the
head, at the moment the battle is won.
At the climax of the ritual, the player rolls a dice pool

equal to Dharma (8) at Difficulty 8. Because Mari has
implemented an ascension ritual with the four pieces she
has obtained over her long journey as Hungry Dead, she
needs 3 successes to attain enlightenment. The player rolls
and gets: 9, 10, 7, 5, 3, 2… 8, and 8 again. A cloud
descends from Heaven to take Mari to the abode of the
SECTION
CHAPTERN4:
AME
ARTS 77
The Hungry Dead have existed for thousands of

years, and in that time they have accrued libraries DEMON ARTS:
of strange and awe-inspiring abilities, which are
collectively called the Arts. While many young
THE INFERNAL PANOPLY
Celebrants enjoy having supernatural powers to lord Every Hungry Dead character begins with at least
over the human herd, older Hungry Dead come to one dot in a Demon Art, and it’s almost guaranteed
understand that the Arts are not auxiliary to the that they will learn more before their story ends with
journey of enlightenment– They are, in fact, essential enlightenment or the Final Void. This is because
to it. the Demon Arts are:
Overview Easy to Learn and Use - For the Hungry Dead, these
The Arts of the Hungry Dead fall into one of three are by far the easiest powers to obtain, making them
categories: a favorite of Scorpion Eaters and others low on the
Dharmic ladder. They require no mentor or special
The Demon Arts are innate, almost instinctual text; simply meditate on the hell within to find
expressions of Suffering. They are easy to learn, cost everything you need. Furthermore, using Demon
no effort or Chi, and they are limitless in terms of Arts is reflexive, and the Demon Arts are also the
potential mastery– though their power is not without one exception to trait limits; if you can buy them,
consequence. they can go up to 10 dots if you wish.
The Soul Arts are extended cultivations of the four Destructive - These are not powers for the subtle or
Virtues and the channeling of Chi. Their potential meek. When using a Demon Art, the intent is
is limited by one’s Virtue ratings– i.e. you need unmistakably one of inf licting harm, often
Wickedness of at least 2 before you can learn a level-2 spectacularly and with much violence. Letting the
technique connected to the Devil Soul, and so on energies of hell bloom in this way is a one-way track
for other techniques. to accumulating Suffering, but for many it's a worthy
trade.
The Godbodies or Godbody Arts are iconic symbols
of enlightenment, which can only be developed by Powerful, For a Price - Similar to the Godbodies,
growing in Dharma. A Hungry Dead character’s the Demon Arts have a basic application and a more
maximum rating in any Godbody is limited by their potent version of the power, which has a greater cost
Dharma rating; in addition, they can only master in accumulated Suffering. Using the advanced
one Godbody at Dharma 5, two at Dharma 6, and powers more than once in a scene is an invitation
so on. to disaster– but under the right circumstances, it’s
also tempting.
All of the Hungry Dead possess at least one dot of

the following Demon Arts, plus Demon Regalia.
Devil Fist
Your muscles bulge; your knuckles become like stones. You
will beat your enemies into red mist, breaking the weak
against your knee like a dry branch.
Accumulate 1 Suffering to reflexively add your Devil

Fist dot rating to Strength for the night. This includes
rolls to determine damage in hand-to-hand combat.
When Devil Fist is first activated, the character may
use the advanced power once in the same turn for
free.
Advanced: Infernal Might

(limit per scene equal to dots in Devil Fist)
While Devil Fist is active, add 1 Suffering after a
successful hand-to-hand attack– The damage on that
roll is now perfect, meaning every die is one success.
Note that the one must wield an appropriate weapon
in order to inflict lethal or aggravated damage.
SECTION
CHAPTERN4: ARTS
AME 79
Black Wind be waived one time if the character already has Black
Wind, Devil Fist, or Iron Mountain active for the
A blur, then a geyser of blood– You move like a snapped night, but activating multiple Demon Arts at the
wire, a killing viper. In your dance of violence, not a single same time bestows no additional discount.
movement is wasted.
Advanced: Infernal Glory
Accumulate 1 Suffering to reflexively add your Black (no limit)
Wind rating to Dexterity for the night. This includes Add 1 Suffering to activate the full Demon Regalia,
considerations like initiative and movement speed, or multiple pieces of it, for the scene.
as well as rolls to attack in all forms of combat. When Add 2 Suffering to turn one attack using Demon
Black Wind is first activated, the character may use Regalia into aggravated damage. This can be decided
the advanced power once in the same turn for free. after the damage roll is complete.
Advanced: Infernal Speed Example Demon Regalia
(limit per scene equal to dots in Black Wind)
While Black Wind is active, add 1 Suffering when Demon Regalia takes the form of either monstrous
attempting a hand-to-hand attack. That roll is now mutations or supernatural weaponry, reflecting the
perfect, meaning every die equals one success. This Thousand Hells from which the power springs. Take
success pool can be split into two or more attacks note that while the following features are grouped
on separate targets (disregarding the normal rules thematically by Hell, Hungry Dead are not barred
for multiple actions), provided all of them are within from specific features based on where they escaped
close enough range. from. Indeed, as they grow in power, and their karmic
debt becomes simultaneously clearer to them and
Iron Mountain more complex, the Hungry Dead take on features
that far surpass the tortures they once experienced.
You endure the flame, the fist, the sword, with skin as
unyielding as steel. When the rain of attacks finally sputters (There is even an argument to be made that the
and ends, you smile; now it’s your turn. Hungry Dead are each a new seed of their very own
hell, a line of reasoning that pleases Devil-Tigers
Accumulate 1 Suffering to reflexively add your Iron and certain Godlings– But for the purposes of
Mountain dot rating to Stamina for the scene. This violence, that’s neither here nor there.)
includes rolls to soak bashing and lethal damage.
Iron Mountain can also be rolled by itself, when Half-Devils, due to their nature as a fusion of human
active, to soak aggravated damage. When Iron and hell-spirit, are naturally more circumscribed in
Mountain is first activated, the character may use how their Demon Regalia manifests, obviously
the advanced power once in the same turn for free. reflecting their realm of origin. Even so, players
should be encouraged to cosmetically adapt any
Advanced: Infernal Fortitude demonic features to suit what they want in play.
(limit per scene equal to dots in Iron Mountain):
While Iron Mountain is active, add 1 Suffering The Hell of Being Skinned Alive
when attempting to soak a single attack– The soak
roll is now perfect, meaning every die is a success. Barbed Hide - Your skin is visibly covered in hooks,
This upgrade also allows the character to automatically thorns and harsh textures. Inflict lethal damage by
soak levels of aggravated damage equal to Iron tackling or grappling opponents, and anyone who
Mountain against one attack. touches you suffers -2 dice to their next move as they
get caught on your skin.
Demon Regalia
Hideous yet beautiful; deadly yet glorious. Wicked one, Razor Claws or Horns - Your nails harden and
wear your crown and sword with pride. extend to deadly points, or the entire hand becomes
an elongated reptilian gauntlet– alternatively,
The Demon Regalia is not a true Demon Art on its war-worthy spikes sprout from your forehead. +2
own, but is universally tied to them: Hungry Dead lethal damage dice when attacking in hand-to-hand
characters automatically obtain a new demonic combat.
feature or demon weapon upon learning Levels 1,
3, 5, 7, and 9 of any Demon Art, which represents Demon Weapon: Skinner - A heavy club (+2 lethal
a deepening of their hellish nature. Demon Regalia damage dice), either made of broken obsidian or
stays latent until activated. gray stone, covered in shards of razor metal and
glass. If attacking unprotected skin, damage becomes
Accumulate 1 Suffering to summon one piece of +3 dice instead.
Demon Regalia for the scene. This basic cost may
The Hell of Boiling Oil

Burning Secretions - Your blood and spit take on
the texture and heat of pressurized tar. Anyone who
inflicts close-range damage upon you risks taking
damage as if shot (4 lethal dice), as sizzling droplets
fly everywhere.
PLAYING A Caustic Stench - You reek of humans in the fryer,

of burning flesh and hair and worse. Those within
HALF-DEVIL arm’s reach of you suffer -2 dice to their actions,
and those with a gag reflex must roll Stamina once
at Difficulty 7 to avoid losing a turn to retching
(lower difficulty if they came from the Hell of Boiling
As mentioned in Chapter 3, Half-Devils have access Oil).
to a special form of Demon Regalia. Unlike Hungry
Dead, it represents the total sum of their power, Demon Weapon: Oil Bomb - A sticky, pulsating
aside from those demon-blooded who take the dip bundle of indeterminate flesh, roughly the size of
into selling what’s left of their souls. Most new a hand grenade. Can detonate remotely (distance
Half-Devils begin their strange lives possessing one of a large courtyard) with just a thought, causing 3
demonic feature, with additional features levels of lethal damage to anyone standing nearby
accumulating over time (10 experience points each, from the scalding fat and flames. Only one oil bomb
or 5 freebie points to start play as a more seasoned can be active at a time.
Half-Devil).
The Hell of the Burning Seas
The inhuman features of Half-Devils are always
active and visible, unless the character either rolls Giant Form - Pressure and the smell of the open
Stamina (Difficulty 7) to hide them for a scene, or ocean fills the air, as you grow twice your size. Gain
a Willpower point for a full day and night. A lucky +1 Strength and two -0 health levels, which disappear
few can obscure their true nature with clothing or at the end of the scene along with any damage in
clever use of cosmetics, but as the Half-Devil rises those levels (except for aggravated damage, which
in power and develops a larger set of hellish features, stays and moves downward).
this quickly becomes futile. Also, while Half-Devils
don’t deal with Suffering like the Hungry Dead, Toughened Hide - A rough, hard layer of calluses
their power has a longer and subtler price: Every and barnacles covers your body, equivalent to Class
feature they possess limits their maximum Humanity 2 Armor (see V20, page 280), but without the
rating by 1. associated movement penalties.
Finally, whenever a Half-Devil actively uses her Demon Weapon: Leech Garrote - A slimy, eel-like
features (i.e. as part of a rolled action), the player or worm, with no eyes but many razor-filled suckers
Storyteller should keep a tally. If Demon Regalia is along its length. It will wrap around targets on its
used more times per night than 10 minus the own and try to strangle them (6 dice to act and
character’s Humanity, he will be overcome with inflict bashing damage), and any direct contact leaves
terrible urges from his darker half. One whose demon 1 lethal damage per scene as the mouths suckle for
hails from the Hell of Boiling Oil might only be blood.
satisfied with a belly full of meat and grease, while
one with ties to the Demon City of Lanka will The Hell of Upside-Down Sinners
demand dancing, intoxicants and eager lovers all at
hand. The Half-Devil will not be able to benefit Inhuman Movement - Your ligaments, fine
from its Demon Regalia again until such urges are musculature and inner sense of balance allow you
fully satisfied, which will trigger a Humanity check. to leap and skitter like an insect, along ledges and
even up walls. The difficulty for all Dexterity-based
rolls (such as combat moves) lowers to 5, and you
may attack from any position with no penalties.
Glider Wings - You sprout leathery flaps from your
arms, or extensions from your back, which allow
you to jump three times your normal distance and
to glide from high positions– indefinitely, if the air
is good.
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HAPTERN4: ARTS
AME 81
Demon Weapon: Whip of Many Paths - A large, Attributes +1 for lethal damage.
punishing whip (+2 lethal damage), whose end-barb
exists everywhere and nowhere. Treat all attacks with Demon Weapon: Razor-Salt Knuckles - Heavy
this weapon as surprise attacks unless the opponent knuckle guards made of crystalline white and gray
has some form of supernatural perception active. salt, full of jagged edges. Inflicts +2 lethal damage
dice, and any successful hand-to-hand attack is
Lanka, the Demon City extremely painful, giving the target -1 die to all
actions until the damage is healed or the scene ends.
Extra Arms - You have fully functional limbs coming
from either your back or sides. Gain +2 dice to all The Wicked City
physical actions, representing the ease afforded by
literally having an extra pair of hands available. EMP Aura - You emit a constant pulse that breaks
electronics and scrambles signals within your sight
Monstrous Maw - Your mouth distends, jaw widening range. For those within arm’s reach, the pulse is so
to fill with razor teeth. +2 lethal damage dice to bite, strong that they suffer -2 dice to their actions, as
and you gain the ability to eat anything that can fit their bones and guts twist to the vibrations.
inside your mouth.
Chameleon Skin - Your body is covered in metallic
Demon Weapon: Loyal Chakram - A fine circular diodes that emit subtle light patterns, allowing you
blade, which is always stained with fresh blood. Treat to blend into your surroundings. Others suffer -2
as a short sword (Strength+2) in hand-to-hand dice to aim or otherwise locate you– In a dense
combat, and like a crossbow (5 damage dice) when urban environment, this becomes -3 dice.
thrown with a Dex+Athletics roll, after which it
automatically returns to the hand. Demon Weapon: Embedded Chainsaw - Exactly
what it sounds like. Your replaced arm– or leg, or
The Night Kingdom chainsaw sprouting from your forehead– is equivalent
to an ax (+3 lethal damage dice, unconcealable) and
Chilling Touch - Your body blisters with frost-flowers, suffers no penalties to attempt dismemberment or
and a freezing pain accompanies your every blow. decapitation.
You benefit from +2 dice to all actions against a
particular target when standing near them, unless Building Your Own Regalia
they have a means to resist the cold.
You may have noticed that most demonic mutations
Eyes of Darkness - Your eyes, both the whites and deal in straightforward +/-2 dice effects or two related
pupils, turn midnight black– So black, in fact, that benefits, and that demon weaponry, whenever
in the next turn they suck all the light from the possible, defaults to existing weapons rules. If you
room. Only you and others who are able to see in wish to try building your own Demon Regalia (and
the dark can move effectively while your eyes are not simply reskinning the aesthetics of an existing
open, with all others suffering -2 dice to their actions. feature), use those elements as a general guideline.
Demon Weapon: Weighted Shackles - A thick chain Bear in mind that mutations are built into the body,
which, when thrown, wraps around a target and while demon weapons are potentially powerful but
weighs them down as if they are carrying hundreds can be disarmed, making them useless until the
of pounds. Reduce a target’s Strength and Dexterity character gets them back or the scene ends. All
by 2 when the chain successfully hits a target. effects do bashing or lethal damage– As noted above,
aggravated damage is an upgrade that requires the
The Pit of Salt and Iron accumulation of another point of Suffering.
Parched Embrace - Your bare skin becomes dry and
hideously cracked. Any mortal grabbed while this
feature is active suffers -2 dice to their actions, as
SOUL ARTS:
they lose moisture and become overwhelmed by ADVANCED CULTIVATION
thirst.
Four Virtues blaze inside the Hungry Dead: four
Long Tongue or Tail - A prehensile and exceptionally sacred states of immortality, four separate souls, or
long tongue extends from your mouth like a four realms of the Vedic cosmos ever-blooming
rope-dart, or a tail formed from dried and salted within the corpse-body, depending on who you ask.
body parts. Gain the ability to grab anything within When triggered by violence and hatred, the Virtues
the length of a large auditorium, with the ability to can become imbalanced and painful– but when they
attack or lift equivalent to your own Physical
are properly cultivated, the Soul Arts lead the Hungry Renunciation: The Ghost Arts
Dead to the very heights of freedom and mystic
insight. The Hungry Dead cultivator can choose to charge
her Ghost Soul for the scene, bringing herself closer
Unique compared to the sequential Demon Arts to the nature of honored ancestors and the dearly
and Godbodies, the Soul Arts are: departed in the Underworld. Once this state has
been achieved, she may also have the following
Individual - The techniques of the Soul Arts are techniques at her disposal.
purchased individually, with the only limit being a
Hungry One’s Virtue rating. A cultivator with Vitality Ghost Mask (•)
3, for example, might have just a single level-3 The Hungry One moves spectral Chi over her face and
technique to his name, or several level-2 techniques, body, giving her the ability to look deeper into the Underworld
or he can purchase a level-1 technique after a level-4. and speak to its residents as if she is there with them.
Refined - These powers represent extensions of soul System: The cultivator can already look into the
cultivation, which is an ability innate to all Hungry Shadowlands, but this power allows her to look
Dead. Aside from the most advanced techniques, deeper, such as into the Tempest or the darkness of
which feature a surcharge to use, all Soul Art the Labyrinth. To do so, roll Perception+Renuncia-
techniques can be used with no additional cost for tion (also adding Occult, if the character has it) at
the scene once the proper soul state has been the difficulty of the local Shroud, adding +1
activated (either by spending 1 Chi or rolling the Difficulty when attempting to look into the Labyrinth.
Virtue at Difficulty 7). The Hungry One can also create an illusory body
in the underworld, which allows her to speak with
Adventurous - Besides Dragon’s Nests and other the dead– though they will immediately recognize
places of spiritual power, the Soul Arts are the that she is not one of them, and this body
primary means by which the Hungry Dead maintain has no actual presence– ironically, it is ghost-like
relations with spirit beings and the invisible realms. to them.
For those interested in pursuing enlightenment,
deep journeys into the world of the gods is to be (Notes: Virtue Variation– see “At the Gates
expected. of Wind and Water” for an equivalent using
Vitality)
How to Read These Powers
Crippling Sorrows (•)
Every technique has a name, a dot level (i.e. cost to One who looks upon the cultivator is reminded,
buy), a brief description, and the systems for effects. all at once, of everything they’ve lost.
In addition, most techniques have notes under them
in parentheses, which indicate the following: System: Once per scene, the Hungry One
chooses one target, who must be able to see
• Techniques noted with “Special Resistance” can him for this technique to work. The player
be either resisted or broken by special individuals, then rolls Charisma+Renunciation (also
such as supernaturals or trained Demon Hunters. adding Empathy, if the character has it) at a
This is done through a contested Willpower roll difficulty of the target’s Willpower. Success
at difficulty 7, which replaces any roll described means that the target’s next action is hobbled
for the technique. If either party also possesses by an immediate dice penalty equal to the number
the relevant Virtue or Aspect for the Soul Art of successes that the Hungry One achieved on his
(see spirit rules, Appendix I), they can add this roll.
trait to the contested roll as well. Lastly, if a
character has a Dharma rating higher than their (Notes: Special Resistance)
Willpower rating, they can roll Dharma+Virtue
instead. Death Lines (•)
The cultivator can unveil the fragility of existence, how
• Techniques noted with “Virtue Variation” means easily things can break and die.
that it is possible to obtain or develop an
equivalent technique, with a similar core effect, System: The player may roll Perception+Renunciation
across one or more other Virtues. Bear in mind at the Difficulty of the local Shroud (also adding
that the thematic strengths and limitations of Awareness, if the character has it) when looking
each Virtue (e.g. silence for Renunciation, beauty upon a target, and the cultivator will spot a single
for Righteousness, health for Vitality, freedom one of the target’s immediate weaknesses that could,
for Wickedness) will often add secondary effects with the right leverage and props, end their life that
to these techniques as well. scene–an arthritic knee, a mind made unstable from
SCECTION
HAPTERN4: ARTS
AME 83
the Cainite Beast, a door that can be broken by

striking its hinges, or any variety of other frailties.
The cultivator will not always be able to act immediately
on what she finds, but this knowledge can be tucked
away for the future.
Like a Wisp (••)

The cultivator spreads an inklike layer of Chi over
her entire body, becoming truly invisible to mortal
CULTIVATION FOR
eyes. MORTALS
System: The player must declare the use of
this power and spend one turn activating it.
Only those with special senses (such as when The Soul Arts of the Hungry Dead bear some
cultivating or using the Auspex Discipline), or similarities to real-world practices that fall under
who directly shine a bright light upon her to the broad term “cultivation”: martial arts, qigong
make a shadow, can potentially look for the and yoga, techniques of mystical and psychological
Hungry One using their standard perception discipline, even some areas traditionally associated
dice pools. In addition, while the power is ac- with geomancy and fortune-reading. This is deliberate,
tive, she may add Renunciation as dice to any as the four Virtues and Chi are the primary means
Stealth rolls to stay hidden from detection, (outside of Dharma) by which the Hungry Dead
which includes dampening other cues such as may achieve a form of spiritual excellence akin to
footprints or loud noises. Chinese internal alchemy.
Beacon of Longing (••) Of course, at the mid- to upper levels of the Soul
The Hungry One’s Chi lights her up like a white Arts, things start going into a realm of fantasy that
bonfire– invisible to the living, but alluring to the no mortal, besides a fictional kung-fu master, is
dead. capable of. For the purposes of playing in The Relentless
Age, mortal practitioners of cultivation-type
System: Roll Charisma+Renunciation, as well as traditions fall under the quick rules for building
Expression if the character has it, at a base difficulty other supernaturals, generally at Rank 0 or 1
of the local Shroud. The character may use this light (see Appendix I). The Hungry Dead, as well
to attract every ghost in the vicinity, or all of a as their Dhampyr children, should use the
particular type of ghost (such as spectres, or the systems for Soul Arts to represent what they
royal guard of the ghost-emperor Yu Huang– know in this field.
Add +1 to Difficulty in those cases).
The beacon is visible and a tempting
VISUAL EFFECTS
Many Soul Art techniques contain descriptions of
glowing light, dripping blood, golden fire, and
other flashy effects. It should be assumed that only
denizens of the night world with a connection to
the various spirit realms can see these effects in their
full glory. Aside from exceptionally sensitive mortals,
most mundane people might think they see something
for a split second– but then it’s gone, like a dream.
lure to ghosts in the vicinity of a large town, though Wolves” and “Mantle of Living Prayers” for unique
ghosts who don’t wish to be called may resist. equivalents in Vitality and Righteousness)
(Notes: Virtue Variation, Special Resistance) Making Love to Ghosts (•••)

The folktales are true: To be intimate with the dead is to
The Touch of Ghost-Metal (••) eventually join them. The Hungry One releases a spectral
The metal of the underworld is cursed, causing grievous black venom, either directly sprayed from her mouth or as
injury to its native inhabitants. This technique turns any a mist from her pores.
earthly metal into the same substance.
System: This technique can be activated once per
System: By spending a turn to “charge” a handheld scene. Anyone who touches the poison or breathes
metal object (such as a crowbar or blade, but even
a spoon will do), a Hungry One can deal aggravated
damage to ghosts, as well as lethal damage in the
physical world, if the object doesn’t do so already.
If the ghost is possessing a human, then the object
can solely do aggravated damage to the ghost inside
the body– and bashing damage to the human host–
at the cultivator’s discretion. She may roll
Renunciation at Difficulty 8 to activate this effect
on other objects that are not made of metal, but
anything made of mundane, non-supernatural
materials will be destroyed at the end of the scene.
(Notes: Virtue Variation)
World of Quiet (•••)

When the cultivator needs to meet in privacy, this technique
drops a shroud over her and her comrades– or her unwitting
victims.
System: By spending a turn rearranging the spectral

energies of the immediate area– no larger than a
small house– the Hungry One dampens sound and
encourages anyone outside the area to overlook it
and walk away, no matter what may be occurring
inside. She may include a number of guests equal
to dots in Renunciation, and only supernaturals
actively searching for the cultivator or her guests
may attempt to resist the effect.
(Notes: Special Resistance)
Through the Spider-Lily Gate (•••)

With this technique, the whole of the underworld is open
to the cultivator, if one is willing to walk.
System: The cultivator transforms her flesh into

ghostly plasm and instantly crosses the Shroud,
which can take her into the Shadowlands, the
Tempest, the Dark Kingdoms and beyond. For the
first scene upon crossing into the underworld, the
cultivator’s dice pools never go lower than her
Renunciation score– From the next scene onwards,
the player rolls for actions as normal. To return to
the land of the living, the character must roll
Renunciation (Difficulty equal to Shroud rating) or
spend 1 Chi to activate this power in reverse.
(Notes: Virtue Variation - See “Running with the

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CHAPTERN4: ARTS
AME 85
it in will forget everything they experience for the in range, meaning that Renunciation 5 can merge
rest of the scene. In addition, the Hungry One the underworld and mortal world in a radius
inflicts a penalty for the scene: -1 die, plus any equivalent to a neighborhood, while elder-level traits
successes from a Renunciation roll at Difficulty 7. (6 dots+) can potentially engulf an entire town.
Only supernaturals or special mortals may attempt While this effect is active, ghosts and mortals are
to resist– They can roll only once, but one success equally present and physically real to each other.
removes the memory-altering effects, while each Electronics immediately fail, any mundane mortals
success after that removes the dice penalty present will forget once the Shroud reappears, and
one-for-one. even ghosts will suffer afterwards from a dreamy
fugue state (-2 to all rolls), which takes until the next
Finally, a warning: Mortals targeted more times in night to fully shake off.
a lunar month than their Stamina rating are fated
to wither away and die within the year. (Notes: Virtue Variation– see “Spirited Away” for a
unique equivalent using Vitality)
Death Punch (•••••)
Haunter’s Rage (••••) With a single blow, the cultivator separates flesh and
Ghosts are creatures of passionate extremes, which the spirit, potentially forever.
cultivator emulates by channeling spectral pandemonium.
System: Spend 1 additional Chi and 1 Willpower
System: The Hungry One spends 1 additional Chi point before the character inflicts a successful strike
while on the Underworld side of the Shroud, and upon a target. If the target is mortal (or if they are
for the rest of the scene she may behave as an angry supernatural and fail a resistance check), this instantly
poltergeist, grabbing objects in the mortal world pushes the soul out of the body, killing the target
and throwing or otherwise destroying them with and turning them into a ghost or Langsuir (see
her regular Attributes. She may also roll Renunciation Chapter 6) in the Shadowlands. They have until
(Difficulty of the local Shroud) to produce haunting sunrise to undo this effect, either by begging for
and phantasmagoric effects, such as walls dripping mercy from the cultivator (who can restore them
blood, threats spontaneously carved into mirrors, instantly), by sacrificing a Willpower dot to force
or swarms of phantom rats and insects. reconnection at the end of the scene, or by resolving
a major life regret using whatever ghost powers and
Curse of Ashes (••••) allies they can gather for the night– after which the
The Hungry One touches their target of choice, leaving character can attempt to reconnect to their body
them completely unable to satiate themselves. Hunger, with a successful Willpower roll at Difficulty 7.
thirst and lust all become unbearable, but no amount of
food or pleasure helps. (Notes: Special Resistance)
System: Spend 1 additional Chi and choose one Itaewon Necromancy
victim. A target touched this way is unable to use (Special, • to •••••)
or gain Willpower for the rest of the scene, and even The True Bones of Itaewon, Seoul, have learned an unusual
supernaturals find that they cannot reach within to set of techniques from their Nagaraja friends (see the
spend Blood Points, Rage Points, or the like. The section on South Korea in Chapter 6). The megacity of
hunger, thirst and general emptiness that victims Seoul and the southern provincial city of Jinhae offer a
feel will trigger a reaction such as Beast Imbalance wealth of necromantic rituals from the west– and more
or Frenzy, and mundane targets will gorge– sometimes still may be found in places such as Siem Reap in
to death, if they fail a Willpower check at Difficulty Cambodia, Nagasaki in Japan, and in the city of Hong
7. Only supernatural targets can attempt to resist. Kong.
(Notes: Special Resistance) System: Like a Ghost Art technique, Necromancy
is directly linked to a cultivator’s Renunciation, but
Graveyard Song (•••••) unlike other Soul Arts, Necromancy is purchased
The cultivator finds a quiet place resonant with the dead sequentially. Each level of Necromancy unlocks one
and sings a sweet, echoing tune– a dirge or a sad love free ritual at that level (see Necromancy rituals, V20),
song, it’s hard to tell. Old lovers reunite, dead family after which the Hungry One may purchase additional
members share their secrets, and for a fleeting moment, rituals at that level or lower, just like a Cainite
the living and the dead are like one. character.
System: Spend 1 additional Chi and 1 Willpower
point to negate the Shroud in the area– Each level
of Renunciation is equivalent to a small courtyard
Righteousness: System: Anyone marked in this fashion will suffer

a +2 Difficulty to all their Social rolls, which manifests
The Heavenly Arts as being ignored and mistreated by everyone around
A Hungry Dead cultivator can choose to use her them. Supernaturals can attempt to break the brand
Heavenly Soul for the scene, becoming more like once per scene, but it otherwise lasts for a number
the upright and glorious divinities who live in the of back-to-back scenes equal to the cultivator’s
highest realms of heaven– See the section on Righteousness rating. Only one person can be given
cultivation under Virtues, in Chapter 3. Once this a brand per scene.
state has been achieved, she may also have the
following techniques at her disposal: (Notes: Special Resistance)
Mortal Perfection (•) Read Destiny (••)

The Hungry One emits divine Chi, which appears to the The cultivator looks upon the flow of energy in the Lower
spiritually sensitive like wafts of glowing pollen from her Heavens, watching carefully where it whorls and pools.
skin. She is ever-prepared and ever-elegant.
System: The player rolls Righteousness, Difficulty
System: The player must first declare their use of 7, to obtain one sentence of direct guidance regarding
this technique for the scene– Then, so long as the a complicated or mysterious situation. The Storyteller
cultivator does not take any supernatural actions must describe this guidance in terms of a vision of
beyond cultivating her Heavenly Soul, she will not the near future, the interpretation of which will
botch any of her rolls, and a number of failed rolls require some logical leaps and guesses on the part
in the scene equal to her Righteousness can be of the character. For example, being told “You see
automatically rerolled one time. Using any other yourself facing a gate made of rusted metal and dried
supernatural abilities while this is active will human body parts, and on the other side lies the
deactivate this technique and bar her from using it Pit of Salt and Iron” does not immediately tell a
again until the next scene. character investigating a murder what really
happened– But they can glean from this vision that
The Scent of Heaven’s Favor (•) demons are involved.
The Hungry One takes a deep breath, sniffing out the
finer notes of creativity and destiny like a master perfumer. Each additional success beyond the first allows the
player to ask one question that clarifies the initial
System: Once per scene, when the character vision, e.g. “Did someone lead me to this gate? Is
encounters something that appears interesting to there anyone standing there with me? Am I
her Heavenly Soul senses, the player may ask the wounded?” But destiny, it should be noted, is never
Storyteller a number of questions equal to successes set in stone; the Storyteller draws out a vision of
on a Righteousness roll to get clarification. Example what may pass and what dangers lie ahead (ideally,
questions may be “Who is this person?” “Why is based on what they’ve already planned for the story),
this place covered in threads of destiny?” or “Is but events have already begun to shift through the
anyone here someone I should be afraid of?” simple fact of the character’s foreknowledge. Reading
destiny on a regular basis is a process of constant
Any answers the Storyteller gives will be limited by reinterpretation and course-correction, as the Hungry
the character’s breadth of knowledge and deductive One’s fate changes with each step forward.
abilities (e.g. “That man is prepared, right now, to
perform an act of great heroism and sacrifice” or Throat-Cage of Heaven (••)
“this hostess bar is full of magical protection, and The cultivator lets out a deep hum, or sings while
what feels like deliberately-nurtured creative spirit”). channeling her upper chakras. Those who hear the
Note that anything significantly weaker than the song will freeze in place, bound by spiritual golden
Hungry One herself, such as a mundane mortal or tethers.
a Ghoul, will generally go ignored– a series of
unworthy blips, little more. System: The Hungry One can tether a number of
targets equal to her Righteousness rating– This
(Notes: Virtue Variation– see “Tears of Hell” for a applies to anyone she chooses in earshot, regardless
unique equivalent using Wickedness and its thematic of whether they’re flesh or spirit, and she does not
associations) actually need to see them in order to ensnare them.
They are unable to move for as long as the sound
Wayward’s Brand (••) continues, though the Hungry One herself has a -2
The Hungry One touches someone, marking them as a dice penalty to do anything other than hum or sing
person despised by the gods. People instinctively recoil from for the scene. Those with the supernatural means
and shun them, leaving them confused and desperate. to do so may attempt to resist, but only after they’ve
lost one turn to being tethered.
SECTION
CHAPTERN4: ARTS
AME 87
(Notes: Special Resistance) (Notes: Virtue Variation– see “Through the

Spider-Lily Gate” and “Running with the Wolves”
Mantle of Living Prayer (•••) for unique equivalent techniques using
You can cross into the Lower Heavens, but the creatures Renunciation and Vitality)
there only trust their own– and with this technique, you
can fool them well enough. Beloved Champion (•••)
The cultivator designates someone as her personal champion,
System: The cultivator transforms her flesh into the touching their forehead with a bloody smear that glows a
golden material of gods and dreams, crossing the vivid, unmistakable gold in the spirit worlds.
Gauntlet into the Lower Heavens. For the remainder
of that scene, she also has the fantastical appearance System: This technique can be activated by the
of one of the native dream-beings, preventing any cultivator once per scene. The recipient must be a
alarm at the sudden arrival of the Hungry Dead– social subordinate to the Hungry One (such as a
add Righteousness to any dice pools for the scene bodyguard), and for the rest of the scene, the target
to charm and deceive Little Gods and living prayers. feels a powerful and obedient love for the cultivator
like a child toward their parents. As part of the deal,
the Hungry One bestows upon their champion a
pool of automatic successes equal to her Righteousness
dots. These automatic successes can be used one at
a time, or they can be combined for one major roll.
Fate of One (•••)
The cultivator creates a lucky sign, which blesses– or
curses– those in his presence.
System: The player rolls Righteousness at Difficulty

7, and the character decides on benediction or
malediction. If the roll is successful, the Hungry
One may name a single item, color, time of day, or
other portent, such as “fresh blood,” “the color
blue,” “Tadamasu’s face of drunken anger,” and so
on. For the rest of the scene, whoever uses this sign
as part of a dramatic roll either gains the cultivator’s
successes as a one-time bonus to their dice pool, or
they get the equivalent in dice taken away in the
case of a curse.
The Gods Are Correct (•••)

Wearing a golden halo that is visible to the spiritually
sensitive, the cultivator asserts her authority and declares
a truth that she herself believes– and the world follows.
System: The player rolls Righteousness and can make

a number of statements for the scene equal to
successes. These can be anything that the character
herself believes, from “human weaklings should shut
up and do what I say,” to “feeding on women and
children is shameful.” Everyone in the scene who
is unable to resist supernatural powers with a
Willpower check will agree and act accordingly:
Security keys will be happily handed over, vampires
doing routine feedings will suffer waves of guilt and
Humanity checks, and so on. Physically harmful
consequences, such as being ordered to step into
traffic for the greater good, can be resisted by anyone,
not just supernaturals.
(Notes: Special Resistance, Virtue Variation– See

“Jeweled Eyes” for a different take on this power
that uses Wickedness)
Dance of the Kinnara (••••) System: The cultivator spends 1 additional Chi and
A Hungry One transforms herself for the scene into a 1 Willpower, rolling Righteousness at Difficulty 7.
beautiful, golden-winged hybrid of a bird and human. This For each success, in an area equivalent to a city
form is spiritual, but brims with such glowing potency that block, the Hungry One may name a single item,
even mundane humans will catch momentary glimpses of color, time of day, or other portent– just like the
the truth. technique “Fate of One,” except that he may name
multiple signs at once, some as lucky and others
System: Spend 1 additional Chi. While in this form, unlucky. For the next scene, whenever any of these
the cultivator automatically succeeds on any signs is used as part of a dramatic dice roll, the dice
non-contested rolls for Alertness, Awareness, Athletics, pool immediately obtains the cultivator’s successes
Empathy, Expression, and Performance, and has as a dice bonus– Multiple portents can be stacked
automatic successes equal to Righteousness when (resulting in some truly impressive dice pools), and
these rolls are contested. In addition, those who the same portent may be used by multiple people
look upon or hear the cultivator suffer a dice penalty at once. Conversely, dice can be taken away if someone
equal to the cultivator’s Righteousness when stumbles onto an unlucky sign.
attempting to harm her in any way– Only those who
have sufficiently blinded and deafened themselves Each scene thereafter, one of the portents becomes
are immune. inert and no longer offers a bonus or penalty, unless
an additional Chi point is donated to maintain it.
I Am Your Doom (••••) And here, the cultivator has access to an additional
An enemy of the gods does not live long– They are named trick: He may designate a person, family, Talisman
by the cultivator, and fate moves accordingly. or Dragon’s Nest to donate the Chi for him, even
if the cultivator himself is gone. This can only be
System: The Hungry One spends 1 additional Chi done at time of activation, after the Hungry One
and names a target in their direct sight. For the rest has already paid the initial Chi and Willpower cost.
of the scene, the cultivator can convert a number
of the target’s rolls into botches– The limit per scene Mortal donors don’t need to be aware that they are
is equal to the cultivator’s Righteousness rating. A giving up their own lifeforce. In downtime situations,
supernatural target can attempt one contested it should be assumed that they are only giving up 3
Willpower roll to fight this effect, negating one botch Chi per day, which is taken at random if there are
for each success beyond a tie. Note that the Hungry multiple donors. The only requirement is that at
One’s player must declare before a roll is actually least one donor stays in the designated area, and
made that they want the roll to botch. Additionally, that no one else attempts to use or feed upon even
this does not work to force eruptions of Suffering. a single donor while they are in the area (which
triggers a contested roll, per Special Resistance);
(Notes: Special Resistance) otherwise, the effect will unravel as normal.
Divinity Key (•••••) Vitality: The Beast Arts

The realms of the Great Wheel open to the master. What
surprises most who achieve this technique is that it actually A Hungry One can choose to cultivate her Beast
manifests as a golden key, which shines with an internal Soul for the scene, bringing herself closer to the
light. nature of the wildling creatures who live in the Spirit
Wilds. Once this state has been achieved, she may
System: The Hungry One spends 1 additional Chi also have the following techniques at her disposal:
and 1 Willpower, and all existing gateways to the
spirit worlds– whether to the Spirit Wilds, the Tea with Beasts (•)
Underworld, or even the higher heavenly planes The speech of animals, from the lowest ant to the greatest
themselves– will open for her on command. Any whale, is nothing to the Hungry Dead.
required passwords, rituals, or offerings no longer
apply to cross these gates, and she may take a number System: There is no roll; the character can simply
of guests with her equal to her Righteousness. As talk to animals whenever his Beast Soul is active.
long as the cultivator continues to feed 1 Chi per The cultivator’s ability to glean information from a
scene into the golden key, she has the protection of creature is limited by its area of interest (generally
the gods, which has a deceptively simple stipulation: terrain, threats, or the presence of food), but animals
So long as she and her guests cause no physical harm will be well-inclined and willing to share what they
whatsoever, no harm will come to them. know. With a roll of Charisma+Vitality (plus Animal
Ken, if they have it), he may send out a call to draw
Fate of Houses (•••••) animals near for a chat.
The master of Righteousness pulls destiny in a particular
direction, shaping the future of a specific location.
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At the Gates of Wind and Water (•) emerges in the apparent form of a powerful wildling: a
The Hungry One’s eyes swirl pale blue as he resonates hulking road spirit, or a giant-winged vulture spirit, or
with the Realm of Beasts, with the smallest wildlings what-have-you.
drawing near to him like a cloud of fireflies.
System: The player must declare use of this power,
System: The cultivator can already look into the and the type of spirit-form that the character takes
Spirit Wilds, but this power allows him to take on on– The character will be able to see and speak to
an illusory spirit body, which can speak to and be spirits of that type for the scene, even if he does not
recognized by the natives. In addition, the lesser, possess the technique “At the Gates of Wind and
barely-sentient wildlings (Rank 0) come to him and Water.” The cultivator's Vitality rating functions as
move where he beckons, which grants a small boost his Status rating when dealing with said spirits.
of luck similar to feng shui: Roll Charisma+Vitality Attuning to a specific wildling type costs one turn,
to bestow a specific location with a floating pool of as does dropping an existing attunement.
bonus dice equal to successes, which add +1 die to
significant actions in the location until the pool is (Notes: Virtue Variation)
gone.
Summon Wildling Spirit (•••)
(Notes: Virtue Variation– see “Ghost Mask” for the The cultivator makes a call to a named spirit, which is
equivalent technique using Renunciation) irresistible to its ears.
Healing Sleep (••) System: The Hungry One must have the spirit’s
With a touch, the cultivator bestows the restful hibernation name and an object associated with its Domain (see
of winter turning to spring. systems for building spirits in Appendix I), such as
a wooden carving of the spirit or a representation
System: The Hungry One may touch a target and of its elemental body. Roll Vitality at a Difficulty of
put them instantly into a state of peaceful sleep for the local Gauntlet to summon the specific spirit,
the scene– Any supernatural and unwilling targets, which the spirit may attempt to resist.
or those who do not naturally sleep at night, may
attempt to resist, though this resistance only lasts This power theoretically works to call a spirit from
for a number of turns equal to the number of net anywhere in the world– distances are not quite the
successes if the cultivator is still touching them. same in the Spirit Wilds as they are in physical
Once the target has fallen asleep, they are unconscious reality– but in a dramatic scenario, the wildling spirit
unless attacked, and if left undisturbed will rise in must be able to come to the Hungry One within
the next scene as if having enjoyed a solid night of the length of the scene for this power to work.
rest.
(Notes: Special Resistance, Virtue Variation– Note
(Notes: Special Resistance) that this technique can be purchased as a Devil Art
to summon a demon of the Thousand Hells, but
Goblin Cat (••) that only the art of Hellweaving can enforce
The cultivator can turn any animal into his familiar for automatic obedience)
the night– or an army of them, if his Beast Soul is grand
enough. Junkyard Menagerie (•••)
The Hungry One takes a turn to blow a cloud of pale
System: A number of times per scene equal to blue chi from her palm, which settles like dust and awakens
Vitality, the player may roll Intelligence + Vitality the wildling spirits of inanimate objects.
(plus Animal Ken, if the character has it) to awaken
the wildling spirit of a small to medium-sized animal, System: The cultivator spends one turn on activation,
such as a street dog or a raven. This grants the then he may issue a number of simple commands
creature exceptional intelligence, toughness, and equal to Vitality, such as "grab that boy," "trip the
the ability to follow and convey complex information men following me,” or “tighten around the man’s
(+1 to all Attributes). The animal possesses the kind neck– but do it slowly.” Objects in the area will move
of loyalty that will put it in harm's way for its master, like animals and obey within their limitations– a
though this intensity only lasts for the first scene. person's clothes and shoes will tangle and catch,
The spirit gradually subsides afterwards, losing the power lines will unravel, cars will fail to start or will
bonus from one Attribute of the player's choice every veer while in motion.
hour, until it returns to normal at sunrise.
Running with the Wolves (•••)
Duke of the Wild (••) The beasts of the earth often ignore the Gauntlet in ways
To those with spiritual senses, the Beast Soul cultivator humans cannot, criss-crossing between trails both physical
appears to be consumed by blue-white fire, after which he and spiritual.
System: The Hungry One must be running to use number of features equal to his Vitality rating–
this technique, and preferably in the midst of a Features must be those found in the animal world,
chase-- whether he's the chaser or the chased doesn't but they can be mixed and matched, such as an
matter. Double the character's speed, and ignore all elephant’s massiveness combined with a tiger’s lethal
mundane barriers between him and his destination. claws. No single feature bestows more than a +2
He can stop his chase in either the physical world bonus to a particular type of action, such as +2 for
or Spirit Wilds, but crossing from one to the other stalking and attacking while tiger-like in form, but
while standing in the same location will cost either special benefits like flight or crawling through narrow
1 Chi or a Vitality roll (Difficulty equal to the local spaces may also be granted. Finally, players should
Gauntlet rating). consider a total shapeshift into an animal form (such
as turning into a falcon) to be equivalent to taking
(Notes: Virtue Variation– See “Through the on four features.
Spider-Lily Gate” and “Mantle of Living Prayers”
for equivalent techniques using Vitality and (Notes: Virtue Variation)
Righteousness)
One Night’s Revival (••••)
God of the Glen (••••) The irony of this technique isn’t lost on the horror-savvy.
Hungry Dead traveling the spirit worlds are typically For a small donation of life-energy, a Hungry One may
limited to an approximation of their physical forms, but vivify a recently dead human or animal corpse, knitting
not a Beast Soul cultivator. muscle and bone and skin and forcing the spark of life.
System: For additional 1 Chi per scene while in the System: Spend 1 additional Chi. The body brought
Spirit Wilds, the Hungry One can perform a one-time to life can either be soulless, capable of only
shape change that lasts until he returns to the mortal performing the most physical of labor and guard
world. This means that the cultivator can take on a duties, or the cultivator can force a wildling spirit
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into the body with a contested roll so that it can do work out perfectly. For the rest of the scene, the
more complex work. Keeping the body running target moves like a spirit that has crossed the Gauntlet
requires 1 Chi per additional scene, administered and taken physical form– Assign the cultivator’s
through touch. Note that this technique does not dots in Vitality between two Aspects, and give the
work on human ghosts unless they have changed object a Willpower and Chi rating equal to the
beyond recognition in the Spirit Wilds, but this cultivator’s Vitality rating. Keeping the awakened
technique may be used to initiate the Second Breath object running requires the cultivator to give 1 Chi
when dealing with a Langsuir (see the section on per scene, bestowed via touch.
Malaysia in Chapter 6).
(Notes: Special Resistance, Virtue Variation– an Wickedness: The Devil Arts

equivalent technique using Wickedness will force A Hungry Dead cultivator can choose to cultivate
life in a way similar to Vitality, but the spirit that her Devil Soul for the scene, becoming closer to a
uses the body will be… unpleasant) demon of hell: a creature of fury, terror and audacity,
erasing the line between torture and insight.
Spirited Away (•••••)
On festival nights and full moons, humans may stumble Cultivators of Wickedness are quick to distinguish
into the otherworld… and sometimes a cultivator will force their study of the Devil Soul from Suffering and the
the issue, bringing them together into a massive spirit current state of the Thousand Hells– Those things
storm. are interlinked, they say, but they are not one and
the same. To be an enlightened devil is not to revel
System: For the cost of 1 additional Chi and 1 in monstrosity, but to rule wisely over pain for a
Willpower point, there is no Gauntlet where the greater purpose.
Hungry One stands– Each level of the cultivator’s
Vitality translates to roughly half a city block. Once Once the cultivated state has been achieved, a Hungry
the scene is over, this will result in a one-dot Dragon’s One may have the following techniques at her
Nest attuned to the Spirit Wilds, which must be disposal:
actively maintained with nightly spirit offerings for
one year before it becomes permanent. But for the Ogre’s Bearing (•)
scene itself, this technique causes hurricane-like The cultivator releases an aura of burning Chi, appearing
destruction, triggering hysterical amnesia in any to the spiritually sensitive like a terrifying, fire-wreathed
mortals present. devil– but everyone, sensitive or not, feels the fear.
For the duration of the storm, bystanders are in System: This is a supercharged version of the basic
danger of being attacked by spirits, and they may be fear created through cultivation of Wickedness,
trapped in the Spirit Wilds when it ends. If they except now the character may use terror as a cudgel
are, and it comes to the point where they must take against anyone. Mechanics are similar to Presence
spirit food and water to survive, they will slowly ••, “Dread Gaze” (V20, Disciplines), except that
transform into spirits themselves. Note that humans the maximum dice penalty that can be inflicted per
who aren’t rescued after a full lunar month, or who target, per scene with this fear is equal to the
willingly give up their human form in exchange for cultivator’s Wickedness rating.
a spirit’s power– perhaps to save a family member
trapped with them, or to survive in a brutal mountain Read the Inner Darkness (•)
court– will become spirits permanently. The cultivator looks into someone’s eyes and sees something
they would rather keep hidden.
(Notes: Virtue Variation– see “Graveyard Song” for
an equivalent technique that uses Renunciation) System: Once per scene, by locking eyes with a single
target (or an equivalent, for those with no eyes), the
Stone Lion (•••••) Hungry One may roll Wickedness at a Difficulty
The guardian beasts of temples and shrines come alive at equal to the target’s Willpower. Success means that
the Hungry One’s will. the cultivator gains insight into one of the target’s
fears, or a clue regarding one of the worst harms
System: Spend 1 additional Chi and one Willpower they have inflicted upon another person in the past.
to both awaken and empower the spirit of an object, Alternatively, the cultivator may learn one fact or
to the point where it can move and think with true phrase that will cause the target great emotional
sapience. The object brought to life must be a statue, pain, such as “Your daughter still remembers what
figurine, or other target that could hypothetically you did.” When the Hungry One speaks aloud what
move on its own; a random misshapen boulder may they know, the target suffers a penalty to their next
be awakened, for example, but it couldn’t do very roll equal to the number of successes the Hungry
much, whereas a replica of the Statue of David would
One obtained on the original Wickedness roll. successes on a one-for-one basis.
(Notes: Special Resistance) Killing Shriek (•••)

The Hungry One’s voice howls with the torments of hell.
Tears of Hell (•)
The Hungry One fills her eyes and ears with blood-red System: The cultivator spends a turn and screams
chi, which overflows and drips. Anything marked by at a single target, and the player rolls Wickedness;
corruption or cruelty is now as clear to her as fireflies in each success converts into either a level of lethal
the night: tormented spirits, Hungry Dead with Suffering, damage or a single turn that the target spends
hidden gates to hell, and more. stunned, deafened and unable to move. The player
may choose to mix and match between levels of
System: Once per scene, when the character damage and turns spent paralyzed. This technique
encounters something that appears noteworthy to can be blocked by those who can see it coming (e.g.
her Devil Soul senses, the player may ask the Storyteller those with higher initiative) and know to cover their
a number of questions equal to successes on a ears, or if supernatural they may attempt to reflexively
Wickedness roll to get clarification. Example questions resist.
may be “Who is the pale man?” “Why is that person
drowning in curses?” or “Is anyone here someone I (Notes: Special Resistance)
should be afraid of?”
Jeweled Eyes (•••)
Any answers the Storyteller gives will be limited by The rakshasa can be as beautiful as they are brutal, if
the character’s breadth of knowledge and deductive they choose. The Hungry Dead cultivator exudes a spiritual
abilities (e.g. “It’s human, barely, but it’s hopelessly cloud of pink-and-crimson charm, to the point where anyone
addicted to the blood of its masters,” or “we are who looks into his eyes will believe his every word and do
standing at the gateway to a dark and hungry maze”). anything for him.
Note that this technique does not see goodness,
light, or the potential for redemption. System: Note that to use this power, the character
must lie, exaggerate, and otherwise violate the truth
(Notes: Virtue Variation– see “The Scent of Heaven’s every time they speak. After a turn to activate, the
Favor” for a unique equivalent technique using cultivator will be believed and obeyed by anyone
Righteousness) close by. For small things– e.g. being allowed into
a VIP club, being perceived as a victim of a violent
Wrathful Ajna (••) robbery– no roll is necessary. For stories that
With this technique, the Hungry One’s forehead cracks effectively rewrite a witness’s memory, or requests
open to reveal a smoldering vermillion eye, visible to the that are dangerous, humiliating, and/or
spiritually sensitive. The eye produces black smoke in the self-destructive, the Hungry One must win a
presence of lies– and burns the liars who look upon it. contested roll. Only those with the training or innate
capacity to resist supernatural illusions may
System: The player must declare their intent to open automatically do so against this technique.
the burning eye, which takes one turn. When it is
active, if the cultivator touches someone while that (Notes: Special Resistance, Virtue Variation– see
person is speaking lies, that person will experience “The Gods Are Correct” for a thematically flipped
extreme pain as if being burned, inflicting total technique using Righteousness)
immobility until the cultivator pulls away– Mortals
will pass out after a number of successive turns Shadow Self (•••)
beyond their Stamina, while supernaturals and The Hungry One gives life to her Devil Soul, using chi to
special mortals can choose to resist each turn so that animate her shadow into a servant.
they can break the hold.
System: The cultivator spends a turn to activate the
(Notes: Special Resistance) technique, turning her shadow into a shade-creature
for the rest of the scene. She may use the
Chainbreaker Meditation (••) shade-creature to take actions from a distance,
The cultivator crushes her own inner demons with pleasure. grabbing objects or attacking people from anywhere
within sight range as if directly present (notably, the
System: The Hungry One in Devil Soul can identify Demon Arts can extend through the shadow-creature,
when she has been subject to any supernatural but no other powers). Alternately, she may use her
attempts to control or hijack her mind (such as shadow to spy on others or stand guard for a scene–
Dominate programming or the effects of the Puppetry In this case, the shadow has no physical substance,
Arcanos). If the effect is still active, then she may but all five senses and the ability to show its master
roll Wickedness once per scene to negate the effect’s the scene.
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If the shadow is attacked, it has a number of health time– taking the results even if they far exceed what
levels equal to the cultivator’s Wickedness. Filling benefits him– and then he can’t use the technique
all health levels, even with bashing damage, forces again until the successes from that particular blow
the shadow to ripcord back to the Hungry One and have been used up. Lastly, successes fade at a rate
causes one health level of lethal damage, after which of three per scene, as destiny shifts and the future
it cannot be reactivated for the rest of the night. changes; any successes still unused by sunrise vanish.
(Notes: Virtue Variation– Any Virtue can Bear in mind that actually dying and falling into
theoretically be used this way, not just the Devil the Lesser Death (see systems in Chapter 3) takes
Soul) the character out of action for the remainder of the
scene. After this, they can heal and use their
Bloody Foresight (••••) hard-earned luck.
The cultivator slits his own throat, falls on spikes, faces
the barrel of a gun– and the future is revealed with Joyful Spark of Union (••••)
earth-shattering clarity. The Demon Arts are a curse, and Suffering a punishment…
But in cultivation, there is hope.
System: There is no Chi cost for this technique.
Instead, for every point of lethal damage that the System: Spend 1 additional Chi to activate all of
Hungry One deliberately inflicts on himself in a the character’s basic Demon Arts for the scene. This
single blow, he can obtain a pool of three automatic includes one of the character’s demonic features,
successes, which can be marked on the character which will take on a nobler appearance whenever
sheet and used for the rest of the night. These possible (a rocky, blood-crusted Skinner becomes a
successes are functionally the same as a Dhampyr’s sleek metal club with a bladed end, for example).
pool of Luck, except that they take the form of Accessing the advanced powers, however, is not
prophetic visions, in which the cultivator sees what possible with this technique. The moment the
would happen if they failed and then chooses Hungry One gains Suffering, by choice or otherwise,
differently. this effect ends and cannot be accessed again for
the rest of the scene.
There are three limitations to this technique: First,
the cultivator can only benefit from damaging himself Agony Liberation (••••)
this way with a number of health levels equal to his The enlightened devil will unchain you with pain– But
Wickedness rating (for example, to use all seven you must be willing to die.
health levels requires Wickedness 7 and produces
the maximum possible pool of 21 successes); System: After spending 1 additional Chi and inflicting
secondly, the cultivator can wound himself only one near-lethal torments upon a target– traditionally
The Final Diadem (•••••)

The Devil master breaks the groundrock of the Thousand
Hells, constructing a palace worthy of an infernal prince.
System: The character spends 1 additional Chi and

1 Willpower and takes a piece of hell, no larger than
half a kilometer all around, for her personal use.
The realm is empty, and her control over it extends
mainly to its appearance, but for the rest of the
scene, the Hungry Dead cultivator is in essence a
Yama King: She is the highest authority, and she
cannot be commanded or cowed while in her domain.
If she leaves the domain to travel to other hells, she
is afforded the respect not of an escapee, but of
fellow royalty– gaining Status (Yama Kings) equal
to Wickedness minus 4. Once the scene ends, the
hell disappears and she returns to the mortal world…
or the Hungry One can maintain this hell, either
by continuously paying the cost or by taking living
humans and trapping them there to die, which
extends the hell for a week. After one year of
maintenance, the hell will choose its nature and
begin to draw souls on its own.
Crack the Tortoise-Shell (•••••)

A favorite of Scorpion Eaters, this master technique allows
the Devil Soul cultivator to shake the very foundation of
a Hungry One’s existence.
System: The character spends 1 additional Chi and

1 Willpower, and poses a question to their target.
The question can be as profound or innocuous as
they wish, but it triggers a check for Suffering in the
target– which can be resisted, but if the cultivator
wins the Willpower challenge, then every success
he obtained will take away from the target’s dice
pool for the Suffering check, making a failure or
botch all the more likely. Characters can only be
torture, but a beatdown to Incapacitated will do just targeted by this technique once per night.
as well– the cultivator can strike a final blow and
roll Wickedness. The target is then allowed to roll Note that this is not a power of corruption, but
their Willpower, plus extra dice equal to the about questioning one’s deepest articles of faith.
cultivator’s successes, to attempt to break free of Against mortals or other supernaturals, this produces
their spiritual chains. A botch means death, while as equivalent an effect as possible: Cainites and
failure leaves most mortal targets dying. However, mortals suffer Humanity or Path checks, beast-folk
each success heals one level of damage inflicted by weaken in their spiritual power, and so on.
the cultivator (even aggravated), and in addition is
profoundly purifying. (Notes: Special Resistance)
One success allows the target to view even their most Building Your Own Soul Arts
entrenched personal habits– violence, callousness,
greed– with compassion, regret, perspective, and a Obviously, the above Soul Art techniques are not
commitment to change. Two successes removes the entirety of what is possible. Innovation happens
addictions and unhealthy attachments, to people in the night world all the time, and players at the
and institutions as well as substances. Three or four table may come up with some truly interesting
successes can erode a Blood Bond, long-term requests.
Puppetry grooming, or Wyrm taint, while five
successes can break even the most deeply embedded In truth, designing new Soul Art techniques is more
programming What the person does after they are art than science. When in doubt, consult the existing
free is up to them. list of techniques, or V20’s Disciplines, to see what
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feels reasonable for a given dot level. Below are some The earliest record of the Dragon Tear can be found,
additional considerations you may want to keep in ironically, in the Book of Nod: Saulot, beloved
mind: grandchild of the First Murderer, returns from the
east bearing strange powers and a third eye… and
• 1-dot techniques generally deepen perceptions according to the Chinese and Korean translations,
or have mortal-level blessings: we can all imagine he is followed by an angry army of demons baying
someone in normal life who floats through every for his blood.
challenge as with “Mortal Perfection,” or who
can threaten and intimidate until someone is a The oral history of the Celestial Tribe in Gujarat,
sobbing wreck as with “Ogre’s Bearing.” India, bears a similar story: Veerabhadra, an avatar
of the god Shiva, defeats a blood-drinking beast and
• 2-dot techniques bring some aspect of the drags him to Mount Kailash for a proper education,
associated realm’s powers into the mortal world, at the summit of which the creature is tamed and
but in a broad and diffuse way (like “Beacon of enlightened– For this reason, the Dragon Tear in
Longing”) or targeted very specifically (like the subcontinent is often called the “Eye of Shiva.”
“Goblin Cat”). Powers that directly affect the
mortal world are still somewhat limited, though In China, the Petals of Virtue are familiar with Zao
spirit-only powers and powers that affect only the Wanderer: a vicious antihero who, in the
oneself (like “Chainbreaker Meditation”) have Eightfold Lotus Sutra, competes with the immortal
greater flexibility. Marquis of Xue to take the pearl of a heavenly
dragon.
• 3- to 4-dot techniques are where the full range
of the associated realm can come into play, both Contrary to what some Cainite scholars believe,
in the spirit worlds and in the mortal world. 3 these are not stories excoriating barbarian foreigners
dots is notably where a cultivator can actually and their thieving ways (though certainly, some
cross the Gauntlet, and you can imagine 4 dots Hungry Dead have their opinions). Saulot, Zao the
as being able to bring something of the realm Wanderer, Veerabhadra’s apprentice: these are tales
back with you (e.g. an object, a concept, a spirit) of the Dragon Tear’s generosity and greatness, which
to the mortal world. the Hungry Dead must learn with humility. The
potential for true excellence lies within all beings,
• Master-level techniques are admittedly trickier even blood-gods and beasts– If they are willing to
to put together. If a technique allows one to play rise and make the effort.
around with assumptions of the setting (such as
“Crack the Tortoise-Shell” dealing with Suffering, General Systems
or “Divinity Key” allowing access to the locked A prospective student of the Dragon Tear must first
higher realms of Heaven), or if the effect goes learn a 1-dot and 2-dot technique from all four
well beyond what should be physically possible Virtues. Doing this, then swearing loyalty to a Dragon
in the mortal world (such as giving statues life, Tear Master, will result in a vivid mark manifesting
minds and the ability to move with “Stone Lion”), on the Hungry One’s forehead: a circular or
it should be safe to consider it a 5-dot technique. tear-shaped tilaka, which is visible in every realm.
Finally, bear in mind that the Soul Arts in this book Dragon Tear techniques are bought sequentually.
have been built as much as possible to become more A student must have all her Virtue ratings at the
powerful with higher refinement in the Virtues, as same level as the technique’s dot rating, and she
a way to measure the power of elder characters. must also know one Soul Art technique from each
Hence, make sure to have powers rely on dice pools Virtue at the same level– For example, learning
that involve the Virtue, or that otherwise grant an Perfect Eye of Heaven requires learning 3-dot powers
effect according to the Virtue rating. from Renunciation, Righteousness, Vitality, and
Wickedness.
The King of Soul Arts:
The Dragon Tear From the moment she understands Perfect Eye of
Heaven, her forehead chakra transforms into a
In the world of the Hungry Dead, there is easy fully-formed eye, which becomes progressively more
respect given to practitioners of the Godbodies, who jewel-like and entrancing on the path to mastery,
have distinguished themselves through massive and which pulses with spiritual power even when
transformation. But among students of cultivation, closed.
there is equal reverence for masters of the Soul Arts,
especially those who have achieved the ultimate Finally, note that because the Dragon Tear is linked
excellence: the Dragon Tear, which balances mastery to all four Virtues, she may use these techniques
of all four Virtues at once. while cultivating any of her four souls.
Perfect Eye of Heaven (•••) And lastly, something of a side effect: If the cultivator
The cultivator looks upon all the realms of the Great spends Chi at any point while the third eye is open,
Wheel with the eyes of a king. she taps into the eternal
web of reality and allows its essence to flow through
System: Once the Hungry One has activated the her. This takes the form of vivid but dreamlike
sight of one Virtue, she may choose to activate all visions of the past and future, which the cultivator
of them at the same time, for free, by opening her must interpret and act upon with her own judgment.
third eye– which is plainly visible in the mortal
world, and blazing and unmistakable as anything Dragon Medicine (••••)
other than the Dragon Tear in the spirit worlds. The cultivator becomes a healer of wounds… or an
instrument of torment, if she wishes.
In addition, once per scene while the third eye is
open, she can spend 1 additional Chi to raise a System: Spend 1 Chi, open the eye, and touch a
powerful warding circle against a single type of being, single patient– up to a number of patients per night
which can extend at will up to an area equivalent equal to her lowest Virtue rating. For the rest of the
to a large temple complex. The warding circle night, the cultivator can instantly calm (or induce)
emanates from the cultivator's third eye and lasts Soul Imbalance, or the frenzy of vampires and
until the end of the scene, unless she wishes to end werewolves.
it earlier. Anyone attempting to trespass against the Mortals, too, can have their inner spirit manipulated
warding circle must engage in an extended Willpower this way, becoming unhinged or sedated on
contest– one roll every five turns at Difficulty 7– command. The cultivator can also supercharge or
and obtain more successes than the cultivator’s diminish healing, halving (or doubling) the target’s
relevant Virtue rating: e.g. Renunciation against normal healing times– Hungry Dead or vampires
ghosts, Vitality against werewolves and fae, can treat aggravated damage as lethal for the scene
Righteousness against most humans, or Wickedness when attempting to heal, or their lethal damage can
against corrupted or demonic beings. become aggravated and effectively unhealable until
the scene ends. Any psychological damage from the
night (such as Humanity loss) can be rerolled to
overwrite the loss– or rerolled to induce an additional
loss.
Only supernaturals or special mortals who do not

wish to be the cultivator’s patient have the ability
to break this influence, but it is an uphill battle:
They must engage in an extended Willpower roll,
one roll per scene at Difficulty 8, and achieve more
successes than the Hungry One’s highest Virtue
rating.
Soul Nursery (•••••)

The most feared technique in the night world, this allows
the master of the Dragon Tear to pluck a soul like a ripe
fruit, taking it within herself to either transform or consume.
System: The cultivator spends 1 Chi and 1 Willpower

point, opens the eye, and takes the subject’s soul–
instantly if they’re willing, but only after a contested
Willpower (or Dharma, whichever is higher) roll if
not. The cultivator must then choose:
If they wish to heal, the cultivator introduces the

soul to the root of the cosmos, holding it there to
be transformed. A single night is merely palliative,
canceling 3 points of Suffering from Hungry Dead,
restoring one lost Humanity dot for Cainites, or
removing similar forms of taint (such as a wizard’s
baleful resonance, or the accumulated hatred and
angst of a ghost). But if the cultivator holds the soul
for three full nights past this point– paying 1 Chi
and 1 Willpower upon each sunset– then an even
SECTION
CHAPTERN4: ARTS
AME 97
deeper and mysterious transformation can be Suffering is inevitably a recipe for disaster.
obtained:
General Systems
The soul can rearrange the dots within its Attributes, To prepare for the teachings of Hellweaving, a student
Abilities, and even its Soul Arts, dot for dot, as the must first have at least three Demon Regalia, and
cosmic root purifies the soul into a greater version must have experienced at least one significant
of itself. In addition, Hungry Dead characters can unleashing of Suffering (from a minimum of 4
have their Dharma change to a completely different accumulated points). Anyone, at any level of Dharma,
one at the same level, or they can be brought back can learn Hellweaving techniques in the order they
to Dharma 1 if they reached zero in the last lunar wish.
month (the cultivator herself needs no dharmic
knowledge, for this is the work of destiny itself– in Unlike other Soul Arts, Hellweaving is not linked
game terms, any new Dharma is of the player’s choice to the four Virtues– Instead, if a Hungry One wishes
for a PC, Storyteller’s choice for an NPC). to use the techniques she has learned, she must
maintain a number of Suffering points equal to the
Cainites exposed to the cosmic root generally revert dots of the highest-level technique being used (for
to human Virtues and emerge with Humanity 10– example, a minimum of 3 Suffering is needed to
though it is also possible for a vampire to change use Flowing Canal of Hell, or 5 Suffering to use
from a corrupted Path to a more virtuous one, which both Infernal Road and Wax Seal of the Demon
they will then need to study in order to maintain. King at the same time). In addition, each technique
Half-Devils, most notably, can have their demonic has a specific condition required for its use, without
sides permanently suppressed and their humanity which the technique is inaccessible or far less useful.
maximums restored, provided they never again
choose to use their Demon Regalia. Flowing Canal of Hell (•••)
No Hungry One goes for long without experiencing the
Other supernatural types can change in similar ways, drawbacks of Suffering, and all have wished at some point
though the particulars are too numerous to list: In that they could control the outbursts of demonic power
short, even the most wayward monster, after the that arise. This technique does not completely prevent
third night is over, can emerge completely redeemed chaos and destruction– no matter what, the energies of
and set to rights. hell must come forth. However, a clever Hungry Dead can
mitigate or redirect the flow in useful ways.
If they wish to harm, the cultivator can simply
consume the soul outright. See the next page sidebar, System: The Hungry One rolls a dice pool equal to
“Eating Souls," for how this is done. her current Suffering (plus Dharma, for Ebon Mask
characters) to take control of an unleashing of
The Forbidden Art: Suffering, which can be either her own or that of a
Hellweaving Hungry One in her presence. A failed roll means
nothing happens, while a botch means that the
The text known as The Iron Book of the Red Bridge explosion of Suffering should be scaled up by two
was once banned in the courts of the Quincunx. points (see rules for Suffering in Chapter 3). After
Penned by a night scholar of the Tang Dynasty, the the Storyteller describes what happens, each success
first half of the Iron Book contains an exceptionally obtained on the roll allows the player to change one
thorough travelogue of the realms of hell, detailing word or phrase of the description– "rain of broken
over a thousand different fiefdoms and their petty glass" becomes "rain of blood," or "everyone in the
kings. But the second half is what earned its area" becomes "everyone in the area who isn't human."
prohibition– for in these pages, the author details This can change who is harmed by the collateral
a heretical style of soul cultivation, one that eschews damage, or what specific form the corruption or
mastering the God, Devil, Beast and Ghost Souls disfigurement takes.
in favor of the “fifth Virtue” of Suffering.
Conditions: Must be in the presence of an unleashing
Since the 1970s, the secrets of the Iron Book have of Suffering. Someone or something must be harmed;
traveled far and wide, and the Hellweavers who this is unavoidable.
practice its techniques are not as reviled and hunted
down as they might have been under the great (Note: If using the optional random Suffering
empire– As a matter of fact, the powers of generator in Chapter 5, then one success can be
Hellweaving, now that they are better known, are used to allow the player to change the row of the
rightfully tempting to young and ambitious Hungry effect, while two successes can be used to allow the
Dead. But those who revile the art say that it is player to move the effect down by one column– but
playing with fire, and that deliberately cultivating they cannot negate effects entirely.)
EATING SOULS
When an unwilling victim has lost their contested roll and has had their soul taken by a master of the Dragon
Tear, the body immediately falls comatose. It is healthy, but vulnerable, and a soul that has had its body
destroyed will have nothing to return to, even if it frees itself– The soul becomes Langsuir if Hungry Dead
(see Malaysia in Chapter 6), or a ghost or wild spirit otherwise.
For the remainder of the first scene, the soul is in shock from the trauma of separation, leaving the cultivator
free to act as they wish. It is only once the next scene has begun that an unwilling soul begins its battle against
the bearer of the Dragon Tear. Note that when roleplaying a Dragon Tear user trying to heal others, the
following resistance process can be skipped at a Storyteller’s discretion, provided the character stays in a
Dragon’s Nest or other holy site:
Every turn, the stolen soul spends a Willpower point as it attempts to escape, triggering a contested roll.
The cultivator can spend a point of either Chi or Willpower to veto the contest, further chaining the soul
inside them– or if the cultivator is either overconfident or exhausted, they can allow the roll to proceed.
(Note that characters with Dharma ratings higher than their Willpower may use the higher trait, as the spirit
of enlightenment adds a force of its own.) If the soul succeeds, it escapes and has the rest of the night to
return to its body before the body expires; if the soul fails, the countdown to its final fate continues. While
this is going on, the bearer of the Dragon Tear can do little else, suffering a -5 dice penalty to do anything
that isn’t meditation and spiritual battle.
Once an unwilling soul has spent its final Willpower point, the bearer of the Dragon Tear can begin the
process of healing and reshaping the soul as they wish, according to the rules of “Soul Nursery”– Or, at long
last, the feasting can begin.
Each turn thereafter, the cultivator is allowed to take one piece of the soul in exchange for one point of
Suffering: an Attribute (including Physical Attributes), an Ability, a piece of Demon Regalia, a Demon Art
(without Regalia), or an individual technique from the Soul Arts. If the Attribute, Ability or Demon Art is
at the same or lower rating than the cultivator’s, this does nothing but grant the cultivator access to specific
memories and secrets; if they have higher ratings, then the cultivator gains one dot in the appropriate stat,
plus the aforementioned memories and secrets. Soul Art techniques and pieces of Demon Regalia are
transferred over in their entirety. Bear in mind, however, that the Godbodies cannot be consumed.
(Note: When eating the soul of a different supernatural, such as a vampire, wizard or shapeshifter, the
cultivator can choose to eat things like Disciplines, Gifts and Rotes, which grants knowledge, memory and
insight, but no practical applications– But they can serve as a teacher for the things they stole, if anyone
should ever find out.)
This process is, obviously, horrific. A greedy Dragon Tear master can rapidly accumulate enough Suffering
to automatically trigger either Dharma loss or explosive infernal backlash (see the section on “Suffering” in
Chapter 3). Meanwhile, the soul that has had parts of itself consumed will lose those things permanently,
even if it manages to escape midway: Attributes go down to 1, Abilities and other ratings down to zero, and
anything lost must be regained through experience points in the regular fashion.
However, the soul can still fight to the bitter end: In exchange for a Willpower dot, it can block the cultivator
from stealing one thing– barring them from ever taking it, unless the cultivator spends a Willpower dot in
turn to overrule the soul’s defense. But this is a risky gambit, as the soul can also spend Willpower dots to
attempt to gain freedom once again (which, in a stroke of unfairness, can be vetoed by the cultivator with
just 1 Chi or 1 Willpower point, like before).
Once the feast has ended– either due to an overabundance of Suffering or a total lack of resources on the
part of the cultivator– the stolen soul can demand a final contest: a contested roll using whatever Willpower
the soul has left, which the cultivator cannot deny. If the soul wins, it is wounded but free; if it loses, the
soul dissolves and is gone. If the latter happens, the cultivator can choose to refill their Chi and Willpower
points, or they can gain a dot of Willpower instead, if the soul they ate came from a being of Dharma. After
that, there’s nothing left.
SECTION NAME 99
AWAKENING MORTALS
At the Storyteller’s discretion, mortals who have been cleansed by the Dragon Tear’s master technique may
emerge as a Rank 0 supernatural, representing the mystic insight they have gained from touching the cosmic
root. They may develop from there into a full-fledged mortal sorcerer, at Rank 1 and
beyond.
For full rules on modeling other supernatural denizens of the night world, see the section in Appendix I.
Wax Seal of the Demon King (•••) technique even while cultivating a different Virtue
Quality help is hard to come by, especially for Hungry normally, which allows the simultaneous use of Soul
Dead who don’t have the luxury of time to raise Dhampyr Arts from two Virtues– However, if he possesses
children. Hence, the popularity of this technique: The Dark Cultivation for multiple Virtues, the Hungry
hellweaver can summon a demon and have its complete One can only use one Dark Cultivation at a time
loyalty. Even if the demon thereafter possesses a human and must take a turn to switch between them, though
and becomes a Half-Devil, the same loyalty applies. there are no other penalties.
However, if the Hungry One's Suffering should ever dip
below a certain threshold, they will have to rely on other Conditions: Any botched rolls while the technique
carrots and sticks to maintain the demon’s service is in use– even those unrelated to cultivation– will
afterwards, and it cannot be banished back to hell. automatically trigger an unleashing of Suffering.
System: The Hungry Dead hellweaver rolls a dice Infernal Road (•••••)
pool equal to her current Suffering (plus Dharma, With this technique, the hellweaver uses the old pathways
for Ebon Mask characters) to summon a single loyal of hell to travel anywhere in the world, twisting through
and obedient demon from the Thousand Hells. A distance and time on a flaming chariot and arriving in
failed roll means nothing happens, while a botch seconds. The caveat is that the time that gets skipped in
triggers an unleashing of Suffering. Each success the mortal world very much unfolds normally in hell, with
translates directly to the spirit’s Rank, which the Hungry One unable to leave the chariot until the
determines broadly how powerful they are– Rank journey is complete. Depending on how long it takes for
1 demons are only about as strong as newborn ghosts, a team of demon horses to cross the distance, the hellweaver
while Rank 3 can reach the upper limits of human may need to have several bribes ready for hell’s officials,
intelligence and strength, with one or two as well as some pre-prepared “travel meals.”
supernatural powers besides.
System: The hellweaver spends a turn opening the
Conditions: Only one new demon can be summoned gateway to hell and stepping through it. This
per night. Cannot allow Suffering to go below 3 technique is not very useful for multiple bursts of
while active; otherwise, control and loyalty is lost. short-distance teleportation, since there is an official
who must be bribed on the other side of the gate–
Dark Cultivation (•••••) 1 Chi, or an equivalent such as a richly prepared
Using Soul Arts normally requires patience and forethought: meal, an elaborate preparation of funeral paper
The masters say it is impossible to cultivate more than sculptures, and so on. The chariot travels at the
one soul at a time, and everyone knows that only the most speed of a slow car through the torture-gardens of
talented cultivators can quickly move between the four hell, and there is one official on the road per night
souls without becoming exhausted. This technique, by of travel, which necessitates another bribe. The
simulating cultivation through Suffering, can allow a Hungry One must also spend Chi to stay active
hellweaver to break those rules with stunning ease. through each “day” and “night,” meaning each 24
hours of traveling requires 2-3 Chi at a minimum.
System: This technique must be purchased once for
each of the four Virtues. At any time, the Hungry Conditions: At least one bribe is required, equivalent
One may activate this technique and enjoy the to 1 point of Chi, plus a real-time cost in Chi to stay
benefits of cultivating that Virtue, including the use active. Must maintain Suffering at 5 points or higher
of any Soul Arts they know, without rolling or or be trapped in hell until it is regained.
spending Chi to enter cultivation. He may use this
Breaking the Dragon’s Neck (•••••••) Dharma 3 for three dots, and so on. Furthermore,
There is only one reason, barring insanity or spiritual true mastery (what is actually called the “Godbody”;
obsession, to corrupt a Dragon’s Nest and turn it into a all prior techniques are “preparations” for the
tiny slice of hell on earth: because you want to have it all Godbody) is only possible for one Godbody at
to yourself. Rumors of a lost "companion volume" to the Dharma 5, for two Godbodies at Dharma 6, and so
Iron Book, which details a version of this technique on a on.
much grander scale, have greatly intensified since the
unveiling of the Wicked City. Transcendent - Every time a character activates the
master technique of a Godbody, they roll Dharma
System: The Hungry One chooses an existing Dragon’s to see if enlightenment beckons: A simple success
Nest. If anyone is responsible for protecting it, the means the Godbody activates with no issues, and
hellweaver must kill and consume them while simple failure means that the Hungry One will spend
maintaining a minimum of 7 Suffering. Once the the scene after the Godbody in a dreamlike state,
last heart has been drained and eaten, the Hungry suffering -3 to all dice pools as they recover from
One unleashes her Suffering, which results in a touching the edge of existence– A botch, meanwhile,
massive spirit storm that corrupts the Dragon’s Nest. means that the Godbody fails to activate and inflicts
From then on, only the hellweaver, her close allies, 1 Suffering. But if the Dharma roll obtains successes
and other creatures of hell can use the nest without equal to the total of 10 minus the character’s Dharma,
consequence– Everyone else pays for taking Chi the character experiences the insight necessary to
from the area, either in the form of 1 lost Willpower pursue their final enlightenment (see systems for
point per point of Chi, 1 Suffering per point of Chi, the Hundred Clouds in Chapter 3).
or an equivalent spiritual corruption that applies to
other supernatural types (such as Wyrm taint or The Godbody of Ash
rolling Humanity). and Flame
Conditions: Must unleash Suffering after eating the To the Petals of Virtue, the Godbody of Flame is a
Dragon Nest’s guardian(s). The hellweaver is now prized art, descended from the “Celestial Form of
the designated guardian. Fire” that once embodied the fearlessness and passion
of heaven’s champions. By mastering the Hungry
THE GODBODIES: Dead bane of fire, Demon Immortals who study
Flame aim to approach the glory of their legendary
FORMULAS FOR ENLIGHTENMENT predecessors, to find joy and enlightenment as the
enemies of righteousness are turned to charcoal.
The Godbodies represent the pinnacle of Hungry
Dead potential. At the height of the Quincunx, But there is a different story among the Diamond
many of the Godbodies were reserved exclusively Serpents and the Rootless Trees, who have little
for Hungry Dead of high political status– But after patience for the Petals’ myth-worship: They instead
the Scorpion Eaters burned down the empire of the claim that the Godbody of Ash, a sacred art of
night and scattered its libraries to the winds, the purification and sacrifice, was smuggled from the
techniques became available to all. Tonight, there subcontinent by one of the many warring courts
are many students of the Godbodies in the night that predated the Quincunx. While the violent
world, and it is common for the Hungry Dead to application of Ash is sometimes necessary for the
learn several at the same time. greater good, the Human Dharmas grind their teeth
at the burning, graceless thing that their demon
The Godbodies are: cousins have made.
Transformative - To learn a Godbody is to change The preparations for the Godbody of Ash and Flame
from the baseline state of the Hungry Dead into are:
something new. Each Godbody’s four preparations
represent permanent transformations to the body First Preparation: Fearless Fire (•)
and mind of a Hungry Dead student. In addition Teachers of Ash and Flame make use of a special weapon,
to being always on (called the “passive” ability), these a long staff tipped on both ends with torch-fire. Students
abilities can be supercharged with an infusion of of Ash master their fear of flame by learning to dance
Chi, becoming deadlier and more effective through the teacher’s thrusts and swings; students of Flame
permutations (called the “active” ability). go fire for fire, wielding their own burning staves in deadly
sparring matches.
Exclusive - Godbodies are linked to Dharma, and
the Hungry Dead cannot reach a Godbody's true System: The lay student of Ash and Flame does not
secrets without having Dharma to match– They risk Soul Imbalance merely from the presence of
must have Dharma 2 to have two dots in any Godbody, fire alone, no matter how large or close by.
SECTION
CHAPTERN4: ARTS
AME 101
Additionally, the student also has a number of soak

dice equal to Ash/Flame solely for protection from
fire, which can stack with Iron Mountain or the use
of Demon Regalia.
For 1 Chi, the Hungry One may instantly create a

blood-based elixir which, when consumed by his
allies (one ally for every dot in Dharma), grants the
same benefits to them for the scene.
Second Preparation: Dance of Embers (••)

Initiates of Ash and Flame are made to walk through a
labyrinth constructed from numerous bonfires and torches.
At any moment, the flames can take human form and
embrace the Hungry One (or outright attack, in the case
of Flame), shaped by a watchful adept or master. The
Demon Art of Iron Mountain is forbidden here; if you
burn, you burn.
System: An initiate can move, ward away, or completely

extinguish an existing flame the size of a small
campfire (capable of inflicting 1 aggravated damage
per turn of exposure). A Hungry One can thus
protect himself and possibly one other person in a
burning building, or take a fistful of fire in that
same building and throw it at a hated enemy.
Without fuel, any fire quickly goes out– but finding
things to burn is not so difficult, ultimately.
For 1 Chi, the Hungry One may manipulate a

number of concurrent fires equal to his dots in
Dharma, or can manipulate a larger flame as follows:
3 dots - Bonfire (2 damage per turn)

4 dots - Great Pyre (3 damage per turn)
5+ dots - Inferno (4 damage per turn)
Third Preparation: Beautiful Spark (•••)

Students no longer spend long meditations in the Night
Kingdom, trying to summon warming fire with fingers
frozen solid– Lord Enma, it seems, will no longer tolerate
visitors. The alternative was once freezing caves and
glaciers, but the modern advent of industrial freezers has
been a blessing.
System: The apprentice of Ash and Flame can create

a small, palm-sized flame at any time, which can
then be allowed to burn naturally, or it can float
like a will-o-the-wisp in arm’s reach (or burn over
the apprentice’s eyes and mouth, giving them a
fearsome mask of fire). Directly attacking with this
flame, if the attack is successful, converts one point
of damage into aggravated, but apprentices can also
manipulate the flame into all manner of delightful
and enchanting shapes.
For 1 Chi, the apprentice can create and shape a

number of concurrent small fires equal to dots in
Dharma, or a larger fire according to dots in Dharma
(per the second preparation). This fire is real, does
not need additional fuel, and can be used to either both Godbodies, but it is not impossible– The first
harm or defend– Students of Flame inf lict four dots do not need to be purchased again, but
straightforward fire damage, while students of Ash the fifth dot must be purchased twice to access both
prefer protective applications, with levels of armor permutations.
equal to dots in Ash/Flame.
The Godbody of Blood
Fourth Preparation:
Fire-Tempered Soul (••••) The first of the four classic pillars learned by the
The “Daylight Meditation” is exactly what it sounds like: Petals of Virtue, the Godbody of Blood is said to
The student of Ash sits before the horizon, staying for as be descended from an art of the heavenly immortals
long as he dares. Among students of Flame, the Meditation called the Celestial Form of Water. Like water itself–
is a battle with blades at sunrise, in which neither is which, in the Chinese elemental schema, represents
allowed to stop until one shames himself by calling for coldness, wisdom and agility of mind– students of
mercy. Blood learn to see their bodies and selves not as a
fixed physical presence, but as something always
System: The adept of Ash and Flame does not suffer shifting and reacting to the world.
Soul Imbalance from simply being in the sun, though
taking damage from it will still trigger Beast The preparations for the Godbody of Blood are:
Imbalance. Additionally, the Hungry One also has
a number of soak dice equal to Ash/Flame solely First Preparation: Eyes in the Blood (•)
for protection from sunlight, which can stack with A lay student of Blood will have his eyes, nose and tongue
Iron Mountain or the use of Demon Regalia. ripped out until he realizes the truth– that he doesn’t
actually need them anymore. Every sense, every qualia of
For 1 Chi, the adept reduces all damage from fire existence can be experienced entirely through his blood.
or sunlight by one level for the scene– For example,
blazing infernos or full direct sunlight are usually System: The lay student spills a tiny amount of his
three health levels of damage per turn, but when own blood, which has no cost in Chi– he may also
this power is active, they inflict two per turn. Small use blood that he has already spilled in the scene–
fires or dim/indirect sunlight can be ignored entirely and gains total perception of his immediate
when this is in effect. surroundings, omnipresent up to the area of a large
warehouse. This includes sensory details that human
The Godbody of Ash/ eyes would easily miss or can’t even see, such as
The Godbody of Flame (•••••) spirits or people using supernatural powers to hide–
The master is a burning god, wreathed instantly in heat Add dots in Blood to any Perception dice pools to
and destructive power… Or else he becomes as close as the see the invisible or obscured.
Hungry Dead can come to a human being, able to walk
in the sun without fear. For 1 Chi, the Hungry One can extend his
blood-senses for the scene across several miles,
System: Spend 3 Chi and 1 Willpower to activate looking through droplets left as far away as the
the Godbody for the scene. Any damage taken from opposite end of a city, provided the blood in question
fire becomes lethal instead of aggravated, and the was placed on the scene within the same night. Only
prior four preparations (both the passive and 1-Chi one location can be witnessed this way at a time,
powers) are available for free. Only one variation of but now he may add dots in Dharma to any Perception
the final Godbody can be learned: dice pools.
The Godbody of Flame turns the body into an Second Preparation: Flow Like Blood (••)
inferno– Barehanded attacks inflict aggravated An initiate of Blood will sit, bound and mummified, across
damage, burning anything nearby and warping metal from a tall vase filled with his own fluids, until he can
weapons that come too close for too long, and people draw every last drop back into his body. From this, he
within arm’s reach suffer one aggravated damage begins to break the illusion of his physical body,
per turn that they remain so close. comprehending that his true existence is far more fluid.
If one learns the Godbody of Ash, the flame appears System: Once per turn, the initiate can reflexively
for an instant, then vanishes– For the rest of the dessicate himself to slip out of handcuffs or squeeze
scene, there are no penalties for daytime action. Any through tight spaces, or bloat his body to brush off
damage taken from sunlight is lethal instead of blunt force (adding dots in Blood to bashing soak
aggravated, and even strong noontime sun will only dice). This brings his Appearance to 0 and lasts
manage to inflict one health level every two turns. until he decides to turn off the effect.
Note that it is unheard of for Hungry Dead to learn With one full turn of touch to a physical target, he
SECTION NAME 103
SELLING YOUR SOUL

It is a very short distance between Hellweaving and outright selling oneself to the Yama Kings. The
forbidden books that contain the rituals of one contain tantalizing fragments of the other, and the
desperation that leads a person to take shortcuts in the first place can fork in either direction.
Every first-time petitioner-- mortal, Hungry Dead, or other-- who successfully constructs a ritual from
forbidden materials and calls upon an agent of the Yama Kings will possess at least one point of
dharmic potential, representing the power of their destiny and their spiritual refinement. Most indi-
viduals have 1-2, while enlightened individuals have 3-4, and 5+ is the domain of legendary holy folk.
The petitioner can trade each point of their dharmic potential in exchange for one of the following:
• Rebuild Life: Removes Flaws-- e.g. severe illnesses, lost limbs, and other debilitating conditions--
by converting existing traits into Freebie Points to buy them off. This can also be used to rearrange
other traits as desired. (There is no net gain. Everything obtained has come at the cost of losing
something else, and the world rewrites itself to accommodate the loss of various talents, heirlooms
and friends. Only the petitioner can remember the way things used to be.)
• Return of Beloved: Returns a family member, friend or lover to life, exactly as they were remem-
bered. (It is the person's body, personality and memories, but rarely their actual soul. When the
dearly departed can't be found in the Thousand Hells, an infernal spirit is used in its place, which
will inevitably change the person over time to resemble the demon. Even a genuinely recovered
soul will eventually show signs of where they came from.)
• Infernal Infusion: Grants the character 21 Freebie Points to use as they wish. This notably allows
the purchase of Soul Arts past one's Virtue ratings, as well as Godbodies beyond the limits of
Dharma. (This power is false and destructive. Any points gained this way should be marked with
an "X." Whenever they are used, any botches will result in accidents of exceptional freakishness
and tragedy.)
Hungry Dead who follow a Dharma will sell levels of their Dharma instead– However, note that mak-
ing this deal will cripple their potential and prevent them from ever growing past the level they sacri-
ficed, unless the deal is undone.
The main problem is that the deal only happens once. After an exchange has been made, the Yama
King’s agent will withdraw and not respond to further calls. The only way to get another chance, or to
undo a deal, is to either receive a task from the Yama King and perform it precisely, to the letter and
to their satisfaction... or to call upon a different Yama King, perform a task for them instead, and
hope that you're clever enough to leverage their ancient rivalries. And if the petitioner is looking for a
second deal, they must also have the dharmic potential to spare-- Otherwise, they will need to trick a
sacrifice into giving up their own spark.
“If I’m going to go to hell,

I don’t want to go alone.”
― Gen Urobuchi
can also change the flow of someone else’s blood, The Godbody of Blood (•••••)
with potentially deadly consequences: Roll Blood A master of the Godbody of Blood understands that there
to inflict 1 lethal damage per success on targets who is no true “body” at all, no “self”; there is only blood. He
need their vascular systems to live. For those who dissolves into a sloshing pool of blood, or violently explodes
don’t, it is instead a -1 die penalty in the next turn and showers the room with red, and he remains this way
for each success, as the character is overcome with for the rest of the scene.
dizziness. Supernatural targets may roll their Stamina
to resist damage, or roll once per turn to attempt to System: Spend 3 Chi and 1 Willpower. While in
negate the penalty– whichever is most appropriate. this state, the master of Blood may communicate
telepathically with anyone who touches his blood,
For 1 Chi, the Hungry One makes his body even and he can even feed from them to replenish his
more like a flowing current, automatically gaining essence (roll dots in Dharma for each full turn that
his full dodge pool against a number of attacks– a victim is exposed to his blood, resisted by Stamina
anticipated or otherwise– equal to dots in Dharma. for supernaturals only; each success is a point of
This may be activated multiple times in a scene, Chi gained as if through regular feeding). He has
provided the initiate is willing to pay the cost. full access to his Attributes, Abilities and health
levels, forming tentacles and weaponry or flowing
Third Preparation: Lash of Blood (•••) unnaturally wherever he wishes, and he can only be
An apprentice of the higher mysteries of Blood must damaged by fire or other means of physically destroying
meditate in a pile of his own severed body parts, detaching his blood. He can also make full use of the prior
and reattaching them with intense concentration, until four preparations without the need to spend more
insight is finally achieved. Chi.
System: The apprentice negates all dice penalties The Godbody of Bone
from injury up to his Blood rating, as his blood
holds torn flesh and shattered limbs together. In surviving ancient texts– buried in libraries once
considered far-flung and provincial, such as in Lhasa
For 1 Chi, the Hungry One can further solidify his and Ulaanbaatar– it is stated that the Godbody of
blood into any simple tool or weapon of his choice, Bone, the second of the immortal corpse-pillars,
with an aggravated damage dice pool (when was once a legendary art called the “Celestial Form
thrown/shot) or dice bonus (when handheld) that of Metal.” To embody the element of integrity, force,
is equal to Dharma. and ambition, students of Bone have learned to
become both the immovable object and the
Fourth Preparation: Bloodwalk (••••) unstoppable force, which they inflict upon themselves
In ancient nights, students of Blood would test their mettle and the world with punishing exactitude.
by emptying their veins down riverways and into the path
of typhoons. Wherever the water would take them, so The preparations for the Godbody of Bone are:
would they go, no matter how far and painful the destination.
First Preparation: Relentless Bone (•)
System: At this level of understanding, the Hungry In ancient times, lay students of Bone were once allowed
One can travel short distances (about 50 feet, or 15 to visit various hells as honored guests, to have the flesh
meters) using his blood– To an observer, he lets his stripped from their bones as they dragged boulders and
blood flow beneath a locked door, or flicks it in a climbed their way up howling mountains. Modern Hungry
messy arc behind an attacker, upon which his body Dead tend to prefer simulations over the old way, but the
appears to dissolve and reform wherever the spilled outcome is the same.
blood goes. It takes one turn to let the blood flow,
but the actual movement to the destination is instant. System: A student of Bone gains one extra Bruised
health level, and can also add Bone as a dice bonus
For 1 Chi and donating one health level’s worth of to resist effects that attempt to change one's body
blood (marked temporarily as lethal damage), the or mind.
apprentice can send himself one time to wherever
that blood gets transported during the night, For 1 Chi, the Hungry One names a single goal for
effectively teleporting. At his destination, the Hungry the scene, such as “kill this man before me,” or “hold
One regains his lost health level, but the transit up the temple pillars until everyone escapes.” For
inflicts one aggravated health level of damage per any actions related to achieving this goal, all dice
mile of distance traversed– plus five turns spent penalties from injury can be ignored, and the lay
reforming his body from the token of blood, during student of Bone can continue to take actions until
which he is vulnerable and open to attack. the scene ends, even past what would normally bring
the Final Void.
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Second Preparation: Punishing Bone (••) with Ebisu, the boneless leech-child of myth and one of
Younger Hungry Dead who watch movies are sometimes the seven gods of fortune.
tickled to know that Bone initiates really do train by
punching rocks and metal walls with their bare knuckles. System: An apprentice of Bone can shape her own
Less amusing is the common practice of burying students bones into any tool she wishes, within certain bounds
alive, preferably by triggering a rockslide or under a prepared of practicality and time: It takes one turn to create
tonnage of iron ore. There the student of Bone will remain, a key from a fingertip, or to create cosmetic changes
until she either obtains the insight and strength to smash by changing one’s bone structure. It takes two turns
her way out, or she makes her final peace in the darkness for claws similar to those given by the Discipline of
of metal. Protean, and three turns to craft a short sword or
shield from one’s forearm, which is the upper limit
System: An initiate of Bone has bone-shattering in terms of size. Any weaponry inflicts aggravated
strength, automatically adding +1 health level to any damage, and has a damage or defensive dice bonus
damage after soak when fighting with bare hands equal to the character’s dots in Bone. Note that
or claws. When lifting or striking objects, add dots anything crafted from bone reverts back to normal
in Bone to her base Strength (see Feats of Strength, at the end of the scene.
V20 page 411).
For 1 Chi, the Hungry One may render her bones
For 1 Chi, any damage successfully inflicted from instantly into a single tool or weapon that she has
barehanded combat becomes lethal and adds +2 crafted in the past, or she can extend the time limit
health levels of damage after soak, as bones crack of a single tool or weapon so that it lasts until sunrise.
and splinter to the touch. In addition, the Hungry Any damage or defensive dice bonus is now equal
One now multiplies her Strength rating by Dharma+1 to dots in Dharma.
for the purpose of Feats of Strength.
Fourth Preparation:
Third Preparation: Bone Obedience (•••) Garden of Bones (••••)
To become an apprentice of the higher mysteries of Bone, At the gateway to mastery, an adept of Bone turns her
the student subjects herself to the ministrations of a master, knowledge outward, experimenting with skeletons both
allowing her bones to be warped and twisted in painful living and dead. Unlike prior trainings, to obtain this
and puzzling configurations. Then it is simply a matter technique requires a different kind of relentlessness: a quiet
of sitting in meditation until she reaches sufficient insight and studious drive to twist, break, mend, and repeat, over
to break herself back into the proper shape, and from there and over, through the screams of the Hungry One’s various
to go beyond. In eastern Japan they associate this training test subjects– until, at last, understanding comes.
System: The adept of Bone can now use Bone polished shine, as though her entire body has become
Obedience on others. In most cases, this is not a ossified. Bodhisattvas of the Bone Flowers and other
quick endeavor: A mortal or supernatural target ancient Hungry Dead may instead have bodies of pure
must be immobilized at least for the duration that black metal, so dark that it sucks away the light around
the student of Bone needs to make her changes, it.
plus three turns in the beginning for her to touch
and assess the skeleton she’ll be working with. The System: Spend 3 Chi and 1 Willpower. For the rest
student may also use inert bones– such as a bead of the scene, the master ignores all bashing damage,
necklace made of ox knuckles, or a random severed and automatically halves lethal damage as though
leg– which she can shape just as quickly as if working it were bashing– only aggravated damage follows the
with her own bones. usual rules. In addition, the master can use both
the passive and active powers of the prior four
Unlike changes she makes on herself, changes done preparations with no additional cost.
on objects or people are permanent, unless the target
has a supernatural capacity to heal. Bear in mind The Godbody of Devotion
that supernatural targets will normally trigger a
contested roll of the student’s Strength+Bone versus Gods don’t need the worship of humans; they deserve
the target’s Stamina (plus supernatural trait if it. This is an important distinction, which is lost on
applicable). Subjects usually survive all but the most the ignorant.
extreme modifications– If she wishes, however, the
student of Bone can use this ability to make a Outsiders to the Celestial Tribe call their signature
bone-warping attack, dealing Strength+Bone dice art “Prayer-Eating”– a deadly insult, as it implies
in lethal damage. that the begging of humans is the only thing that
sustains their grandeur. In ancient nights, when
For 1 Chi, the student of Bone can enact instant mortals made sacrifices by firelight and drank from
changes on objects or people, as in Bone Obedience. bowls of sacred soma, humans held no such illusions
of their own power; by worshiping the gods, they
The Godbody of Bone (•••••) were reaching out to beings who had existed long
The master of Bone does not bend to the world; she cuts before them, and who would endure for long after.
through it like a knife through sinew and fat. When
activated, the Godbody gives the Hungry One a pale and The Godbody of Devotion affirms this truth: With
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this art, the Godlings reify their divine nature, raising distance as if driving a very fast sports car with zero
mortals to behold the glory of the deva. obstructions.
To learn the Godbody of Devotion, the Hungry Third Preparation:

Dead must first have followers: mortals who partake Touch of the Asura (•••)
in a chosen sacrament and worship her as a god. In theory, a god is never required to answer prayers; it is
One act of worship makes the mortal a follower only their will and divine vision that leads a Godling to
until the next full moon, after which they must fulfill their followers’ desires. In practice, though, Godlings
perform another act of worship or let their faith tend to enjoy having legions of followers, and they are
lapse– This can be coerced through fear just as easily quickly taught how to keep the mortals happy and obedient.
as love, as worshippers of the more terrifying gods
can attest. System: Once per scene, the Godling can grant a
small wish or inflict a minor curse upon a number
To attain the Godbody of Devotion, a Godling must of followers equal to his dots in Devotion. This is
first learn the following steps: represented as a pool of automatic successes or a
pool of negated successes for each follower, each
First Preparation: The Flow of Worship (•) pool being equal to his dots in Devotion. Most
Unlike other Godbodies, the first stage of the Godbody of mundane twists of fortune, lasting for a few nights
Devotion is as natural as opening a door. A fledgling at most, are possible for the Godling to bestow in
Godling rarely believes in their own divinity right from this way.
the start; they must be convinced through experience. But
once the Godling knows the truth and obtains their first For 1 Chi, the Godling can impose a significant
follower, the whispers quickly begin. change on a number of followers equal to his dots
in Dharma. This is represented through their
System: The Godling hears the thoughts and prayers Backgrounds, Merits and Flaws– The number of
of his followers as a constant whisper, which he can points that can be added or taken away for each
choose to listen to simply by focusing. This includes person is equal to the Godling’s dots in Devotion.
even unconscious, dark and humiliating thoughts, Examples include turning a sickly person into the
which the follower can resist sharing with a Difficulty model of health (adding a Merit), granting monetary
8 Willpower roll (Though the Godling will know transformation (adding or taking away Resources),
what happened; this cannot be hidden). or twisting a beautiful person with horrific ugliness
and infirmity (inflicting a Flaw). The gift or curse
For 1 Chi, the Godling can speak directly to his is still at a mortal scale, but is life-changing for those
chosen followers for the scene, transmitting words at the receiving end.
directly into their minds. He may only speak to one
follower at a time, but this works anywhere in the At the Storyteller’s discretion, these followers may
world, and can only be blocked by supernatural even be granted some form of supernatural insight,
powers. represented as Rank 0 in the system for representing
other supernaturals (see Appendix I). This can make
Second Preparation: them more effective servants of the Godling, able
Your God Beckons (••) to maneuver through the night world as few mortals
Unlike the heavenly gods, the Godlings cannot be everywhere can.
or see everything their followers do. However, it does not
take long striding through the Lower Heavens, rewarding Fourth Preparation: Festival Night (••••)
and punishing followers as one sees fit, before destiny and The signature power of the Godlings, and the source of
space begin to kowtow to the Godling– as they ought. the insulting name of “Prayer-Eating,” a Hungry One
comes to understand their direct connection to the flow
System: At any time, the Godling can call a follower of spirituality and worship in the mortal world. This
or group of followers to come to him. The world normally comes after the Godling enjoys their first true
may passively assist where it can– e.g. a run of green festival in their honor.
lights, an expert taxi driver– but the follower
otherwise uses whatever means and ability they have, System: Once per night, the Godling may transform
and aside from knowing they have been summoned an area into a temporary Dragon’s Nest for the scene,
and where to go, there is no special compulsion. provided they are in the midst of public or semi-public
religious celebrations– Level 2 if it is a festival
For 1 Chi, the Godling can instead come to a follower, honoring the Godling, Level 1 if it is a god with
weaving through fortuitous shortcuts and shallow whom the Godling claims close kinship. Like any
spirit-roads to reach them. The Godling must be Dragon’s Nest, the Godling can absorb Chi by resting
unencumbered to use this power, but assuming they there and partaking in celebrations. The local
are free and able, they can move across the physical Gauntlet is also lowered, and the sudden presence
of an empowered god draws in curious spirits. In parts of Southeast Asia, this training facilitates the
time-honored practice of separating one's upper and lower
For 1 Chi, the celebration becomes equivalent to a body when going out to hunt– a reminder to the Hungry
Level 3 Dragon’s Nest, and everyone partaking in Dead, among other things, that there is a time to act
the festivities gains a floating pool of bonus dice human and a time to be honest.
equal to the Godling’s dots in Dharma, which they
can draw upon anytime during the festival. The Chi System: The lay student of Flesh has near-complete
absorbed in this context is flavorful, energizing, and control over the superficial state of his body. No
utterly intoxicating, appearing in the form of a sticky matter how many health levels he has marked, he
golden nectar that coats the fingers and lips of appears perfectly healthy and whole; conversely, he
Godlings and mortals alike, as they slip together may elect to look disemboweled, drowned, burned
into divine ecstasy. to a crisp, etc. These death-features manifest instantly
and will remain for as long as the Hungry One wants.
The Godbody of Devotion (•••••) However, without the use of Chi, he must maintain
The Godbody of Devotion, when activated at full mastery, bodily integrity– He cannot pretend to get chopped
brings the Godling’s mortal followers into complete up and fed to fish in the harbor.
communion with her, body and soul.
For 1 Chi, the lay student can now detach and
System: Spend 3 Chi and 1 Willpower. For the reattach limbs, torso, and even his head for the
length of the scene, all the Godling’s followers across scene. This allows for even more creative deaths–
the world have a wordless, intuitive understanding but more importantly, the Hungry One still has
of what the Godling wants and needs at any given control over his limbs, which can crawl or float in
moment, and they enjoy automatic successes equal the air at running speed so long as they remain
to half the Godling’s dots in Devotion (rounded within half a football field from the head. Each
down) for any actions performed explicitly and detached body part possesses one or more of the
openly in the name of their god. This includes the Hungry One’s health levels (which he chooses at
edge of what is possible for a mortal, such as resisting the moment of detachment), and will fall
supernatural mind control, or continuing to remain limp if taken out of range.
conscious and active past their final health level.
(Note that performing separate,
It is also impossible for her followers to intentionally concurrent actions with various limbs
harm her or work against her while the Godbody is falls under the rules for multiple actions.)
active, while any non-followers in the Godling’s
presence must succeed in a contested Willpower or Second Preparation:
Dharma roll (whichever is higher) if they wish to do Flowers of Flesh (••)
so. Finally, note that the Godling has access to all The traditional practice of ritually
four prior preparations for free, though wherever decapitating a student and burying his
she is must be made into a sufficiently worthy festival head in a garden, so he may reform
before she may use Festival Night. himself from the remains of other buried
corpses and learn the transitive nature
The Godbody of Flesh of flesh, has become less common over
time– Among some Hungry Dead, it’s
Wood is the element of creativity, sensuality and even considered a bit rustic.
growth– and the Godbody of Flesh is nothing if not
endlessly creative, capable of horrors to assault all
the senses. Just as the ancient “Celestial Form of
Wood” was said to blur the line between the heavenly
immortals and the natural world, so too does the
ego dissolve in the beauty of Flesh, reinventing
tendon, bone and viscera in ways that would make
the daylight world blanch.
The preparations for the Godbody of Flesh are:

First Preparation: Excellent Corpse (•)
Many creative deaths await the lay student of Flesh:
hanged, sawed in half, crushed in a compactor... Eventually,
the Hungry One comes to understand that there is an art
to dying, that even a corpse contains infinite possibilities
of expression.
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System: The initiate of Flesh can make unique and Chi to sculpt instantly and perfectly into a form he
horrific changes to his body. The process is slow has taken before.
(ten minutes to craft one new feature), but the
possibilities are endless: He can make a set of working Fourth Preparation:
eyes in his back, for example, or craft an insect-like A Thousand Forms of Flesh (••••)
pelesit from a finger detached using Excellent Corpse. There are stories of the heavenly immortals spending time
If his own flesh does not have enough mass, the as elegant stallions, or as monkeys in the mountains. In
initiate must consume at least 1 Chi worth of modern nights, a student of Flesh is brought to this
“donated” flesh to provide more raw material. enlightenment when a master transforms him into a
sparrow or other small creature, and themselves into an
As a rule, any functional features should only augment apex predator. The student is not allowed to return to
one or two Abilities or a single Attribute, with a human form until he is as fluid and protean as the
unique benefit and a dice bonus equal to the student’s immortals of legend– or until the master, in
dots in Flesh: Extra eyes will add to Perception and disappointment, twists the student into a horror and locks
prevent surprise attacks, a limb turned into a pelesit him away to meditate on his failures.
can act independently all night and have a dice pool
equal to Flesh, extra arms can add to Brawl and System: The student can now use Flesh Sculpture
Performance and remove the dice penalty for two to take the forms of human infants or the forms of
concurrent actions, and so on. The student may animals, which can exist in reality or be grounded
have a number of active flesh creations equal to his versions of mythological beasts (such as a qilin or
dots in Flesh, and they last until sunrise. an imugi). Transformations can be as small as a
mouse or as large as an elephant, but health levels
For 1 Chi, any single change can be made to last for and Attributes remain the same as one’s human
a lunar month, or the Hungry One may spend 1 form– Though it is worth noting that a clawed animal
Chi to instantly sculpt a feature that he has made will inflict lethal damage, and that a bird can fly.
in the past, even features that require a great deal
of extra flesh. Features built by spending Chi still For 1 Chi, a transformation can be made to last for
have the same time limit, but now the potential dice a lunar month. Alternately, the Hungry One may
bonus is equal to the student’s dots in Dharma. spend 1 Chi to sculpt himself instantly, either into
a single familiar form (as in Flesh Sculpture) or into
Third Preparation: Human Sculpture (•••) a swarm of smaller creatures, with each one
To take pleasure in one’s own flesh is one thing; to representing a single health level (as in Excellent
painstakingly mimic every blink and twitch of a living Corpse)– In the latter case, one creature in the
human being is quite another. Like a student of the visual swarm represents the head, and another the heart.
arts, the apprentice of the higher mysteries of Flesh studies
form, figure and motion with single-minded intensity, The Godbody of Flesh (•••••)
graduating only when he has chosen a target and copied Unlike the other corpse-pillars of the Demon Immortals,
them to perfection– sometimes to the point where the the Godbody of Flesh is difficult to describe as a specific
original is singled out as an “imposter” and summarily form: The master, in his perfected state, becomes a vector
dealt with by those he loved and trusted. of pure change. All forms are available to him, and all
flesh he touches is like raw clay for the sculpting.
System: The apprentice of Flesh can mimic any
human form ranging from pubescence to old age. System: Spend 3 Chi and 1 Willpower. The Hungry
This does not alter Attributes or health levels, only Dead master can use the prior four preparations for
the outward appearance, unless Flowers of Flesh is the scene at no additional cost, and can now use
also being used at the same time. If the Hungry these techniques on others (except that death-features
Dead student has tasted the target’s blood in the inflicted on others can become very real, and most
last lunar month, or has studied them for a full night targets can't do anything special with a detached
in the same period of time, the change can be done limb or head). Changes done to others are
in ten seconds, with no prior preparation. permanent, for however long they can live in such
Otherwise, it requires one hour of dedicated sculpting, a state– unless the target is supernatural, in which
and even those without supernatural perceptions case they can roll Stamina plus an applicable
may roll Perception + Alertness to gain an inkling supernatural trait to both resist and undo any
that they are talking to a lookalike. This changes.
transformation lasts until sunrise, or whenever the
Hungry One chooses during the night, whereupon
he instantly reverts to his original form.
For 1 Chi, a transformation can be made to last for

a lunar month, or the Hungry One may spend 1
The Godbody of Illusion For 1 Chi, the illusion is perfect– vocal tics, body
odor, supernatural features, even spiritual aura and
The Godbody of Illusion is the crown of Mayaparisatya, destiny will take on the qualities that the Hungry
the sacred tool by which they point at the truth of One wishes for. However, these traits are superficial
the universe and laugh. This Godbody also one of (e.g. the appearance of a tiger does not translate to
the rare instances in which the blood clans of India real claws or strength), and supernaturals can attempt
can teach their Hungry Dead cousins a thing or two: to see the truth by engaging in a contested Willpower
A master of Chimerstry (5+) who follows the Eastern or Dharma roll, as above.
Path of Paradox can teach the Godbody of Illusion
to Hungry Dead up to the third level, though the Third Preparation:
upper echelons are still reserved for tutelage under Glittering Paradise (•••)
one’s own kind. Once the student of Illusion understands the basics, they
usually pursue illusion-craft with wild abandon. The jump
To attain the Godbody of Illusion, the Hungry Dead from initiate to apprentice occurs when the student
must first learn the following steps: experiences an enormous failure, suffering the consequences
of an illusion that falls apart. Then they must sit in the
First Preparation: The Root of Illusion (•) wreckage, whatever it may be, and rebuild.
Desire is the root of illusion; this is the first lesson all
followers learn. A master forces the lay student of Illusion System: When fully concentrating, the apprentice
to recognize the hollowness of his attachments, even his can now weave a complex, multisensory illusion that
deepest and most defining loves– But it is not the master’s encompasses his immediate environment– a gilded
job to twist and destroy these connections; the student ballroom full of dancers, for example, or a cliff’s
should do such things himself. edge by the roaring sea.
System: The Hungry One can unveil a number of For 1 Chi, the illusion functions without the need
unspoken desires equal to dots in Illusion, which to concentrate, and it lasts for one scene or until it
can come from anyone in the immediate vicinity. is dispelled. Again, supernaturals can attempt to see
Once per scene, he may choose to enhance one of the truth by engaging in a contested Willpower or
the revealed desires, making it irresistible unless the Dharma roll.
target spends a Willpower point for the scene
(supernaturals may choose a Willpower roll instead,
spending a point only if they fail).
For 1 Chi, the lay student can wrap a target so

completely in desire for the scene that they are pulled
into a pleasure-delusion of their own making– one
where a long-dead child has lived to adulthood, for
example, or where a soul-crushed addict finally feels
fulfilled. This effect can be resisted by supernaturals
and special mortals with a contested Willpower roll,
but it is not easy to pull away; in fact, the despair
when this effect ends is often unbearable.
Second Preparation: Non-Self (••)

A master of Illusion can weave an illusion so complete
that those within it believe they are what the master says
they are: a humble postman, a sultry lover, a serial killer,
a beggar. And when the dream fades, and the student of
Illusion wakes up to what they really are, where else can
that lead but enlightenment?
System: The initiate can weave a personal illusion

once per scene, taking on the appearance of any
mundane person, thing or animal that they wish.
Most mundane humans will be fooled, but any
serious incongruities or the use of supernatural
senses can easily pierce the illusion (with a contested
Willpower roll, replacing Willpower with Dharma
if it is higher)
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Fourth Preparation: Rakshasa Blade (••••) them.

Again and again, the master reminds the student: They
are not imposing illusions upon the real world– There is To attain the Godbody of Jade, the Hungry Dead
no real world. A so-called illusion is no different from student first learns the following steps:
so-called truth. This technique goes a long way toward
demonstrating this Dharmic principle, but sometimes an First Preparation: Smiling at Thunder (•)
adept must lose a finger or foot before it sinks in. The stereotypical first training in Jade is an exercise in
melodrama: a thunderstorm, a jagged cliffside with a long
System: Once per scene, the adept can conjure a fall and crushing surf below, both master and student
“real” handheld object out of the realm of illusion. barefoot on a slippery path, armed with only fists or knives.
Such items are physically present and usable for The fight does not end until the master says it’s over.
their basic function (such as car keys, spare change,
or a pen), but they are brittle, crumbling into nothing System: The lay student of Jade is unencumbered
at the end of the scene, or when someone tries to by even the most extreme environmental conditions,
damage them. though she can still take damage from fire and heat.
She is fully rooted where she is; no wind or slippery
For 1 Chi, the object in question is as real as real surfaces will hinder her, and even walking on a
can be for a scene. This ability is most known for tightrope or being underwater won’t pose any
the titular weapon: a fine curved sword of black penalties to her movements– though actively being
metal, which inflicts Strength+Illusion aggravated imprisoned or immobilized is a different matter.
damage.
For 1 Chi, the student’s intuitive connection to the
The Godbody of Illusion (•••••) environment becomes more expansive. She may
The Godbody of Illusion is an illusion-world so complete touch any surface– the earth, a tree, a pond, the side
that the “real” world bends entirely to its will, for however of a building– and sense the presence of any beings
brief a time. nearby within an area equivalent to a large temple
complex, even individuals who are trying to hide.
System: Spend 3 Chi and 1 Willpower. When the Those who are specifically trying to escape the notice
Hungry One activates this power at full mastery, the of the student of Jade will trigger a contested
world around her becomes completely malleable. Willpower roll, replacing Willpower with Dharma
Scenery, objects and people can appear or disappear, if it is higher.
no matter how extreme or fantastical, according to
the Hungry One’s whim. For the duration of the Second Preparation:
scene, everything that happens is real: Only Tread the Dragon’s Tail (••)
individuals who succeed in a contested Willpower Many treatises have been written about the proper
or Dharma roll can break the illusion, while everyone movements and postures necessary to achieve understanding
else is trapped and suffers virtual damage when of Jade. They are not entirely unhelpful, but there is no
harmed– and for the weak-willed, such psychic substitute for direct experience– The initiate who wishes
trauma can be accidentally lethal. to master this technique must eventually take a literal
leap of faith.
When the scene ends, all damage vanishes, and
nothing of the illusion-world remains, save for exactly System: The initiate becomes as light as a feather,
one thing of the master’s choice: an item, a change, able to run up walls and on water and leaping
or a death. If the Hungry One who activated the incredible distances. Multiply her jumping distance
Godbody can be reminded of the universal illusion by dots in Jade, which also multiplies her safe falling
before sunrise (e.g. she experiences a genuine surprise, distance by the same amount. The character also
or a moment of insight, due to other characters’ gains dots in Jade as a floating pool of bonus dice,
actions), then even that effect can be undone. refreshing each scene, which she can use for actions
Otherwise, it is permanent. that involve actively using or interacting with the
physical environment around her.
The Godbody of Jade
For 1 Chi, she may increase her personal benefit
According to the Petals of Virtue, jade is earth for the scene by dots in Dharma instead of Jade–
infused with the principle of enlightenment– Why Alternatively, she may reach into a target's energetic
else would the precious talismans left behind by flow via touch and inflict a penalty equal to dots in
ascended Conquerors be made of jade more than Jade for the scene, as the target becomes sluggish
anything else? The Islamic Ram-Hearted don’t find and spiritually bound to the earth. This can be
this bit of lore particularly relevant, but they practice resisted by supernaturals using a contested Willpower
the “Blessed Form of Earth” nonetheless, viewing or Dharma roll, whichever is higher.
it as a virtuous connection to the world around
Third Preparation: Earth’s Embrace (•••) moving its parts as if she has hands and eyes
The Hell of Being Buried Alive is a minor hell-realm, everywhere, and she is able to act using her normal
reserved for those who killed others in this very fashion. It Attributes and Abilities– a stone throws itself, or
is a quiet, grassy field, dotted with a handful of young tree branches sway and creak into new shapes.
trees and nothing more– But if you listen to the wind very However, she is still only able to focus and act on
carefully, you may be able to hear the muffled screams of one thing at a time (unless using multiple action
promising students. rules), even though her "body" now has incredible
reach.
System: With a turn of concentration, the apprentice
may sink into the earth when she pleases, to hide Furthermore, the master can choose to form a single
or rest in the soil beneath the ground. See the rules avatar of her body at will, taking five turns to either
for Protean 3, “Earth Meld” (see Disciplines in V20), create or dissolve it. The avatar has her exact
with the additional stipulation that the Hungry One appearance and has the benefits of all four prior
can move past barriers like concrete or brick as well– preparations for free– but her true heart is buried
They part for her, then seamlessly return to form. somewhere in the soil, without which she cannot
Reemerging also takes a turn, and she comes back be harmed short of burning the entire place to the
in exactly the same place she sank into. ground. Someone who wishes to defeat the master
may try to find the heart with a Perception+Awareness
For 1 Chi, the Hungry One may move within the roll, and can use a blessed stake or fire once it has
earth or inside stone walls at a jogging speed, been located and unburied. If the heart is successfully
reemerging anywhere she wishes before the scene is attacked, the effect instantly ends and the fleshly
out. Moving in and out more than once requires body reforms itself.
additional expenditure of Chi.
The Godbody of Poxes
Fourth Preparation: The gods of poxes and other illnesses were once
Catching the Wind (••••) preeminent in mortal worship. The shamanic Veils
To fly like a celestial maiden, one may study for years and
decades, or one may journey to the gates of the higher of Korea hold that there are still hundreds, even
Heavens, petitioning the glorious spirits to teach a lowly thousands of pox-gods still active in the world,
Hungry One their ways… Or one can find a celestial euphemistically referred to as “the guests.” Among
maiden exiled to earth, feed on her divine blood, and the Godlings of the Celestial Tribe who align
meditate on the beauty that has been forever lost. themselves with the healer-devi Shitala or her
System: The adept catches the delicate flow of Chi

in the air, allowing her to fly at jogging speed after
a turn of concentration. She can only carry objects
or people according to what her Strength allows,
beyond which she is unable to obtain sufficient lift.
While in the air, the Hungry One can attack
unprepared foes, enjoying the benefits of a surprise
attack.
For 1 Chi, she may move at astonishing speeds once

high in flight, equivalent to the pace of a bullet
train. Note that she will naturally avoid collision
with birds or planes, but that she is not automatically
immune to damage from a deliberate impact to her
flight course– treat this similarly to damage from
being hit by a vehicle.
The Godbody of Jade (•••••)

The Godbody of Jade turns the Hungry Dead into divinities
of the earth. The ground, sky, and corpse-body are like
one, for however long the master can make it last.
System: Spend 3 Chi and 1 Willpower. For the
duration of the scene, the master’s body dissolves
into the land, making an area the size of a large
temple complex into an extension of herself: She
can control and observe the physical environment,
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subordinate, the fever god Jvarasura, the Godbody

of Poxes is one of the premier postures of divinity,
embracing the terrifying moment when mortal life
brushes with the beyond.
To attain the Godbody of Poxes, the Hungry Dead

must learn the following steps:
First Preparation:
Touch of the Stranger (•)
There is no shortage of the sick and dying in this world.
The compassionate lay student lives among them, learning
to bestow a healing touch– or, at times, letting the inevitable
take hold with less delay. But not every student of Poxes
is so kind.
System: With just a touch, the Hungry One can

alleviate or worsen the illnesses of mortals– the
change occurs slowly, over the course of the night.
If used to alleviate, any illness will go into remission
for a number of weeks equal to the student’s dots
in Poxes. If used to make illnesses worse, progress
the illness using dots in Poxes as a guideline– The
illness appears or becomes persistent at Poxes 1,
moves to a worse stage at Poxes 2, develops into a
severe illness at Poxes 3, and becomes a terminal
version at Poxes 4. This also lasts for a number of
weeks equal to the student’s dots in Poxes, or until
the victim dies.
For 1 Chi, the student can alleviate or worsen mortal

illness instantly and permanently, according to dots rest of the scene, they take either 1 bashing damage
in Poxes. Alternatively, the student may touch a or lose 1 Chi. Only supernatural targets may attempt
supernatural target and simulate the effects of any to roll Willpower and break the effect, but they must
illness for one night, inflicting a persistent penalty obtain more successes than the Hungry One’s dots
equal to dots in Poxes. This can only be resisted with in Dharma, and every roll after the first costs 1
an extended Willpower challenge (one roll per scene) WIllpower point.
that must beat the Hungry One’s dots in Dharma.
Third Preparation: Fever’s Purity (•••)
Second Preparation: The apprentice of Poxes accepts a crushing fever, granted
Hemorrhagic Strike (••) by a master or by a powerful spirit– perhaps one of the
The initiate of Poxes must swallow a parasite demon, pox-gods still wandering the Korean peninsula, or a sickly
traditionally taken from the Hell of Burrowing Maggots. functionary of the Wicked City who carries a box of
This creature coils around the Hungry One’s dead organs dubious syringes. Unfortunately, it takes far more than
and sups at her stolen blood, as the student meditates in one bout of fever to understand its purifying powers.
silent agony. Eventually, the body absorbs and destroys
the demon– But the memory of pain has taught its lesson. System: The Hungry One can reflexively roll
Stamina+Poxes (plus Medicine, if the apprentice has
System: The Hungry One can inflict barehanded it) at Difficulty 8 to initiate a fever– She is sweating,
lethal damage, which manifests as painful internal trembling and glassy-eyed, suffering -3 to all dice
bleeding. With just a casual touch, he may also inflict rolls for at approximately half the night, or several
1 health level of lethal damage, which continues hours.
and grows every three turns (approximately ten
seconds) of unbroken contact. Supernaturals who However, once the illness passes, she will be free of
have the ability to soak lethal damage may do so all mind control and supernatural bonds, and she
when faced with this power. regains a point of Willpower as she sees the world
with beautiful, fever-broken clarity. Furthemore, the
For 1 Chi and a successful attack (even if all damage Storyteller provides one clue about a situation that
is soaked), the initiate can inflict a terrible blow: currently troubles her, which takes the form of a
Every time the victim takes a physical action for the
vision of the future, or a voice from an unseen guide Hells, or knowing exactly where a desired target is
speaking to her in the fever’s heat. hiding in the city). Like illness itself, this gift is
unpredictable– but it is most powerful at the moment
For 1 Chi, she may bestow this fever on others, when the sickness strikes, fading quickly once the
which can kill a mortal who fails a Stamina check scene ends and disappearing at sunrise. Use the
at Difficulty 8. Soul Arts as a guideline for these powers, assigning
dots equal to dots in Dharma and taking away one
Fourth Preparation: power per scene.
Wild-Eyed Bulwark (••••)
It is said that the higher mysteries of the Godbody of Poxes Finally, the master has full access to all four prior
were in a text stolen from the Mistress of Pestilence herself, preparations for no additional cost.
smuggled out of the Thousand Hells by having each word
transformed into an illness. Those illnesses still appear in The Godbody of Storms
the world, waiting for careful and watchful adepts to find,
assemble and interpret them. Millions live on the coastlines of Asia– millions who
give their prayers to the gods of sea and sky, who
System: Once per scene, the Hungry One can declare wake up at certain times of the year to watch the
use of this power and automatically downgrade the weather forecast with trepidation. They are simply
damage from a single attack roll before the damage aware of a sobering truth, which is that there’s only
dice are rolled– Aggravated levels become lethal, a hair’s breadth between life-giving rains and deadly
lethal becomes bashing (and is halved accordingly), floods, between crisp winds and the kinds of
while bashing damage remains unchanged. The whipping gales that can destroy towns. The Hungry
maximum health levels that can be altered this way Dead may disagree on exactly how they came to
is equal to the adept’s dots in Poxes. Whenever this harness and codify such thundering power, but none
power is activated, the Hungry One suffers -2 to all can deny that the Godbody of Storms is an
Social rolls for the rest of the scene, as sores, yellow awe-inspiring symbol, both of enlightenment and
skin, bloody gums and other symptoms appear on of pure destruction.
his body.
To attain the Godbody of Storms, a student must
For 1 Chi, this power can be extended to a number first learn the following steps:
of damage rolls equal to Dharma. When this happens,
reduce the adept’s Appearance to zero and penalize First Preparation: Breath of the Sky (•)
Social rolls by -3. A lay student of Storms watches the air above and studies
its movements, meditating under hail and rain as well as
The Godbody of Poxes (•••••) starlit skies. More bestial or impatient students will drink
The Godbody of Poxes, when activated at full mastery, is the spirit-essence of sylphs, or strap themselves into silken
the raw power of sickness– and feverish insight– given kites to more directly meditate on the power of wind.
form.
System: The wind is at the Hungry One’s command.
System: Spend 3 Chi and 1 Willpower. For the Not only is she immune to natural sources of wind,
duration of the scene, all who approach within sight but she can summon and control brief gusts of air
range of the Hungry One must succeed in a roll for various purposes: to obtain distant sounds and
(higher of Stamina or Dharma, Difficulty 8) or be smells (or muffle them out), to blow documents out
struck by bleeding sores, fevers, and other debilitating of someone’s hands and into her own, to throw up
afflictions, which penalize their actions as if they dust from the ground for a quick escape, and so on.
have reached the Crippled stage on their health
levels (-5 dice to all actions). Only supernaturals For 1 Chi, the Hungry Dead student can call upon
have the option of ignoring the penalty once imposed, much stronger winds for the scene, enough to throw
which they can do by spending one Willpower point a man off the edge of a building if taken by surprise–
per action. Supernaturals who botch during this or to overwhelm a human’s lungs or eardrums,
time will become incapacitated, while most mortals rendering them incapacitated upon a successful
who botch will die. strike to the relevant area. When the wind is
specifically directed at a target, that person must
Even the master’s comrades will sicken if they are roll the lower of Strength or Dexterity, Difficulty 8,
in range, making this Godbody an especially to stay upright.
dangerous and frowned-upon art. However, there
is an odd silver lining for victims that the Hungry Second Preparation: Arms of the Sea (••)
Dead calls friends: As a result of the illness, at least There are mermaids and gods of the sea– not just the
one ally will gain a powerful psychic gift (such as Mother of the Depths and her silver-scaled children, but
being able to peer directly into one of the Thousand true beings of the earth’s waters, possessed of sagely
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intelligence and great magic. A student of Storms, with Fourth Preparation:

or without a master, seeks out these beings and petitions Chamber-Bed of Clouds (••••)
them for wisdom. Water, air, the invisible charge of power: All the necessary
ingredients are in place, and the adept of Storms
System: The Hungry One now controls any water traditionally spends years understanding the craft necessary
she touches, extending her senses and will in a to forge them into the magic of weather. In this age of
limited fashion: She can sense the presence of devilish prodigies, however, a Hungry One may learn to
someone sneaking across a wet floor or through a wield the rain in much less time than before.
misty rain, for example, or she can shift the sea’s
currents to keep a swimmer’s face just below water System: This strange power allows the Hungry One
as they try to surface for breath. to summon dark rain clouds, which are able to pour
anything from a light sprinkle (indefinitely) to heavy
For 1 Chi, she can actively control a body of water flood rains (one scene per night).
for the scene like an extension of herself, up to the
size of an Olympic swimming pool. Alternately, in For 1 Chi, the Hungry One can pull herself and up
the absence of a water source, she can move in close to three companions into one of these storm clouds,
with her fists, inflicting lethal damage (plus dots in riding incognito for as far as the winds will take
Godbody of Storms) on objects or people, which them in a night. They fly comfortably as if in the
manifests as severe water damage or drowning. eye of a hurricane, and are able to see– or possibly
a t t a ck – t a r g et s b e l ow w i t h a s u c c e s s f u l
Third Preparation: Perception+Alertness roll.
Thunderbolt’s Kiss (•••)
Finding a lightning bolt to be struck by is still quite difficult The Godbody of Storms (•••••)
in the age of electricity. A ripped power line will not do, The full power of the Godbody of Storms is the raw,
and not even a building-sized generator gone amok is unadulterated devastation of nature– But it can be
enough; it must be a true, natural thunderbolt from the controlled, if one is very careful.
sky, not summoned or created, but drawn directly to the
hand– and of course, it must then be survived. System: Spend 3 Chi and 1 Willpower. When the
Godbody of Storms is unleashed at full mastery,
System: Once per scene, the apprentice’s touch black clouds completely blot out the sky, allowing
becomes literally charged with electricity. If a target vampires and other creatures to operate during the
touches the Hungry One’s bare hands or takes a hit day unimpeded. But this is no blessing, for the
from an all-metal weapon, they will be stunned and Hungry Dead master has just birthed a localized
frozen in place for several turns (6 minus Stamina, Category 5 typhoon; now she must either use its
minimum 1) as their body is run through by energy. power or lose control of it.
For 1 Chi, the Hungry One can instead call down For the rest of the scene, the master rules over rain,
a bolt of lightning, which requires either a turn to wind, lightning and tide, able to direct the raw force
aim or a Perception+Wits roll to strike instantly, of the elements against any target in sight range.
causing six dice of aggravated damage. Individuals When attacking, use a dice pool of Dharma+Godbody
who know and have seen this effect before can of Storms, with aggravated damage set at a dice pool
attempt a Dexterity+Athletics roll to dodge: Difficulty of 5 plus any successes. Every turn, the Hungry One
8 if the Hungry One is spending time on aim, must choose a specific target to attack– If she hesitates
Difficulty 9 (supernaturals only) otherwise. or is knocked out of concentration for even a single
turn, she can still direct the storm for the remainder
of the scene, but it will not dissipate afterwards.
Instead, the typhoon will continue unabated, to
wreak whatever devastation it will.
• A savvy Godling can use The Flow of Worship

COMBINING ARTS (Devotion •) with The Scent of Heaven’s Favor
(Righteousness •) to detect which prayers have
Demon Arts may be used reflexively anytime, unless the mark of good fortune upon them.
specifically prohibited or constrained (as in the Soul
Art technique “Joyful Spark of Union”). Soul Arts • A gifted Demon Immortal, possessing the first
can also be used at any time, subject to whichever four preparations of Bone and two of Flesh, can
Virtue is currently being cultivated. And Godbody craft complex servants made of wolf bones and
preparations may be used whenever the Hungry held together by pieces of his sinew, which are
One wishes, even if other effects are active– The capable of moving on their own.
only hard limitation is the Godbody itself, which is
an icon of enlightenment and cannot be active with It should also come as no surprise that the Hungry
other Godbodies (though preparations are fine). Dead have developed certain Soul Art techniques
to work in conjunction with Godbodies, in order
Hence, combining most Arts is simply a matter of to enhance or diversify their standard effects. These
using them together. For example, one of the techniques are often secret, passed down through
Ram-Hearted would be remiss not to use both Tread master-student relationships as a marker of their
the Dragon’s Tail (Jade ••) with the Demon Arts lineage.
and Demon Regalia in a battle with evil. But
combinations of the Soul Arts and Godbodies, or The following are a few instances of such power as
two Godbodies together, can also lead to some they may exist across the night world, and creative
interesting permutations: players and Storytellers are encouraged to create
more:
• To attack a ghost with a blood-weapon made
from Lash of Blood (Blood •••), one simply Example Conjunctive Arts
has to charge the blood-weapon using The Touch
of Ghost-Metal (Renunciation ••). Ghost Rain
(Renunciation ••••,
• To bestow a crawling pelesit made from Flowers requires Godbody of Storms ••••)
of Flesh (Flesh ••) with some sapience and The adept of Storms, trained by the Bone Flower librarians
critical thinking ability, a cultivator could use of Shigatse, Tibet, can summon waters that feed and
One Night’s Revival (Vitality ••••) to knit a restore the departed ancestors– for a small price.
wildling spirit to the corpse-servant.
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System: The cultivator uses the passive power of

Chamber-Bed of Clouds while cultivating her Ghost
Soul, and then spends 1 Chi. The rain is both
physical and spiritual, falling upon the Shadowlands
with a healing touch– Roll Renunciation, Difficulty
7, with successes equaling the number of Chi points
restored to any ghosts who stand under the rain.
Mortals standing in the physical rain, however, suffer
greatly; the number of successes instead equals their
dice penalty for all rolls for the rest of the scene, as
their strength is sapped away and returns only
gradually (1 die restored per subsequent scene).
Note: There must be at least one ghost in the rain,

and there must be at least one mortal. Beyond that, THE POWER OF
it doesn’t matter who or how many.
DHARMA:
Clarity Comes Before the End
(Vitality ••••, requires Godbody of Poxes •)
Among the True Bones of Gangnam, there is a complex
A DESIGN NOTE
curse that they enjoy particularly for its irony: to burn Some care has been taken to avoid circumstances
with life and energy, until it all snuffs out at once. where Dharma is automatically added to dice pools
or provides automatic bonuses, so that Dharma
System: The cultivator uses the active power of Touch ratings are rarely a factor in powers that are not
of the Stranger (spending 1 Chi) while cultivating Godbodies or their preparations. Dharma can replace
his Beast Soul, then touches a mortal target. The Willpower in a roll if it is higher, but there should
target will then enjoy a bonus to all of their dice be almost no instances of rolling both Willpower
pools which is equal to the Hungry One’s Vitality, and Dharma together, for example. This was a
lasting for a number of weeks equal to the mortal’s deliberate choice– Masters, Grandmasters, and Great
Stamina. They will report feeling on top of the world, Sages have immense power available to them, but
like they can do anything, like they’re unstoppable… Dharma is a spiritual key to open the way to such
and then they will rapidly deteriorate, suffering one powers, not the measure of power in itself. Those
point of bashing damage for every roll they made who wish to customize and build new powers, such
while in their “high” state. For unscrupulous Hungry as through Conjunctive Arts, should keep this
Ones, who want someone disposable yet useful for principle in mind.
however long they have them, this is one way to
accomplish what they want.
Dream-Being
(Righteousness •••,
requires Godbody of Illusion ••••)
No realm is truly real, not flesh and not spirit. The adept
of illusion, trained by the southern Mayaparisatya in
Bangalore, demonstrates this by populating the Lower
Heavens with pure desire given form.
System: The adept uses the active form of Rakshasa

Blade (spending 1 Chi) while cultivating his Heavenly
Soul, then spends 1 additional Chi. The Hungry
One may instantly create a brand-new spirit in the
Lower Heavens with a Rank equal to half his
Righteousness score, rounded up. For the rest of
the scene, the spirit is loyal to the cultivator and
follows his commands; after that, it is a free creature
and can think for itself, for good or ill. Also, unless
the cultivator sacrifices a dot of Willpower or the
spirit latches onto a powerful source of Chi, it will
gradually fade, losing one dot of Aspects per scene.
The God of Being Crushed to Death

(Wickedness •••••,
requires Godbody of Bone ••••)
With a name and a suitable sacrifice, cultivators of the
Night-Temple use this trick to mete out a spectacularly
gory justice.
System: The Hungry One first spends 1 additional

Chi and 1 Willpower while cultivating the Devil
Soul, speaking the name of a single target. This cost
may be waived if she gets a mortal sacrifice to speak
the name instead, though the sacrifice will die the
moment the effect does its work. If the target is
mortal or fails a resistance check, they can now be
manipulated using Garden of Bone for the rest of
the scene– Or the cultivator can spend 1 more Chi
and make a change instantly, such as the
Night-Temple’s favored method of squashing their
skeletons into pizza. Note that if the target is
supernatural, the cultivator may only inflict levels
of aggravated damage in a scene equal to her net
successes on the contested Willpower+Virtue roll,
must be in the same city to attempt it, and cannot
try again for a lunar month if the attempt fails or
falls short.
“Isn't it a pleasure
to study and practice
what you have learned?”
― Kong Fuzi
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AME 119
You’ve learned of the Hungry Dead and how they

work, the powers they have at their disposal, and
how to build a character. In the next chapters over,
you’ll find overviews of regions, example characters,
and story hooks. Soon, if you have some receptive
people around you, it will be time to put it all together
and play.
With that in mind, this chapter contains some brief

advice that may be helpful as you make your own
stories of the Hungry Dead and the night world.
PLAYING WITH THEME AND MOOD

There are five defining thematic elements of Kindred
of the East: The Relentless Age. Not only do they set
the tone and mood of the setting, but they also
create expectations as far as what kinds of stories
one can most easily tell among the Hungry Dead
and the night world.
Hell
Violence, so quick and merciless that no one is prepared
for it: a broken nose, the wet snap of an arm bending too
far backwards, a keening scream. Along the walls, candlelit
statues of the gods watch the blood flow, silent and uncaring
of what happens next.
Memorials for the dead on the side of roads and in dusty

corners– they are long abandoned, even broken and
vandalized, with profanities written on the stones. Those
who pass by them look away, a feeling of shame and
embarrassment curdling their hearts.
A kabuki oni mask, tusked and snarling, worn by a passing

child at a festival. The child is laughing, the sound of it
piercing and seeming somehow hateful: Is he laughing at
something funny? Is that little bastard laughing at you?
Hell is fear. Hell is rage poisoning your world,

siphoning away everything you love. Hell is
blasphemy and taking pleasure in the darkening age.
The infernal curse of Suffering builds up inside the

Hungry Dead, as slow and deadly as quicksand– or
perhaps very quickly, if your character enjoys the
Demon Arts. In a violent world filled with afflictions,
there are vanishingly few options to mitigate
Suffering that don't involve some kind of sacrifice…
and at the same time, there are so many temptations
to give in and just inflict pain.
Storytellers wishing to emphasize Hell should work

with the details of Suffering, in particular how it
rises and becomes a curse-laden eruption. Consider
the following questions for your players and their
characters:
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AME 121
• Where do the characters’ Demon Arts and accommodate the Hungry Dead– Are there
Demon Regalia come from? Did they steal those business motels with blackout curtains? A surplus
powers to escape, earn them afterwards, or were of alleyways? Do wildlings and Little Gods know
they forced upon them as part of their Hell’s never to go there?
tortures?
• Are there lines the characters won’t cross to get
• If the player is interested in more Demon Regalia, their fix of Chi– people they never wish to use
do they have an end goal in mind– a “perfect” for food? Are there other victims they might feel
demon form? Does the character actually want sorry for, but will justify attacking when the need
this– and if so, what do they have in mind for is enough?
its use?
• Have the characters ever killed anyone for Chi?
• Who is one person (or type of person) that the Do they remember what happened, and who
character hates, that they would love to see suffer their victims were? Did they try to make amends,
and experience pain? Would they admit this to or was that never a problem?
anyone? To themselves?
Optional Tool: The Golden Affliction
(See pages 122-123 for an optional tool.) The golden blood of the Little Gods is the one
source of addiction that the Hungry Dead are still
Hunger vulnerable to. Nothing else compares– not street
drugs, not the world’s most elaborate orgy; nothing
The smell of a hundred different food stalls operating on even comes close. If a character, knowing this, decides
one street– and nearby, the hollow, swishing sound of a to feed on a heavenly being anyway, this is what will
beggar’s bowl, held out by nearly skeletal hands. But don’t happen to them.
give anything, the people insist; the poor will eat you alive
if you let them. System: Mark any points of “Golden Chi” gained
from feeding on a Little God with an X. The Hungry
An illegal party, a gathering in a dockside warehouse. One can choose between using regular Chi or Golden
Candy-colored party drugs on the tips of tongues; the reek Chi at any given time. Just one point of Golden Chi
of sweat and alcohol, along with more intimate smells. allows the Hungry One to rise for five consecutive
Bodies pressed together, strobe lights making them look nights without needing to spend additional Chi.
like ancient paintings of lust. During this time, he can also cultivate Righteousness
without having to spend Chi or roll, and switching
The overwhelming noises and music of a pachinko parlor, to different Virtues in the same scene incurs no
which almost distracts from the hollow-eyed desperation penalties (though 1 Chi or a Virtue roll is still
that clings to every gambler. Unexpectedly, someone wins; required to cultivate the other Virtues, albeit at -2
they celebrate, bathed in the glare of a hundred hateful Difficulty to roll activation).
eyes.
If there is any drawback, it is only that the Hungry
Hunger is need; it is craving. Hunger is an emptiness One suffers a +1 Difficulty to resist Beast Imbalance
that can never be filled, a void so painful you’ll do when in the presence of a vulnerable, isolated Little
anything to make it go away. God. However, the player or Storyteller should keep
a tally. Once ten points of Golden Chi have been
Chi drains from the Hungry Dead with each passing obtained and spent, the degradation begins.
night, even if the characters do nothing at all.
Eventually, they must always face their hunger, doing First, the character no longer derives quality sustenance
terrible things to sate it. The main sources of Chi from regular blood or breath– He must drain twice
that do not require violence– Talismans and the Chi from a victim to refill every point of regular
Dragon’s Nests– are viciously fought over and Chi in his pool. This effect remains until the character
hoarded by what seems like every being in the abstains from Golden Chi for at least a lunar month,
universe. but it returns in full force every time he feeds on
the precious drug again.
Storytellers wishing to emphasize Hunger should
think about the constant need for Chi, and the Even worse: In the next set of ten Golden Chi points,
desperate environments Hungry Dead find themselves the Hungry One can only enjoy the benefits of each
in to get it. Consider the following questions for point for four consecutive nights. In the next set of
your players and their characters: ten, it becomes three nights. In the set of ten after
that, it becomes two nights… When it finally reaches
• Where is the most common place in the city to only 1 night per point, the Difficulty to resist Beast
feed? How much does its environment twist to Imbalance in the presence of any Little God becomes
+2. If the god is weak and ripe for the taking, it Storytellers wishing to emphasize Enlightenment
becomes +3. should work on a granular level with Dharma and
dharmic experience, and with the community of
Those who have fallen to this level of addiction to enlightenment that is the PCs and their Masters.
Golden Chi can lower their tolerance to it again, Consider the following questions for your players
but they must forswear the sacred blood for at least and their characters:
one lunar month, which rebuilds the benefits from
1 night per point to 2 nights per point, and so on • How do the characters interpret the tenets of
for each month of abstinence. Note, however, that their Dharma? Which is the most sacred to
they can never again obtain the perfect high of their them– Is it the final one (i.e. “above all”), or
first few experiences, with the regained bonus stalling does a different tenet define their Dharma in
at 3 nights per point of Golden Chi. Addicts also their eyes?
never lose the +1 Difficulty to resist Beast Imbalance
around a Little God, which jumps back to +3 the • What doctrinal differences are there between
minute they start actively partaking again. the characters, and are any of them potentially
insurmountable? In addition, are there any quiet
Enlightenment rivalries (or open shadow wars) between any of
the characters’ Masters?
The hypnotic sound of a monk chanting sutras; the clear
ringing of a brass bell in an otherwise-silent hall. Others • How much built-up Suffering would it take for
sit all around you, but your eyes are closed; your heart is a given character to sacrifice a point of Dharma
still. It is time to begin. to get a clean slate? Would they ever do it, or
would they refuse, even if the result was mayhem
The intense smell of incense, coupled with the eye-drying
smoke and glowing embers in the dark. Rose and musk Optional Tool: Dharmic Sects
means worship; the scent of sandalwood means death. Those wishing to incorporate some diversity among
Here, both of them mingle together. members of the same Dharmas can introduce the
idea of Dharmic sects, which are highly specialized
Fresh garlands of orange flowers. A dust-cloud of rainbow religious orders and social clubs based around a
paint, which falls upon a multitude of statues and smiling specific interpretation of their Dharma. In some
faces at dawn. cases, the sect can even cross between more than
one Dharma, as they find an intense mutual
Enlightenment is a duty to awaken. Enlightenment commonality that binds them.
is clear-eyed; it sees the patterns of the world and
acts upon them. Enlightenment is joy and divine To build a sect, choose a theme and select one tenet
ecstasy. of your chosen Dharma. Then craft an interpretive
statement, which frames the tenet according to the
Dharma, for the Hungry Dead, is a constant process sect’s theme– Once per night, members of the sect
of doing. Characters are rewarded for going out into get to wipe away two points of Suffering at the
the world, for taking on novel experiences, in the moment they undergo a dramatic roll in relation to
form of dharmic experience points. Those who strive that tenet, instead of the standard one per night for
and sacrifice to follow their Dharma are also rewarded other Hungry Dead following their Dharma.
with small mitigations of Suffering: a mere taste of
the light, but light nonetheless. To join a sect, Hungry Dead are either recruited by
Optional Tool: Suffering Eruption Generator

Eruptions of Suffering are a great opportunity to explore a Hungry Dead character’s time in Hell, as well as
their deepest fears and insecurities. But when a Storyteller is running out of steam and needs a little guidance–
or isn’t particularly interested in Suffering as psychodrama– feel free to use the following chart instead.
Visual effects can be changed as appropriate; if a Storyteller is inspired to introduce nightmarish, bone-crushing
twists in space instead of flesh-cutting winds, they are welcome to do this and more.
Each column header indicates the total number of rolls required to produce a Suffering eruption’s effects,
moving leftward with each roll– For example, a character who experiences an eruption at Suffering 8 must
roll once for the “Suffering 7-9” column, once for the “Suffering 4-6” column, then once more for the
“Suffering 1-3” column, combining all the results together into one big storm of curses. Note that results
from the same row should be rerolled when effects are redundant, or the eruption can be treated as spreading
to a wider area, with the weaker effect occurring in the outer edges.
SECTION NAME 123
Roll One Roll: Two Rolls: Three Rolls: Four Rolls:

Result Suffering 1-3 Suffering 4-6 Suffering 7-9 Suffering 10
Rain of a harmful
Hot, blood-like rain Exotic and deadly Devastating rain of
substance, such as aci-
or black hail (1 bas- rain (2 aggravated incurable poisons (3
1 hing damage to all ex-
dic blood
damage to all ex- aggravated damage to
(1 lethal damage to
posed) posed) all exposed)
all exposed)
An entire circle of The vassal soul of a
Spirits nearby beco-
Incursion of hostile warrior demons cros- Yama King and its lo-
me hell-tainted and
2 spirits (Rank 1, 3 dice
enraged (Rank 2, 5
ses the Gauntlet yal retainers arrives
for actions) (Rank 3-4, 7 dice for (Rank 5, 9-12 dice for
dice for actions)
actions) actions)
Bloody wounds, pa- Flower-like warping

Bruises and cuts (1 A garden of flesh and
rasitic infections, and of muscle and bones
3 bashing damage to all
painful sores (1 lethal (2 aggravated damage
agony (3 aggravated
in area) damage to all in area)
damage to all in area) to all in area)
Fla�ened buildings;
Serious damage akin
ground cracked with
Corrosion and cracks A wave of damage; to an earthquake,
deadly vents of su-
4 in ground and nearby unreinforced or dere- with serious injury
perheated or poiso-
structures lict buildings collapse possible from falling
ned gas (3 aggravated
objects and buildings
damage)
Lingering madness
A wave of violent
Wave of psycholo- Antisocial impulses (as previous effect,
madness– automatic
gical disturbance (+1 and desires, made ni- plus inflict +3 Di-
5 Difficulty to Virtue ro- gh-irresistible (+3 Di-
Soul Imbalance,
fficulty to Virtue rolls
frenzy, or mortal de-
lls) fficulty to Virtue rolls) that fades at a rate of -
pravity for the scene
1 per 24 hours)
A burst of fire in the Flames that seem to
Flammable objects
area, accompanied by come alive and follow An unquenchable
catch fire (1 lethal/agg
6 damage only if tou-
searing hot winds (1 people to burn them inferno (3 aggravated
aggravated damage to (2 aggravated damage damage to all in area)
ched)
all in area) to all in area)
Overwhelming, cu- An open gateway to
Powerful winds (Roll
�ing winds (Roll the Hell of Being
Dex+Athletics at Di- Winds of torture (2
Dex+Athletics at Di- Skinned Alive (3
7 fficulty 6 to stay upri-
fficulty 8 to stay upri-
aggravated damage to
aggravated damage to
ght; 1 bashing dama- all exposed)
ght; 1 lethal damage anyone not under the
ge to all exposed)
to all exposed) earth)
Shroud of darkness Total darkness and
Deep and suffocating Overwhelming night
and disorienting silence; absolute
night (-3 dice to all (as previous effect,
space (-1 die to isolation (as previous
8 perception rolls unle-
perception rolls but all caught in it
effect, but all caught
involving sight or lose 1 Willpower
ss able to see in the in it lose 3 Willpower
sound) point)
dark) points)
Near-total catatonia
Crippling depression Exuberant, joyful de-
Apathy (-1 die to rolls for all present (every
(-3 dice to rolls to sire to die– all mortals
9 to move or otherwise
move or otherwise
action requires a
roll Willpower at Di-
take action) Willpower roll at Di-
take action) fficulty 9 to resist
fficulty 8)
Large swarm of Giant swarm of locus- A legendary swarm

stinging, biting insects or giant wasps (2 of hellish insects (3
0 Swarm of flies
ts (1 lethal damage to aggravated damage to aggravated damage to
anyone exposed) anyone exposed) anyone exposed)
masters who wish to teach them, or peers who wish Resplendent Cranes’ “for the perfection of Heaven,
for them to join the cause. For the former, the be relentless,” creating fanatical warriors who believe
relationship is sealed through the ritual of that anything other than what can help fight the
Enlightenment’s Artery, while peers join through Yama Kings must be burned to ash. When pursuing
the Bond of the Night Family (see the Rituals this goal (and destroying things that hinder the goal),
Background in Chapter 3). Players are free to have members of the Searing Wind can cleanse two points
characters join or leave any dharmic sects they wish, of Suffering at once.
but they can only have the Suffering-alleviating
benefits of one at a time. The Righteous Earth-Prison Smiting Fist
(Bone Flowers)
A selection of sects are detailed below as examples: An insurgency group that operates in the Underworld,
trying to arm and train peasant ghosts to resist the
Example Sects so-called Emperor Yu Huang. “Eternal Death to the
Tyrant Ying Zheng” is a common banner refrain in
The Electric Money Wickedness Club (Devil-Tigers) their circles. For them, the tenet “tend diligently to
A group focused on using modern finance and death and its beauty” specifically refers to the polity
computer technology to fight against the Yama Kings of the dead, and encourages the creation of a better
and prevent the Age of Sorrows. Everything runs society that helps the Underworld thrive. When
on money, they say, so taking it away from your pursuing the goal of destroying the tyrant or building
enemies and increasing your own stores is a critical strong bonds in the local ghost society, members
way of waging war against the future Demon Emperor. can cleanse two points of Suffering at once.
The Wickedness Club interprets “cultivate the
brightest embers into roaring flames” in the context The Passion Bloodflowers (Thrashing Dragons)
of the vast potential of financial globalization– This A cult within southern China and Southeast Asia
allows them to cleanse two points of Suffering instead that takes “feast charitably and without shame” to
of one when they pursue an enemy of the Immortal incredible heights of expression, their depravity
Dharmas using finance and digital technology. often falling just short of accumulating Suffering in
itself. They value communal feeding and artistic
The Searing Wind methods to prepare mortal vessels to be fed upon–
(Devil-Tigers and Resplendent Cranes) poses, artful flaying of flesh and arrangements of
An apocalyptic death cult that was suppressed by blood, and more. When pursuing a new creation
the Quincunx, but which has now made a comeback. for an exceptional feeding experience, the Passion
The Devil-Tiger tenet “embody the flash of light and Bloodflowers may cleanse two points of Suffering
the darkness that follows” was synergized with the at once– but bear in mind that acts that go too far
SECTION
AME 125
in senseless violence may also trigger a check for Fate is the inevitability of events long set in motion.
Suffering, making this sect one that walks the razor’s Destiny is the grand arc of beginnings and endings,
edge. which is often only understood after the fact. Together,
fate and destiny form the story of all humankind.
The Thousand-Faced Thunders
(Thrashing Dragons and Cerulean Veils) Related to enlightenment, but distinct enough to
In the recent past, the Thrashing Dragon tenet merit discussion of its own, fate and destiny are
“foster the spirits and help them thrive” synergized infused in the setting of The Relentless Age. Every
with the Cerulean Veils’ “knowledge and wisdom character has a future Destiny on their character
are to be shared freely,” creating a sect focused on sheet, and access to powers of insight and prophecy
the growing breed of technology and information is almost trivial for the Hungry Dead– Plus, at
spirits. Members of this sect study and aid not just Dharma 4 and above, characters receive visions of
computer and other machine wildlings, but Artificer their ultimate destiny: the way that they may achieve
Wraiths, Little Gods who can channel electrical the Hundred Clouds.
power– even rogue demons of the Wicked City, if
they can prove they’re trustworthy. Members who Storytellers wishing to emphasize Fate and Destiny
work hard in this capacity may cleanse two points should be prepared, of course, to think of the overall
of Suffering at once. story they’ve prepared and how one might get from
point A to point B. But much like the Soul Arts
Fate and Destiny that deal in destiny and augury, Storytellers can also
A woman who smiles at you from a crowd. You could use the power of memorable signs to enhance
swear you remember her, that you once had a connection destiny-as-mood. Consider the following questions
that meant the world. But what was it? You can’t for your game:
remember, and she’s already gone.
• What noteworthy items, people, animals, or
That rarest of moments, when you look around at where other symbols were present when the characters
you are– a bonfire, a midnight train as the lights go out, first took the Second Breath, or when they
the blood-covered scene of a crime– and realize that you’re earned their first point of Dharmic experience?
going to remember this night for the rest of your life. And What would it mean for these symbols to show
maybe you actually will. up again– would they ignore them, or follow
them as clues?
A spinning prayer wheel; a mandala of brightly colored
sand; a crying child held in the arms of a dying old monk. • If the characters received an omen that everything
Incarnations come and go, but the cycle is eternal. they wanted was about to happen, would they
believe it? Would they sit back and enjoy the maybe you’re Filipino or Cambodian and wishing
movements of fate, or would they still try to to play a game set in Japan.
make sure it happens with 100% certainty?
As mentioned in the sidebar in Chapter 1, Kindred
• Have the players imagined their characters’ of the East: The Relentless Age is open to all. With
futures in detail? Do they believe their characters that said, here are some things to keep in mind:
will obtain enlightenment if they’re given the
chance, or do they think they’ve made Hungry Remember that people are just
Dead destined for the Final Void in five, ten, a people
hundred years? Whatever the outcome, when
do they think it will happen, and how? A college student stays up to ridiculous hours, eats
junk food for breakfast, might study hard, or might
Optional Tool: Icons of Fate obsess over friend drama and love problems. A
The trick to roleplaying fate and destiny is to make nightclub’s security guy is an ex-cop who quit after
things feel like they’re “falling into place” without seeing one too many terrible crimes, but he doesn’t
the dreaded specter of railroading. Storytellers who know how to do much other than being a guard–
wish to make fate and destiny more meaningful for or, he was a teenage troublemaker who never got a
the group can consider incorporating the following second chance, so now he’s a bitter adult who makes
system, which incentivizes players to think in terms ends meet however he can.
of signs and portents without forcing them to do
one thing or the other: Do these people live in Osaka, Phuket, or Minneapolis?
How much does it matter?
At the beginning of a major chapter of your story,
have the players draw slips of paper from a cup or Ultimately, the things that move people are not hard
hat. Written on each slip should be the name of an to understand: Maybe you know the pressure of
object or place, a particular phrase, or anything else growing up in a rule-bound religious family, or you’ve
that you feel might be important for the mood of felt the intensity of a religious experience yourself–
the game– examples could include “a stone marked these are experiences many folks have in common
with a good man’s blood,” or “a character who says around the world, not restricted to just Hindu
‘this is the greatest day of my life.’” Or the slips could households, Catholics, or any other group in
be as simple as “a green jade gateway,” “a streak of particular. And whether you're from a Confucian
purple,” and so on. background in urban Taiwan, or you’re a devout
Baptist or a follower of Asatru from rural Montana,
Before the chapter begins, everyone shares what’s you may share an understanding of how complex
written on their slips, and these are incorporated and difficult it feels to have an abusive parent who
into descriptions of their daylight dreams for the has grown old and helpless. You, personally, can be
rest of the chapter. familiar with what drives people everywhere to crime,
even if you’ve never once met a yakuza member (as
When the group manages to encounter one of these far as you know).
signs or portents, the Storyteller then gives the player
who drew that sign a choice: The next dramatic roll Cultural details are not unimportant, of course;
could be a perfect success, giving everyone a point Kindred of the East is inspired by Asian spirituality,
of experience (plus a point of dharmic experience mythology and pop culture, much like other World
for the player who drew that sign)... or the next of Darkness games stem from a blend of influences.
dramatic roll could be an abysmal, game-changing But humanity is humanity– how you personally
botch, giving everyone two points of experience (plus build your character concepts and play out your
one dharmic experience for both the player who stories should reflect those emotional truths first.
drew the sign and whoever suffered the most from
the botch). Once everything plays out, the sign Minority and special groups are
should be crossed out, and it no longer appears a challenge to play well
again.
Do you want to make a character who is a Rohingya
P L AY I N G W I T H D IFFERENT Muslim in Burma, a descendant of the buraku
families or Zainichi Koreans in Japan, or a person
CULTURES: SOME ADVICE TO START designated as so-called “untouchable” in India?
Nobody’s banned from such concepts in principle,
Many readers may like what they see, but they feel but remember that you’re trying to play out a story
nervous due to not being of the right ethnicity or of magic vampires– And you’re playing with one or
cultural background. For instance, perhaps you’re more other people, some of whom might not be
a white or black American rather than Asian, or looking for a heavy exploration of unjust
SECTION
AME 127
marginalization.
(And if you’re not factoring in said marginalization

in any significant way, then what’s really the point?
Play a bullied, impoverished character who isn’t
from a historically buraku or Zainichi Korean or
Indian Dalit family; there are plenty of bad formative
experiences to go around in this world.)
The same goes for playing yakuza, a member of the

Triads, or an adjacent shadow-organization such as
a country’s secret police. Even if crime and
punishment is a universal part of the human
condition, the nitty-gritty of the criminal element
can get into areas that other people don’t want to
explore, whether because it disturbs them or because
it leads to events they don’t find enjoyable– e.g.
shootouts, torture-filled interrogations, being on
the run, etc.
Note that this advice is not saying “you should not

play ___.” You should, if you really want to. But
certain subjects involve deep dives into the details
of history, especially when it involves oppression
and the things people under said oppression are
forced to do to survive. If you’re bringing it to the
table, you have a responsibility to do your homework,
and more importantly, to make sure everyone else
is on board to have the play experience you’re looking
for.
Have a continual discussion, and
be willing to pivot
We live in an age where communication tools for
respectful, productive roleplaying are widely
discussed. “Session zero,” where the Storyteller sets
the tone and goals of the game and discusses any
no-go topics, is a great idea for all tables. Debriefing
after sessions, where players can bring up with the
group where they want the game to go and any issues
they ran into, is another good practice. “X cards,”
which players can use to pivot a story away from
something they don’t wish to play out, are also worth
looking into, for groups who think they can use
them.
The most important factor, though, is the willingness

to change the details of a game when necessary, and
to do it with a minimum of grumbling or
recriminations. A Storyteller should be prepared to
retcon things that are egregiously incorrect, to change
the story they had prepared if someone they trust
tells them it won’t work, and to generally keep
problems or resentments from boiling over and
ruining the experience. To put it plainly, even a
hundred X-cards are worthless if the Storyteller only
pays lip service to their friendships at the table.
Enjoy the process of discovery

Unlike 1998, today we have incredible access to
resources and information– a true multimedia
smorgasbord. You can use Google Earth to walk
through the streets of a small town in Japan, and
you can find videos on YouTube of nighttime street
vendors in New Delhi. You can listen to free lectures
on the finer points of Theravada Buddhism or the
practices of tantra yoga. And if you’re willing to
spend money, you can go to an online vendor and
buy Chinese joss paper, or try out a Japanese City
Pop record.
To some degree, access to all this information can

be overwhelming; it may feel as though you need to
know everything before you can even begin. But
having just a little knowledge is not such a dangerous
thing, at least on this scale. Don’t forget that you’re
sharing an experience with 2 to 5 people, who will
likely have gaps of knowledge just like your own–
and that the process of play is itself a process of
discovery. Through the course of your character’s
journey, you may discover things you love about
another culture that you’d never even thought of
before.
Ultimately. . .
This book encourages all readers, regardless of
cultural background, to create characters and to play
in settings that speak to them and excite them.
Missteps are always possible, but so is changing
course to something better. When in doubt, consider
this: How can we build a better world if we don’t
take a risk once in a while, daring to put ourselves
in others’ shoes?
“To enjoy a grander sight,

climb higher.”
― Chinese proverb
SECTION
CHAPTERN6: MANY PLACES TO MAKE TROUBLE
AME 129
The night world is vast, and the ability to describe

every region in the detail it deserves is beyond the
abilities of this book. However, in the interest of
providing players and Storytellers with tools to run
their own games in the setting of The Relentless Age,
this chapter aims to provide a handful of hooks that
can be of use.
The following writeups are intended as a jumping-off

point for stories. Care has been taken to try and
accurately represent the people and cultures of Asia
in 1998, using select details to spin an interesting
supernatural angle. However, bear in mind that
these writeups deliberately focus more on
A NOTE FROM supernatural happenings than on the sometimes
difficult details of real world history.
THE AUTHOR As mentioned in the prior chapter, players and
Storytellers who wish to set their games in these
locales are encouraged to look up the details that
interest them and give it their best shot, using the
wealth of resources that the Internet now makes
Readers may notice that the material in this chapter available to everyone.
is fairly heavy on China, Japan, and the immediate
sinosphere, with a bit less material when it comes
to elsewhere. As the sole writer for this book, I did
CHINA AND ITS INHERITORS
my best to branch out with appropriate research and China has long been the center of the night world.
consultations, but even so, my cultural comfort It was the birthplace of the Immortal Dharmas,
zones are what they are. home to an advanced supernatural society that still
has never been surpassed among the Hungry Dead.
If you would like to do a detailed writeup of your For the longest time, regardless of where you took
home country or culture using the rules and basic the Second Breath, China was where you went to
setting as detailed in The Relentless Age, please know reach the pinnacle of your potential.
that you are absolutely welcome to do so. If you’d
even like to do your own take on Japan (without the Now, the night world has become hopelessly corrupt–
Great Clans and Night-Temple and history with the and China is still at its center, an example of what
tsuchigumo), or what-have-you, go right ahead– This has gone so terribly wrong.
product was made in the spirit of creativity, and
nothing would please me more than to see it continue. For five hundred years, the Quincunx was master
Whether it’s made free online or as a supplement of the Asian continent, an empire of the Hungry
for sale on the Storyteller’s Vault, all I ask is for Dead founded on the dominance of a sinocentric
credit to be given to this book. interpretation of the Immortal Dharmas. Their
courtiers lurked in the shadow of several dynasties,
Thank you for your interest, and happy writing. with exclusive access to the levers of power in the
mortal world. At its zenith, the nighttime bureaucracy
of the Quincunx ensured the orderly behavior of
all the night world in common, with disruptors and
heretics brought to heel almost as soon as they rose
up.
But as happens to all empires with time, the resentment

of the repressed simmered and grew, until it eventually
exploded. In the late 19th century, reports emerged
of anti-dharmic secret societies: groups who were
opposed not just to the Quincunx, but to the very
dharmic system that benefited from the empire’s
existence. The so-called “Scorpion Eaters” rose up
in revolution with the fall of the Qing, initiating a
decades-long battle known as the Century Rebellion.
SCECTION
HAPTERN6: MANY PLACES TO MAKE TROUBLE
AME 131
The Quincunx lost control first of its client territories

in Southeast Asia and Korea, then of the cities of
the mainland itself. After the rebellion came to an
end in 1979, the empire was gone, its glories turned
to ash. WHATʼS IN A NAME?
Modern China, encompassing the separate countries
of the mainland and Taiwan, as well as the former After careful consideration, The Relentless Age has
colonial territories of Macau and Hong Kong, is a taken special pains not to definitively name what
place where warlords, charismatic cults, and outside the Hungry Dead call themselves in various regional
powers have filled the vacuum of empire, and are languages. The sheer number of languages in Asia
now engaged in a deadly struggle for dominance. It makes maintaining authenticity a challenge, and
is a region where the Hungry Dead are fighting to there are other ways to make a setting feel detailed
reclaim what they’ve lost, trying to win back the and alive than the potentially incorrect use of native
Mandate of Heaven– as well as every scrap of power terms.
and prestige they can find along the way.
With that said, for those who are interested, below
The Mainland is a selection of some terms that may be usable or
evocative for games involving the Hungry Dead in
EBON MASKS: those regions.
THE TEN THOUSAND SCREAMS • Burmese: belu (a demon similar to the Hindu
rakshasa)
In the northwest, the Ram-Hearted who watch over
the Hui people have been witness to a disturbing • Cambodian: ahp (equivalent to the Malay
rise in infernalism. In the wake of the Quincunx’s penanggallan)
fall, cults of demon-worshipers have been discovered
in the cities, often inflicting irreparable damage to • Hindi: betaal (adaptation of the Sanskrit “vetala,”
the local spirit world before they’re brought down. a demon that possesses corpses, which is
Under interrogation, these Hungry Dead claim to applicable to other Indian languages as well)
be followers of the one true Dharma, a heretical
path that they call the Ten Thousand Screams. • Korean: yacha (adaptation of the Sanskrit
“yaksha,” a spirit/demon of the earth), gwishin
Like the followers of Mayaparisatya, the “Ebon (a broad category of monstrous ghosts)
Masks” (a coded reference from their holy text, The
Broken-Winged Crane) believe that the world is a vast • Japanese: yorunoke (an invented term meaning
illusion that traps all sentient beings. But unlike the “mystery of the night,” derived from mononoke),
Pure Illusion-Truth, the Masks hold hell to be the kijin (a straightforward reading of the Chinese
ultimate and sublime reality. The unrepentant sinners characters for “demon person”)
of the world are simply those who are one step closer
to the truth– which is that morality, conscience, and • Laotian: kasu (equivalent to the Malay
avoidance of suffering are mechanisms of control, penanggallan)
to be resisted and destroyed. To free the world, one
must bring hell to earth. • Malay: penanggallan (a vampire depicted as a
floating head with entrails), pontianak (a type
Death and Rebirth: of female ghost or demon)
At first glance, the antinomian outlook of the Ebon • Mandarin Chinese: yuan hun (“wronged ghost”),
Masks would seem to appeal to misfits and ne’er-do-wells, jian ren (an invented term meaning “people
those who took pleasure in their living days from between,” also invoking “people of hell”)
hurting others and indulging themselves. And indeed,
many of the youth who follow the Ten Thousand • Tagalog: manananggal (a type of vampire or
Screams are exactly what other Hungry Dead expect shapeshifter from folklore), aswang (a similar
them to be: openly cruel and blasphemous, term)
possessing a deep and practical knowledge of mayhem.
• Thai: krasue (female vampire, equivalent to the
But they are not merely a demon cult, no matter Malay penanggallan), krahang (male vampire)
what their enemies say: The Ebon Masks are a
Dharma, with all of the spiritual power and • Vietnamese: ma cà rồng (vampire)
responsibility that entails. A mature follower of the happy to share.

Ten Thousand Screams embraces patience and
precision in all things, which can mean aping the Tenets:
morality of the deluded for as long as it takes. An
act of decades or centuries is sometimes necessary Hell is the only true reality.
to achieve a greater goal– and the Ebon Masks want Break the world-prison and liberate humankind.
nothing less than to crack the world like an egg. Pain and suffering is the compass to freedom.
Time is an illusion; be patient.
In truth, the Masks are closer to their goal than ever. Above all: Show compassion and love to the ignorant;
In 1895, a number of them witnessed the defeat of prepare them for the truth.
China by the guns and metal boats of Imperial Japan.
Where other Hungry Dead saw a dark turning of Example Suffering Triggers:
the age, the collective of Ten Thousand Screams saw • Acting out of impatience or the perception of
a grand opportunity: Hidden in urban modernity a deadline.
and industrialism were the seeds of a new hell, one • Becoming overly attached; risking oneself for
that could inflict a lethal wound on the great illusion. someone or something not of the Thousand
They maneuvered through the Japanese colonies in Hells.
Manchuria, Sakhalin and Korea, laying the groundwork • Killing anyone without giving them a chance to
for a master coup. choose Hell.
• Allowing the concerns of a particular demon or
And half a century later, in 1953, their dread star Yama King to override a greater plan.
was born, more beautiful than anyone could have
imagined: The Wicked City, the King and the Realm
as one. The Fourth and Perfect Crane
The Broken-Winged Crane has not yet been written.
Concepts: It is said that its creation is a disaster that will crater
itself in the bedrock of time, leaving seismic ripples
Midwife - You’re no common slasher; when you in both the past and the future. This is why,
murder, it is with resolute purpose. The liberation paradoxically, the book has always existed– and why
of the world requires many more hands, and that’s the book will always exist, even if every scrap of every
how you give service to truth: You stalk the most sutra is found tomorrow and burned to ash.
promising mortals, the ones who could return from
hell with the right amount of torture and spiritual The Broken-Winged Crane is everywhere. Hints of its
prodding. You ruin their lives and inflict agonies existence emerge from freak printing errors and the
with surgical precision– and when you’re rewarded glossolalia of the mad, half-verses found etched in
with a newborn Hungry Dead, eyes wide-open and the cracked human parchment that flutters in the
ready for training, you give your thanks to hell. Hell of Being Skinned Alive. Some Hungry Dead–
infernalists, thrill-seekers, unhealthy collectors–
Friendly Shopkeeper - When people ask where you dedicate entire lifetimes to collecting authentic
got such good stuff, you tell them you made a deal verses.
with the devil. It usually gets a chuckle– and you
really do love hearing people laugh. You’re the helpful For those who seek pieces of The Broken-Winged Crane
informant, the black market digger who can find to root out hell’s corruption, the book is not an
anything your clients need. You’re so well-liked and artifact, but a demon in its own right, a dark
trusted by the community that when you occasionally meta-intelligence that permeates reality, like a mockery
share a juicy rumor, or you give a pretty talisman to of the buddha-nature. The devotees of The
a favorite customer, no one bats an eye. By the time Broken-Winged Crane would agree: The book is nothing
everything goes horribly, hideously wrong, you’re less than the future Demon Emperor himself,
already gone. speaking his own existence into being.
The Talented One - When the world burns down, The very first collection of Crane writings, gathered
the best part is that you can become anyone you nearly five thousand years ago in northeast China,
want. The respectable Bone Flower whose identity gave rise to a dread empire– the Hundred Demon
you stole died during the Century Rebellion– After Kingdoms, which lasted for nearly a millennium of
you ate her soul and took her possessions, you were blood and torment before the forebears of the Petals
able to slide into her life with no one the wiser. Of of Virtue finally crushed them. The Ten Thousand
all the faces you’ve worn, this one is the best, with Screams Dharma was decisively wiped from the
the most power and influence you’ve ever wielded. world, making way for the Xia Dynasty and the rest
The Petals call you “honored elder” now, looking of Chinese history. But the Crane has lived on,
for your guidance and wisdom. You’re more than reappearing through the ages in various collections.
SECTION
AME 133
Tonight, there are no fewer than three books

purporting to be the real Broken-Winged Crane: One
copy is in the vault of the Jinhae Earth-Prison, South
Korea; one copy, presumed lost, is hidden in the
bathroom of an American-Chinese restaurant called
the Lucky Bat; and one is in a quiet temple in rural
Thailand, heavily guarded by a cadre of bird-monsters
who swear service to the Maitreya Deva. Each copy
is cursed and powerful in its own right, able to warp
the Dharmic paths of even seasoned masters who
read the infernal verses.
Seers among the Hungry Dead are beginning to

have visions of a fourth copy of The Broken-Winged
Crane, which will be written in the summer of 1999.
Unlike the others, this one will be penned by the
hand of an innocent, and it will be perfect– For the
first time, the world will look upon the full and
complete Crane, which will usher in the Age of
Sorrows.
The Emperor Yu Huang, first ruler of China and

dictator of the underworld, has made it his mission
to be the owner of the perfected Crane, sending his
spies to read the skein of destiny and stalk the most
promising candidates in the mortal world. If he
comes to believe that one person in particular will
be the author foretold, it will not matter who loves
or protects that mortal. Yu Huang will not hesitate
to kill them and bring their soul into his labyrinth
of delights, to await the composition of his treasured
book.
The Heaven-and-Hell Legion

There was once an empire of the dead, righteous
and pure.
At its height, the August Courts of the Quincunx

held authority from Kashmir to the Korean peninsula,
from the upper reaches of Mongolia down to
Cambodia and Vietnam. Their society was unparalleled,
their five ruling courts (Beijing, Shanghai, Chang’an,
Chongqing and Guangzhou) considered the crown
jewels of the night world. But by 1979, all was lost–
the libraries burned, the learned courtiers dragged
out and staked for the sun. The Century Rebellion,
led by the fanatical and revolutionary Scorpion Eater
societies, brought a violent end to five centuries of
Quincunx rule.
In the southern territories around Shenzhen, the

remnants of the Quincunx are ungracious in defeat,
as they rage against their usurpers. How could a
crowd of no-dharma children rise up against their
betters– and win? Even with help from enemies that
had an ax to grind with the August Courts, the
survivors of the fall insist that the Scorpion Eaters
simply shouldn’t have been able to succeed as they
did. The elders of the former Quincunx, many of
them uncomfortable in the foreign south, now
soothe themselves by lording over new Hungry Dead, and defeat. Ma Hai-Lan fully intends to be that
as well as rooting out any hint of the western influence champion, building an army to take cities one by
that they blame for their loss. one.
To Ma Hai-Lan, Grandmaster of the rising association There was once an empire of the dead, righteous
known as the Heaven-and-Hell Legion, it’s and pure… and now China is ready for the next one.
disappointing, but not surprising. When she joined
the Hungry Dead six hundred years ago, falling in Yuzhong, the Town of Golden Children
with the warrior Cranes who would eventually found The problem of revolution, more often than not,
the charter cities of the Quincunx, she’d heard more lies in what comes afterwards– Once lit, even the
than her share of whining and bitching– always from most righteous fire can move in unexpected directions.
the most unworthy immortals, bamboo princes who
acted like they deserved the world. To “General Chongqing, formerly known as the Venerable Bone
Ma,” a proud and militant believer in the Eightfold Court of the Quincunx, is one such example.
Lotus Path, the truth is simple: You take what you Nicknamed the “home of the revolution,” Chongqing
deserve with bloody, battered hands, and only then was the first city to be liberated by the Scorpion
can you say you’ve earned it. Eaters, sparking the Century Rebellion that would
ultimately collapse the old order. But now, in the
According to her, the folly of the Quincunx was that waterside district of Yuzhong, an even more radical
it became a reactive state, trying to isolate itself from experiment is underway, frowned upon by even
western influence and concerning itself only with staunch revolutionaries– for the streets here are
the Hungry Dead– until everyone looked around ruled not by the Hungry Dead, but by their
one night and found the Qing Dynasty rotting half-mortal children. It is a town made for the
around their ears. And now, apparently, the Dhampyr.
Quincunx elders who survived the Century Rebellion
are turning their attention to Hong Kong, eager to The half-damned of Yuzhong have spurned their
slaughter the city’s Cainites and to take control of dead parents, declaring their territory off-limits to
the island. The remnants of the old imperial regime all but their own kind. The night world has shunned
see the former British colony as their prime chance them in response, uneager to upset the Hungry
at reviving the dream of the Quincunx. Dead of greater Chongqing. Despite this, the golden
children have managed to survive through sheer
At this, General Ma scoffs. More folly and luck and stubbornness, as well as their ability to
shortsightedness. maneuver during the day.
The world, you see, moves faster than it once did: To complicate matters,
Hong Kong was a backwater port two hundred years since 1990, the eldest
ago, and yet it was transformed in the blink of an and most enigmatic of
eye into the jewel of the British Empire. And now, the Yama Kings– called
as China opens to the world and to global money, the Mother of the
it’s only a matter of time before the mainland gets Depths and the Silver
its own version of Hong Kong– perhaps even two Princess of Pearls,
or three stellar cities within this generation. The regnant of
Legion has operations in the most promising the Hell of
candidates: Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing, and more. Burning
Seas–
As General Ma sees it, the night world of mainland
China has reverted to the banditry and lawlessness
of ancient times– which, to her, represents the
returned opportunities of her misty youth. China
is ripe for the taking once again, if there are Hungry
Dead willing to follow her.
There is no room for bitterness. The old August

Courts may have lost, but so what? They’d lost
heaven’s favor, grown fat and indolent in a beautiful
world that they thought would last forever. The
Scorpion Eaters and their allies in the heretical sects
are not the inheritors of heaven; they have not built
a polity from the chaos they sowed. They are merely
a test, which the next worthy champions must face
SCECTION
AME 135
has declared herself the protector of Yuzhong. She

claims the rivers of China as her domain, with
Yuzhong’s position between the Yangtze and Jialing
waterways making it her exclusive tributary. Officially,
the leaders of the Dhampyr disavow her help… But
among the younger golden children, the Mother is
gaining an eager and pliable audience.
Once upon a time, the Scorpion Eaters and their

allies had offered a tantalizing future of freedom
and equality. The golden children of the Quincunx
were considered an eternal underclass, like house
servants– Even the eldest of the Dhampyr, who
could surpass the power of a young Demon Immortal,
enjoyed none of the rights or privileges of the courts.
THE ASPIRATIONS
After centuries of indignity, the notion of a China
controlled not by a mystical ruling class, but by all
OF A YAMA KING
the night world in common, was just too good for
them to ignore. The Yama Kings are not looking for more souls to
add to their personal collection. Frankly, most of
But after victory was declared, what emerged was them don't even care about souls-- They rule the
not the revolutionary government that had been Thousand Hells, and thus are already swimming in
promised. The Scorpion Eaters, as it turned out, souls of the damned. So what are they really looking
were excellent fighters and saboteurs, but the ones for?
who had survived the war were utterly unprepared
to govern. Instead, the old system based around The real answer is influence. The Yama Kings are
Masters, Grandmasters and their students, which gods in their own realms, but their ability to effect
the Quincunx had formerly suppressed as change in the mortal world is circumspect, bound
disharmonious, quickly blossomed anew and began by ancient agreements not to directly interfere in
to fight for dominance. Within a few short years, other realms. Those who are making a bid to become
the once-unified China became a dangerous Demon Emperor– The Mother of the Depths, the
patchwork of warlords, feuding clans, and cults of entity called "Mikaboshi," the Iron Queen– are
personality– To the Dhampyr, it was a cosmic playing a great game in the mortal world, trying to
punishment for their disloyalty. twist destiny to take the throne when the age turns.
Which was why, when the Mother of the Depths The only way to win this game is to make deals with
emerged from the Yangtze River eight years ago, a exceptional creatures, to make them into chess pieces
fish-eyed goddess resplendent in barnacles and black that can shake the world in your favor. This is why
pearls, the elder Dhampyr of Chongqing felt a they like making deals with the Hungry Dead (see
complicated dread. To accept her patronage, the the sidebar next to Hellweaving in Chapter 4), but
protection of a Yama King, would be an utter betrayal they can also make deals with other supernatural
of the world they had once known. But would a deal types– in particular, the Hungry Dead’s strange
with her be any worse than the one that had already half-mortal children.
burned them– their first betrayal, which had ultimately
been for nothing?
Tonight, the situation is tense. To the west, the

Scorpion Eaters are looking at a war of conquest to
take back Yuzhong. To the north, a large gathering
of Rootless Trees has settled in neighboring Yubei
district, holding their once-in-a-century retreats–
They care not a whit for recent history, but their
reputation for stirring up chaos in the name of art
precedes them. And in Yuzhong itself, among the
Dhampyr, the cult of the Mother quietly grows.
The youngest see her as the parent they never had,

her priestesses appearing on the banks of the Jialing
and Yangtze: kindly, loving women, arms full of
beautiful gifts.
Hong Kong
Kowloon Dream City
Kowloon Walled City is gone. Where the most
densely populated place on earth once stood four
years ago, there is now a public park and flower
garden. The Walled City, which is remembered
fondly by its residents– and more ambivalently by
Chinese authorities– is destined to pass into history:
fifty thousand souls, who lived and worked in a legal
no-man’s land-turned-concrete jungle, now forced
to move on. For them, it was a few decades of anarchic
urban glory and nothing more.
But in the spirit lands of the World of Darkness,

memory endures, and Kowloon Walled City still
lives. To the denizens of Hong Kong’s night world,
it is called the Dream City, and it is a unique nexus
of umbral pathways: Whether you’re in the Spirit
Wilds, the Shadowlands, or on the bright shores of
the Dreaming, go to the city and you’ll find its gates
waiting for you. The Dream City is the Walled City,
amplified in the wake of the original’s destruction–
The buildings are more, the neon lights and wild
electrical wiring are more, the shadows and smells
and noises are all more. And spirits of all kinds await
in its borders, ruling the urban wilds.
Here are a few things that travelers to Kowloon

Dream City might find:
The Infinity Pavilion

Turn onto an alleyway marked with the symbols of
the five elements, and follow the path through the
sizzling copper sparks and cooking smoke. You’ll
find yourself emerging in an impossible place, a
shade-dappled cityscape with no sky and no ground:
just endless urban growth, with concrete buildings
that stretch upward and downward seemingly forever.
Some of the best occult suppliers are here in the
far-above and far-below, along with a city’s worth of
hermits and fugitives. Rickety wooden walkways,
trash-filled netting, and criss-crossing bridges block
the sky above– but it’s said that if you can find the
hidden elevators and stairs, or if you can grab the
ropes and windowsills and climb inch by inch, you’ll
eventually find your way to Heaven. On the other
hand, going down to the Thousand Hells is
comparatively easy: Just step out into the air and let
yourself fall.
The Lost Triad

They were ten of the best gangsters in the 14K Triad...
Or was it some other group? After more than a
decade, they’re no longer quite sure. They appear
to be young men dressed in peak 1970s fashion,
along with a mix of anachronistic souvenirs and
keepsakes. If you’re looking for someone in the
Dream City, or if you need some legs broken, they
are the best help money can buy– the only problem
SECTION
AME 137
being that money no longer interests them much. rival families that specialized in the arts of
They may feast and fight and make merry like mortal demon-hunting and assassination. Faced with what
men, but what drives them now are strange secrets they saw as untold danger in the colonies, they put
and rarities, which they hoard without reason or aside their past grudges, recruiting talented psychics
rhyme: heirloom pottery, the cheaply-locked journals and scholars from across the empire to act as the
of teenagers, horrible confessions spoken and sealed eyes and ears of the motherland.
into glass jars. What they’ve nearly forgotten, in all
these mad years, is their search for the ultimate After the Japanese left Taiwan in 1945, the Society
secret: How to break their curse and finally go home. (now called the “ Taipei Society for Rare
Understanding”) shrank considerably, left with only
Draculaland the membership native to the island. Still, it
It should surprise no one that Kowloon Walled City continued operations, diligently keeping records of
was once infested with vampires. The city of Hong Taiwan’s Hungry Dead and spirit-creatures. In 1947,
Kong itself was under strict Camarilla control, which when a flood of Chinese nationals entered Taiwan
left the misfits– Hungry Dead, Sabbat operatives, during the Communist Revolution, the Society was
Tremere conducting unsanctioned experiments– to suddenly faced with a whole new problem: a large
skulk in the shadows of ungoverned territory. The number of demon hunters from the mainland. They
vampires of the Walled City eventually reached a were evidently from an ancient and powerful tradition–
rough peace, which lasted for a few years before the itinerant warrior-monks, many of whom had ties to
city was demolished. But the horrific outbreaks, turf the criminal underworld of Shanghai, and who
wars, and other excesses of the first decades left their preferred the exercise of violence over careful study.
mark on the mortal dreams of Kowloon. The worst The warrior-monks, for their part, were contemptuous
of it lingers still in the spirit world, in the darkest of Taipei’s “Japanese occultists,” who they saw as
parts of the Dream City, where strange monsters weak and borderline monster-apologists.
hold court: not true vampires, but the idea of
vampires. Draculaland is infested with vaguely If it weren’t for a timely explosion in the Hungry
European blood-nobles who hang from the windows Dead population, this tension might have eventually
like bats, and who take delight in torturing and turned into war… But explode the population did,
eating “unruly natives.” and survival in Taiwan suddenly became a team
effort. The warriors rapidly came to understand the
Taiwan value of carefully gathered intelligence– and the
scholars, for their part, learned to appreciate having
The Taipei Chapter House some swords on their side. They reached an accord
The city of Taipei is home to East Asia’s largest by the end of the 1950s, rebranding at last (at the
chapter of the Arcanum. The global Arcanum’s advice of their strategists) as the Taipei chapter house
more radical wing– those who believe that they of the worldwide Arcanum.
should use their knowledge to fight the supernatural,
rather than just study it– are watching the entire Today, the Society has its hands quite full. Along
country with great interest.This is because the Taipei with obser ving the Magpie Court– a
chapter house, unique in the Arcanum, is evenly Quincunx-inheritor which rules over the Hungry
split between regular Arcanists and “Executioners,” Dead of Taiwan– Arcanists can be found advising
whose sole purpose is to seek out and kill monsters. the local Beast Court and trying to smooth over the
They work in teams with their scholarly brethren, many spirit conflicts in the countryside. They also
together taking responsibility for the peace of host Arcanum visitors from all over the world, most
Taiwan’s night world. recently the rising star Sandeep D’Souza, Chancellor
of the New Delhi chapter house. In the wake of his
It’s proof of a concept near and dear to the radical visit, D’Souza has been singing the praises of Taipei,
wing, which the old fossils in England still refuse to making plans for a cell of Executioners in India.
accept: That the Arcanum can be a hunting
organization, maybe even the best in the world, if There are other, less welcome guests: In 1989,
they would just be allowed to use their talents. emissaries from the Okamoto clan returned to
Taiwan, bearing gifts of mystic artifacts and cutting-edge
The Taipei chapter house was formally recognized technology. The Yanagi were defeated, they claimed,
by the Arcanum in 1965, but its history goes back every last son and daughter drained of blood and
much further. Its first iteration, the “Taihoku Subtle their souls eaten like sugar-glass. In response, the
Research Society,” begun in 1899 by rogue elements Okamoto regrouped and modernized, transforming
of the Japanese Imperial Army, had as its founding themselves into a security contractor. Taipei was the
mission the total mastery of East Asia’s supernatural natural location for their first overseas branch office–
realm. Among the Society’s founding officers were But thus far, the Arcanists of Taipei look askance
members of the secretive Yanagi and Okamoto clans– at the friendly overtures of “Strike Force Zero.” Near
as they can tell, the Okamoto clan of old is gone;

these Japanese agents are little better than thugs, THE EDGE OF THE PACIFIC:
just with nice suits and cars to hide their viciousness.
It won’t be long, they fear, before the masks come
KOREA AND JAPAN
off and blood flows. Two countries share the easternmost reaches of Asia.
In the world of daylight, Japan and South Korea
have a long history of cultural ties, which endures
despite the bitter legacy of Japanese colonialism. In
the night world, however, the countries couldn’t be
more different.
Korea is a land much changed by the 20th century

and the turning of the age. What was once an
extension of the courtly grandeur of the Quincunx
has become a sharply divided land: To the north,
the spirit worlds lie in ruins, the result of a terrible
experiment in the powers of Hell. To the south, the
world’s few veins of naturally occurring talismanic
jade have turned the country into a prize for all the
night world, forcing the native Hungry Dead to
become ruthless protectionists.
The “True Bone Societies” that rule Korea’s cities

care little about the finer points of Dharma; they
relegate enlightened hermits and Great Sages to
remote villages, all the better to be ignored.
Descended from the Chinese-style bureaucracy that
defined the (now fallen) Green Court of Kaesong,
each True Bone Society is a cartel organization that
rules the crime and resources of their city– and in
the case of the great capital of Seoul, True Bones
battle viciously to control even individual
neighborhoods and streets.
Meanwhile, across the eastern sea, Japan is a bastion

of tradition faced with a massive challenge. Like
Korea, the upper reaches of dharmic enlightenment
are seen as the domain of a rare and dedicated few.
Instead, the extended mortal and undead families
known as the Great Clans have ruled the Japanese
night for millennia, marrying their power to that of
the Grandmasters of the Petals of Virtue– which
are known in Japan as an (outwardly) unified monastic
order, called the Wheel of the Law or the
Night-Temple.
However, the Hungry Dead of Japan are also not

alone. Native vampires– once called “tsuchigumo,”
after the clan that lost against the Yamato in ancient
myth and legend– have risen up, taking the islands
of Amakusa as their own since 1993. Long oppressed
by the Hungry Dead as pests and monsters, the
former tsuchigumo have declared kinship and
alliance with the Clans of Caine– whose envoys can
hardly hold back their enthusiasm as they encourage
a campaign of revenge.
SECTION NAME 139
THE ONES WHO SURVIVE

From a payphone outside of Ehime, Japan:
“The Okamoto betrayed us. When the Half-Devils targeted our houses and breached our most secure compounds– when
they aimed their claws and teeth at our youngest heirs, like they had been told who to look for– we knew, and we cursed
them.
“So we went to ground, as we always do when the tide turns against us. We erased our identities, we fled to old mountain
shrines, we saved who we could– the elderly who were overlooked by the Okamoto’s spies, the children young enough to
be spirited away before the Half-Devils noticed. And we waited.
“It has been nearly twenty years. Twenty years of hard lessons, of adapting our methods to the changing world. The
Okamoto have new toys, but our old ones are better than ever. They have money and a new name– But we have twenty
years of pure spite, and unlike them, we haven’t forgotten who we are.
“We are the Yanagi, and we will have our vengeance.”
Japan the forests outside Yasaka Shrine, where he said that

Amakusa Vaulderie he was retiring to pray. When his companions went
The Amakusa Islands, off the coast of western looking for him several nights later, they found no
Kyushu, have been a sanctuary for Japan’s native sign of him. Instead, they discovered a copper bowl
vampires for nearly a hundred years. They almost at the base of an enormous wisteria tree, its sides
didn’t make it there: During the last sacred hunt at melted into indelible prints of his hands.
the end of the Meiji period, the few remaining
tsuchigumo fled southward, the Hungry Dead close In the modern nights, the vampires of Amakusa are
at their heels. a force to be reckoned with. They came out of hiding
in the post-bubble years of the 1980s, as the Hungry
It was with their backs to the sea, faced with certain Dead of Tokyo and other major cities scrambled to
doom, that the native vampires found succor from hang onto their suddenly-diminished influence over
an unexpected source: a foreigner, one of the original the mortal world. Claiming the islands as a “vampire
Portuguese sailors who’d found their way to Japan free state” in 1993, the last native vampires of Japan
several centuries ago. His name was Tomas– Tomas declared that they were not afraid, and that they
the Great Friend, as he would be known later– and would not be called tsuchigumo– They were the
he was Hungry Dead. Amakusa Blood Tribe, and they would have their
due.
Tomas had taken the Second Breath in Nagasaki,
learning of his true nature from the Demon What helps the Blood Tribe survive is the web of
Immortals in the Chinese trade settlement. His had alliances they have forged with outsiders in
been a long and difficult road, he said, but he was neighboring Nagasaki. The Camarilla and Sabbat
very nearly there. God had spoken to him for this are both watching Amakusa with great interest,
final mission, directing him to guide the native parlaying with their Japanese cousins and providing
vampires to a land where they would be safe. valuable knowledge of the Cainite world outside
Asia. As for the Great Clans of the Hungry Dead,
He led the tsuchigumo to the territory of Amakusa, as well as the priests of the Night-Temple, the former
where he helped them hide from the ruthless hunters tsuchigumo hold nothing but contempt, along with
of the Great Clans. As it turned out, help was already a desire to bring them to their knees.
waiting for them: The refugees were met by Amakusa’s
own native vampires, an ancient, three-eyed bloodline What also helps them is the fierce loyalty that the
that had long hidden itself among the mortal Amakusa Blood Tribe has to its members, a willingness
Christians. This was proof that God had preserved to die and kill for each other– which comes not just
the tsuchigumo for a purpose, said Tomas– and in from a shared history of suffering, but a shared
this, as in all other things, his faith was absolute. sacrament.
The last sighting of Tomas the Great Friend was in Each night, in a well-hidden ad-hoc church that
changes locations, the Blood Tribe partakes in the

final gift of Tomas the Great Friend: Up to seven
members pour their own blood into the copper relic
bowl that had been found at Yasaka Shrine, along
with a draught of red wine. After a brief reading of
biblical scripture (normally the most righteous and
invigorating parts), the members share a drink from
“THIS MAKES NO the mixed blood, letting each other’s vitae mingle
with their own.
SENSE!” For security reasons, only a few vampires are allowed

to partake in the ceremony at any given time. But
among the Blood Tribe, there is no shortage of
volunteers, as the feeling of trust and communion
Readers may be wondering how the Hungry Dead that they gain is like nothing else. When they drink
and the night world did not understand the existence the mixture of blood and wine, the vampires say
of a separate race of vampires, all while the tsuchigumo that it tastes like something they have earned.
were right there in Japan as a target of ire and
persecution. Why didn’t information about the System: Drinking from the sacred bowl is functionally
Cainite curse spread prior to the twentieth century? similar to participating in the Vaulderie Rite of the
Sabbat. At the conclusion of the rite, any existing
Japan’s long history of self-imposed isolation blood bonds are replaced by a Vinculum rating,
notwithstanding, it’s important to remember that which starts at Vinculum 1 for first-time participants.
the Hungry Dead don’t have copies of Vampire: the The rating thereafter will rise or fall with time,
Masquerade or Kindred of the East to view things on depending on how often the character repeats the
a global level. The Great Clans and the Night-Temple ritual– See V20 for full rules on gaining or losing
understood well that the tsuchigumo were a different Vinculum. In addition, characters with Vinculum
type of monster, but they would have had no reason 3 or higher gain +1 to dice pools to locate other
to connect this information to what little they knew Blood Tribe members in the vicinity, as well as to
of the Mongolian Anda, the Chinese Wu Zao, or fight on the Blood Tribe’s behalf.
the Indian Ravnos, let alone the Cainite clans further
west. The Daisen Rite of the Fire God
The Wheel of the Law has no tolerance for fools.
Of course, a theoretical scholar who knew of all The organization known as the Night-Temple was
these bloodlines, who perhaps also had some founded over a millennium ago, started by young
knowledge of the night world in Europe, might still Hungry Dead who’d learned the ways of the Chinese
have been able to connect the dots. But the other Petals of Virtue. By forsaking the ruling Great Clans
point to keep in mind is that most Hungry Dead of Japan– rejecting the primacy of their familial
simply did not care. They were the unquestioned relations, both living and undead– the monks began
rulers of the night world, living in an advanced and a bloody conflict that lasted for centuries. The Great
cosmopolitan civilization, with plenty to occupy Clans and the Night-Temple have reconciled since
them. Why would they devote their energy to random then, and have even formed into sister institutions–
night-creatures, or to the goings-on in distant lands but the lingering memory of war has made the
that, to them, were in the middle of nowhere? Night-Temple into a harsh taskmaster, which continues
into the modern nights.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t play a historical
game where Cainites and Hungry Dead interact New Hungry Dead in the Night-Temple have only
heavily. As mentioned in Chapter 1, there were a short time to prove themselves. Those who fail to
plenty of individuals with their own stories, which grasp the deeper aspects of Dharma are either expelled
only coalesced into a greater understanding once and pressed into lowly service for the Great Clans–
industrialization and global empire had a role to or, if it seems to be a lost cause, then the Hungry
play. One will simply be destroyed. But when a master
priest still sees a spark of potential in a wayward
acolyte who has failed at everything else, there yet
remains a trial of last resort, which opens every
spring: A one-year training on the great mountain
of Daisen, beginning with the notorious Rite of the
Fire God.
Daisen, on the western coast, is a famous mountain

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in an otherwise sleepy and remote region of Japan. himself. When the first wave of fire engulfs the
Locals have long known the beautiful, treacherous screaming acolytes, some report that they see this
peak as a gathering-place of the gods, and Daisen’s creature in the flames– sometimes in the form of a
main shrine is famed as the home of smiling boy with vermillion eyes and hair, sometimes
Kagutsuchi-no-mikoto, the ancient god of fire who a terrible dragon with white-hot rubies for scales.
burned his primordial mother, Izanami, to death. The fire emerges seemingly from nothing, but it is
In ages past, Daisen was also the training ground no illusion; most of the Hungry Dead will quickly
for mortal ascetic monks, who ascended the foothills join the ashes in which they stand, burnt into
alone to either find the wisdom of the Buddha or charcoal within minutes.
perish. And for nearly as long as the Night-Temple
has existed, it has maintained its own training However, not everyone dies. Everyone is burnt, yes;
grounds on Daisen. the “graduates” of Daisen are always marked by scars,
which they often wear proudly as proof of what they
The acolytes who have been given a last chance must have endured. But of the five or so Hungry Dead
climb the mountain and find the temple on their who come every year for their last chance, occasionally
own, which must be no later than three nights after one (two or three, in an exceptionally good year)
the mortal world concludes its springtime festival. will be found worthy by the god-fire, which burns
Those who fail are sent back to face their final away everything but heaven’s favor. When the pit
rejection. Those who succeed, however, will find settles into smoke and ash and falling petals, those
themselves in a beautiful white grove of plum found moaning in pain but still alive will be unbound
blossom trees, where a trio of demon-masked nuns and sent to the temple. Then the training will
will direct them to stand in the large circle of ash at continue.
the center of the grounds.
The Pearl Court of Hiroshima
It is a fire pit, they explain, after the last person In much of Japan, there is a tradition of the gods
enters and is tied securely to an iron stake– and this “giving assent” to govern the mortal world. Once
marks the beginning of their training. upon a time, when the heavenly kami roamed the
isles, this assent was a real delegation of authority.
Those who survive the Rite of the Fire God will But in the modern nights, it’s become purely
learn that the Hungry Dead of Daisen share their symbolic– The Hungry Dead of the Great Clans
temple with a curious being: a creature of pure living find a Cerulean Veil (or really anyone), designate
fire, who calls himself the vassal soul of Kagutsuchi them “seneschal of the gods,” and then proceed to
ignore the spirit courts except during festivals, when manner in which the Pearl Court maintains its rule.
they need something, or when there’s a problem. The Lower Heavens of Hiroshima are a bustling,
joyous world filled with ghostly markets, shrines
The city of Hiroshima was once a typical example: humming with the echoes of answered prayers, and
Ruled by the Hungry Dead of the pedigreed Asano even bathhouses where the Little Gods can get a
family, they would sometimes go years without a soak and observe the human world… But there is
seneschal. The Little Gods grumbled that they at all times a feeling of control over the city, which
deserved a servant, that it was only proper– but is rumored to be maintained by an army of secret,
kowtowing to fairies and goblins was never considered merciless enforcers.
a high priority, and there were enough masters of
the spirit-arts to put rabble-rousers in their place. The truth is that there are darker places in Hiroshima.
As far as the Hungry Dead were concerned, things In hidden corners, accessible only to senior members
were perfectly fine. of the court, there are wells of Chi still poisoned by
the bomb. These pools are now deliberately
This changed on August 6, 1945, the day that an maintained, fed with a stream of human “volunteers.”
atomic bomb detonated over the city. Everything The things that emerge from the pools are abominable
was obliterated, on both sides of the Gauntlet: creatures, short-lived Half-Devils riddled with hideous
Dragon’s Nests boiled away, spirit pathways warped curses– but they are loyal to the Pearl Court, and
like metal wires thrown into a furnace, and countless they are very quiet in their work.
spirits joined the horrific flood of mortal souls who
met their end. South Korea
When the Little Gods emerged from the wreckage The Itaewon Black Magic Club
to find their home a hellscape, they frantically sought Officially, they are the “True Bone Society of Central
a return to order, looking for the Hungry Dead and Yongsan,” though it’s often spoken dryly– and that’s
the beastfolk to help them save as much of the city in the best of cases. More often, the Societies speak
as possible. But they found no one; the shapechangers of them with undisguised venom, supposedly justified
were dead or dying, and worst of all, the Hungry by a litany of sins: that they like the company of
Dead court of Hiroshima had already departed– foreign Draculas more than their own kind; that
The Asanos, it seemed, had many powerful augurs they harbor dissidents and criminals from all over
in their ranks. the world; that they are trucking with powers that
will someday turn Seoul into a graveyard.
The gods had been abandoned.
All grains of truth, to a degree. But the members of
Tonight, Hiroshima is a thriving port city, filled to the Itaewon Black Magic Club see the disdain of
the brim with humans and spirits alike. Old fears their rivals for what it really is: Confucian elitism,
that the city would become an eternal graveyard, plus a healthy helping of racism and xenophobia–
overflowing with radiation and poisoned Chi, and frankly, some good old-fashioned jealousy.
ultimately never came to pass– The city struggled According to the Black Magic Club, they were the
for a few years, and reckoning with the worst of war ones who took a gamble on the future and won,
is now ingrained into Hiroshima’s identity. But the and now everyone’s just pissed that they didn’t get
roads were rebuilt, as were the spirit worlds, and the to it first.
Pearl Court of Hiroshima is now a mecca for the
Little Gods. Among the True Bone Societies that rose from the
fall of Kaesong, the Black Magic Club was originally
There are just two inconveniences, as far as the the least of them all: an informal, nameless group
Hungry Dead are concerned: composed of all the hard-luck petty criminals,
prostitutes, and abandoned mixed-race children that
First is their status. The Hungry Dead are tolerated made up the undercaste of the Itaewon neighborhood
as guests, but since 1945, they have not been allowed of Seoul. The only thing that kept them from being
to hold power in the city. According to the Pearl wiped out by other Hungry Dead, in the first couple
Court, the Hungry Dead lost the assent of the gods decades, was the protection and generosity of the
when they abandoned Hiroshima and its people to few Ram-Hearted who had decided to make the
the bomb– and any attempt to gain a foothold has Seoul Central Mosque their home. Even after the
been met with vicious retribution. Banned from the bigger True Bone Societies decided Itaewon wasn’t
city itself, the disgraced Asano clan now lurks in the worth their time, the Hungry Dead there struggled
outer suburbs, seething and plotting their return as to survive.
the Night-Temple silently observes.
This changed in the late summer of 1988, with the
The second concern, and the more insidious, is the arrival of the Idorans: three vampires who came one
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night from out of the shadows, with jagged minorities that suffer the prejudice of the other
piranha-mouths and an appetite for flesh worse than Societies. Itaewon’s Hungry Dead are on top of the
any newborn Hungry Dead. They told the Itaewon world, playing host to the foreign Cainites who come
crew that they were natives of the underworld, mystics to Korea’s shores. The Club is even beginning to
who had foreseen the destruction of their home and branch out from Necromancy, learning much stranger
who were seeking a safe harbor before the inevitable. secrets, and they are developing a cataloging system
They saw promise in Korea, they said– and they were that is making their library a rival for the one in
willing to trade their knowledge for a chance at a Jinhae.
new beginning.
If there’s anything currently bothering the Club, it
As it turned out, the Idorans– who also called is that some members have noticed more Idorans,
themselves “Nagaraja”– had powerful, dark new ones, coming from the city of the underworld.
knowledge. They had Necromancy. In fact, there are more Cainite expatriates coming
to Itaewon than ever, a significant portion of them
Park Jaewon, who runs several nightclubs in the with powers of prophecy, who seem in a hurry to
neighborhood, claims that he was the guy who shook receive protection... But surely, it’s nothing to worry
the Idorans’ clammy, clawed hands and started the about right now. Things are good.
seed of the Black Magic Club. He shares this dubious
claim with Min Yuna, who currently heads the Club’s Note: Rules for Itaewon Necromancy are detailed
martial arm. Regardless of the truth, the Hungry in Chapter 4.
Dead of Itaewon– who were never given a strong
foundation in the Godbody or Soul Arts– took to The Jinhae Earth-Prison
Necromancy with headlong obsession. Within a few In the southern industrial city of Jinhae, bounded
years, the Black Magic Club became powerful enough by mountains on one side and the sea on the other,
in its shadow arts, and feared enough, to demand you’ll find a gray office building some distance from
their seat at the table with other True Bones. the port. It’s one of many just like it– perfectly
nondescript, at least to the mortals who buzz around
In 1998, it is now the Black Magic Club who protects during the daytime. Casual visitors will believe the
the Ram-Hearted in Seoul, along with other place to be a rundown chiropractic clinic, or perhaps
an acupuncturist. But those who know what they’re
looking for can find the hidden back room with the
elevator, the one which only has a button to go
down.
The first few basement floors contain a privately

run prison. Each cell is occupied by an unfortunate
soul who was unlucky enough to make enemies with
someone rich, well-connected and amoral enough
to use this place. Prisoners get a television, a toilet,
a cot, and two meals a day– but there are no windows,
nor is there any access to the outside. No one beyond
the prison walls even knows the prisoners are still
alive, and very rarely does a prisoner understand
why they were kidnapped one day and put there.
The guards are trained to be silent and nearly
invisible, no matter how much prisoners scream and
cry in their cells.
Descend even further, and you’ll find floors of a

more bizarre sort:
Entire hallways covered in mystic calligraphy, lit with

hundreds of red candles that expire and relight like
fireflies.
Empty cells lined with beams of black steel, which

subtly contort and moan with pain when you touch
them.
A whole floor with just one set of padlocked doors,

sealed with glyphs of pure silver on the floor and land of the dead to save the king and queen who
ceiling– and whatever is behind the door is banging rejected her. In the end, she becomes the first
with full strength at all hours. shaman, and the patron goddess of all shamans.
There are over a hundred floors like this, each The Princess Bari has long been venerated by Korea’s
descent stranger and more perilous than the last. Cerulean Veils, who see in her the ultimate purpose
of the Hungry Dead. The village gods of old Korea
This, too, is a prison; it is the real prison. may have grown into mighty city gods, and the
guardian tigers now only prowl through mountains
The Jinhae Earth-Prison holds the night world’s unseen by human eyes, but the “Hands of the
worst criminals: the ghost-princes who were never Princess” still diligently serve as caretakers of the
truly born, and thus can never be killed; the captured great threshold. Tonight, they are a militant and
demon generals of the Yama Kings; the smiling organized group, on a level that few Cerulean Veils
Hungry Dead who worship the darkness outside are elsewhere. This is because, alone among the
the Great Wheel, who can corrode your mind just Hungry Dead of Korea, the Hands of the Princess
by looking into your eyes. If a permanent death is struggle to save their homeland from an invasion of
inconvenient or impossible– and if there’s someone hell.
who can pay the handsome processing fees– then
Jinhae is your destination for a permanent solution. There have always been a thousand hells, but they
haven’t always been the same. The Hell of Spiked
The warden of the Earth-Prison, a Devil-Tiger named Chains, which once ruled the Siberian steppes, has
Kim Bora, is young and thoroughly unenlightened long vanished from memory. Conversely, the frozen
in the ways of her Dharma. But the lady nicknamed wastes of the Night Kingdom are said to have taken
“Miss Yeomra” by her subordinates is a brilliant their current form only by the mid-19th century.
administrator, with a near-supernatural talent for Turmoil in the lands of Yomi is ultimately nothing
confiscation and forfeiture. Simply for the treasures new… But what happened in Korea in 1953 was
she seizes, the Greater Changwon True Bone Society something entirely different, unprecedented in its
tolerates her bossing around a sizable contingent of audacity: the deliberate, planned creation of a new
its members. The armory of Jinhae is filled to the hell.
brim with incredible artifacts, including a nearly
complete copy of The Broken-Winged Crane– a fact Its hideous birth started when the first spike was
which Bora unwisely brags about to important hammered into the earth at the 38th Parallel, the
visitors. beginning of the Korean Demilitarized Zone. In the
mortal world, it was done by a random engineer,
What the warden doesn’t know, however, is that nothing special– But that day, the spirits of Korea
there is about to be a jailbreak. screamed in agony as the peninsula’s Dragon’s Nests
were forcefully redirected, drained like severed arteries
The upper-level prisoners are taken for granted, as by a massive geomantic spell. The new hell-realm
a source of cash and sometimes chi– They’re mortals that emerged from the diverted energy was ingenious
who got on someone’s bad side; what else is there and cutting-edge, a vision of horrors to come: an
to say? But they cry themselves to sleep, as mortals endless urban nightmare, where all humanity and
do, and in their dreams they hear the call of the meaning would be ground into dust.
prisoner on the bottom floor: the very first prisoner,
sealed in 1955 at the 108th level, where even the Once the demon city was fully formed, obscene in
elevator can’t directly reach. She is a bodhisattva, its concrete and neon splendor, it is said that a new
she says, an enlightened being who was cruelly Yama King named "Mikaboshi" ascended the throne
chained underground, just like them. in triumph– Then the world snapped like an
overstretched rubber band, unleashing a spirit storm
She teaches them wisdom and magic, and she tells in Korea that raged for several nights. In its wake,
them to escape– not upward, but down. She is the the remaining Hungry Dead emerged to find the
reason the Earth-Prison exists, and one way or northern half of the country in shambles, its spirit
another, she will be free. lands treacherous and run through with poisonous
chi. Many of the old masters were dead or insane,
Those Who Serve the Goddess and the Old Green Court of Kaesong, that shining
Shamanism is only a marginal practice in Korea, beacon of the Quincunx in the hinterlands, was no
the result of hundreds of years of state suppression. more.
Still, the tale of the Princess Bari is about as well
known in Korean culture as any ancient shamanic The True Bone Societies believe that they have
song can be: the story of an abandoned princess, survived and thrived, that they have risen from the
the seventh of seven daughters, who journeys to the infernal devastation that nearly ruined Korea forever.
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In their pride and quiet fear, they reject the majority

of Cerulean Veils as superstitious kooks, ignoring
their warnings that the corruption that created the
Wicked City is still sustaining it, spreading slowly
through Korea’s spirit network like fungus through
a rotting log. The Hands of the Princess receive little
help from their fellow Hungry Dead, as they diagnose
the spread of hell’s influence and attempt to cut off
Mikaboshi’s corruption wherever it can be found.
But it’s just as well. They call out to their goddess,

and in fevered daylight dreams the Princess Bari
answers: They are abandoned, but not without
dignity– and the Veils will save their ungrateful kin,
whatever it takes.
System: If using the optional Dharmic sect system

(see Chapter 5), the Hands of the Princess have
reinterpreted the tenet “Help the spirits who have
strayed from their true nature” to refer to battling
the growth of the Wicked City in the land of Korea.
Whenever they save a spirit from becoming a
mechanical slave to Mikaboshi, or they beat back
the urban hellscape to restore a natural glade, these
Veils have the potential to wipe away 2 Suffering
per night instead of the standard 1.
It is the followers of the Pure Illusion-Truth, fittingly,

INDIA AND THE TIBETAN PLATEAU who point to an apocalypse on the horizon: A demon
Unlike the night world further east, the Hungry will rise in a year’s time, a blood god who will lay
Dead position in the subcontinent is not absolute– waste to the night world and sit on the throne as
In fact, it can be downright precarious. It is only Demon Emperor… But so far, no one is listening.
once one is firmly in the territory of Tibet and
western China that things shift decisively in favor The night world here is desperately in search of
of the Hungry Dead: In Pakistan, the vampires of common ground: between rival Dharmas, between
the Ashirra hold unquestioned dominance, with Hungry Dead and other supernaturals, between
the presence of the Hungry Dead limited to the warring projects of enlightenment. No one has to
Ram-Hearted and the odd ancient Godling. And stand apart, and history proves that working together
in Nepal and India, things are far more mixed, where will produce wonders– It is only a question of whether
the blood-drinking cousins of the night must rub anyone is willing to take the first step before disaster
elbows more often than many of them would like. comes at last.
This region is the cradle of enlightenment and India

dharma, both for the mortal world and for the The Asura-Beasts of Bhuvar
Hungry Dead– and for Cainites, as well. For while There are glorious, maddening beasts in the land
the vampires of Clan Ravnos war viciously with of the dead.
Godlings, Demon Immortals, and other deluded
monsters among the Hungry Dead, they have also In Tirumala, a temple city in the southern state of
long recognized that there are Hungry Dead who Andhra-Pradesh, the Celestial Tribe is intimately
understand the truth of the universal illusion, those familiar with the megafauna that roam the
whom the Ravnos can call brothers and sisters. ghost-world of Bhuvar (known in the western world
Together, they claim to have forged the original as the Shadowlands). In other parts of India, these
Dharma and Road of Enlightenment: the great way creatures are sometimes called the “Children of
of Mayaparisatya, from which all the other Dharmas Kali,” but in Andhra-Pradesh they are referred to as
and Paths are offshoots.
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AME 147
asura-beasts, or simply asura– which not only refers Obviously, not every group survives. It requires not
to the demigods of Hindu legend, but is also an just teamwork and raw mastery of one’s powers, but
ancient catch-all term for things spiritual and also an excellent sense of timing: Take too long, and
powerful, both healing and destructive. the fields of Bhuvar become a deadly patchwork of
clouds and spectral sunshine, which weakens the
Unlike human ghosts, who must struggle to influence asura but also spells certain doom for the Hungry
the mortal world at great cost, the asura-beasts leave Dead. If they do manage to take it down, the surviving
massive ripples in the land of the living simply by Godlings stanch their wounds, gathering around
existing. When allowed to roam at will, their gathering the dying beast to drink together from its heart’s
heralds catastrophe: not just the expected storm blood. The sticky, black substance they sup upon is
floods, illnesses, and violence, but also strange runs amrita, the elixir of immortality, the same as the
of extreme luck and tragedy that turn into mass blood and prayers of the mortal cults they will one
hysteria. For this reason, the Hungry Dead of night raise– but here, tonight, there is the added
Andhra-Pradesh do what they can to steer the beasts sweetness of victory.
away from cities and villages, though specific
approaches differ– The Ram-Hearted, for example, Note: For an example of an asura-beast, see the
prefer to fight the asura only when they pose an spirits detailed in Appendix I.
active threat to mortal Muslims, just as a shepherd
wards off threats to the flock. The Bearers of Varahi
Varahi is a boar-headed goddess of night, known as
Meanwhile, the Celestial Tribe of Tirumala holds a bloodthirsty warrior and marshal of the heavenly
to a more proactive, extreme method. The mythology armies. Given such a fearsome namesake, what
of India, after all, is rife with devi engaging in single surprises those who meet the Bearers of Varahi is
combat with giants and demon armies– While the that they seem a decidedly… un-bloodthirsty bunch.
greatest battlefields are yet to come, say the Godlings, Yes, many of them are quite wealthy, and they have
they can still reenact the glory of the gods by choosing no qualms about showing it off: Jeweled cufflinks,
the greatest of fights, facing the most fearsome of thousand-dollar shoes, and imported luxury cars
enemies. are not uncommon. But unlike other Hungry Dead
in India who claim to do battle with demons and
Over centuries, it has become an initiation ritual of monsters, the Bearers of Varahi are oddly unhostile,
sorts, most commonly taking place during the suspiciously unarmed– and perhaps it's the desire
multi-night festival of Diwali: Young Hungry Dead to show off their perfect teeth, but they smile so
new to the Celestial Tribe (often two or three much. Many come away thinking the name must be
Godlings, but sometimes only one) will be led by some kind of ironic joke.
their elders to the rural edges of Andhra-Pradesh.
There, they are stripped to the essentials and ritually It is not, and the Bearers of Varahi are deadly serious
anointed with special paints made of medicinal when it comes to their mission of crippling the
formulas– which bestow focus and energy, and which beasts who prey on humankind. They simply go
also glow in Bhuvar like multicolored embers. Each about it in a more efficient way than most, by targeting
Godling is allowed to choose a weapon, usually from the financial assets of the Celestial Tribe, demon
an ancient selection of three: a kathari (punch knife), princes, and other beings that they oppose. After
chakram (circular blade), or vajramu (mace). all, it's much harder to pretend at godhood and
other delusions of grandeur when you're flat-broke
Then they cross the Shroud and stand in the great in a world that runs on money– And that's exactly
ruins of Bhuvar, in the vast and empty fields of the how the Bearers like to see their enemies: their
dead, and they wait. It never takes very long. financial kneecaps broken, rendered utterly
powerless, before they're finally struck down. And
At their grandest, an asura-beast can be the height if the Bearers of Varahi and their families get to
and width of a multi-story building. They are economically benefit from the fallout, isn't that a
gestalt-monsters of shadows and hundreds of eyes, perfectly just reward?
a multitude of claws and whipping tails. The beasts
rarely vocalize, but when they do, the noise is a India was the birthplace of modern finance in Asia,
deafening boom that can be heard in the Shadowlands with the continent's first stock exchange founded
for miles; it is so loud, in fact, that echoes can be in Mumbai (then Bombay) in 1875. Almost
heard in the darkest corners of the living world. immediately after, the first of the Diamond Serpents
When the beast appears on the horizon– and it moved their daytime proxies into the organization,
always does, predicted by divinatory rituals and looking to continue the excitement and furious
special arts– the elders withdraw, leaving the glowing, wealth-building of their living days. They were a
minimally armed Godlings to face their battle alone. young and small circle in those early nights, calling
themselves "Lakshmi's Men" after the great goddess
of wealth, power and prosperity– as well as a wink reinterpreted the tenet “Reach out to the world with
to her other role as goddess of Maya, the great human hands” to refer to their work with finance,
illusion. particularly in relation to the tenet “Protect the hope
of enlightenment.” Whenever a Serpent in this club
But it wasn't long before the hidden Serpents found strikes a blow to an enemy using financial means,
others hiding right alongside them. Not only was they have the potential to wipe away 2 Suffering per
the stock exchange filled with blood addicts serving night instead of the standard 1.
British masters, but Lakshmi's Men were horrified
to discover a radically modernized strain of the Midnight Adda
Celestial Tribe, who were making bold moves to Every night in Calcutta, you can count on someone
seize capitalist power– After all, what was finance holding a Midnight Adda. In cha shops, markets
to the Godlings but the exercise of pure divinity, and private parlors, the night people of the megacity
shackling the ghosts of gold and silver to one's will? engage in their most cherished of customs: a
The Diamond Serpents saw that if left to its own temporary, quickly-established social club, where
devices, commerce in the subcontinent– perhaps anyone can drop by and converse with their fellows.
all of Asia and the world– would be subsumed by Violence is strictly forbidden in a Midnight Adda,
the inhuman and profane. The common man would but anything short of it is not– and arguments here
be held in thrall to kings they could not even see, can often reach a stunning level of passion.
and any hope of the world’s enlightenment would
surely perish. Like many idiosyncrasies of Calcutta, the tradition
of Midnight Adda hails from the nights of British
The die was cast at the dawn of the new century, in control. Foreign rule of India’s night world was
a midnight ritual honoring the warrior devi Varahi: always tenuous at best, and it was ultimately
a sister-goddess to Lakshmi, sometimes called a dark short-lived. But much like colonialism left its mark
aspect of Lakshmi herself. The Diamond Serpents in mortal society, the brief reign of the Camarilla
who had found their way into the Bombay Exchange left some of its ideas behind. The most popular of
were no longer young, no longer consumed with these was Elysium: In a city where almost everyone
simply gathering wealth for its own sake. They had hailed from some other part of India, the notion of
awakened to a new purpose, and they took on an a sanctioned, enforced peace, without regard for
appropriately humbled name to reflect their
transformation– for it was said that Varahi often
rides forth into battle astride a walking corpse.
In the decades since, the Bearers of Varahi have

become strong: Diamond Serpents remain only a
minority of India’s Hungry Dead, but the Bearers
make up much of the Serpents’ power, as an organized
syndicate that has little problem drawing new
members– and not just men, in these modern nights–
to its ranks.
With the recent computerization of stock exchanges

around the world, the Bearers find themselves up
against all-new challenges: Far to the east, a group
of Devil-Tigers called the Electric Money Wickedness
Club thwarts attempts by the Bearers to expand
their influence in Asia– for it is only the Wickedness
Club, they claim, who properly fights Hell; all others
are fools and pawns of the Yama Kings. To the west,
the money-makers in Clan Giovanni have watched
the industrialization of India with interest, and their
ghost-slaves have begun to appear in the stock
exchanges with increasing regularity.
In this new, faster-paced world, the Bearers will need

all the boldness and savvy they can muster if they
are to survive.
System: If using the optional Dharmic sect system

(see Chapter 5), the Bearers of Varahi have
SECTION
AME 149
ancient loyalties or rivalries, held great appeal. the relevant Virtue at Difficulty 7, each success
representing one promising person nearby– The
Ultimately, though, an Anglo-style vampire hierarchy Devil Art encourages one to meet people who will
didn’t suit local tastes. In the wake of the British challenge them and make their lives more interesting,
colonial seat moving to New Delhi, attempts to while the God Art version brings the Hungry One
maintain an official Princedom and institutions in closer to people who will be helpful and reflective
Calcutta were met with violent disdain, which only of their own values.
became fiercer after India’s independence. In a
melting-pot city of Cainites both foreign and Indian, Nepal
as well as Hungry Dead of every possible Dharma,
there was simply no appetite for an overlord. The Kailash Parikrama
Mount Kailash lies near the crossroads of Tibet,
Instead, the warrior collective who had driven the India, and Nepal, and it is sacred to the religions of
Camarilla from Calcutta– devoted followers of all three countries. It is said to be the home of the
Mayaparisatya, both Hungry Dead and vampires– gods Shiva and Parvati, as well as the site where the
decided on a different approach to the city’s rule: enlightened Rishabanatha and the tantric master
They took Calcuttans’ notorious love of lengthy, Guru Rinpoche achieved their legendary insights.
impromptu conversations (or adda) and they ran To some, Kailash is even the true location of Mount
with it, adapting Elysium into an institution better Meru: the grounding center of the cosmos, around
suited for their people. Instead of a city prince who which everything else in the universe revolves.
enforces the peace, the powerful of Calcutta call
Midnight Adda to discuss goings-on, to work out To several Dharmas of the Hungry Dead, Kailash
solutions (both savory and unsavory) and delegate is also a sacred destination for pilgrimage. To some
enforcers amongst themselves. strains of the Petals of Virtue, Kailash is the former
home of the heavenly immortals (other, more
Adda is also the tool of choice in the lower levels of sinocentric schools claim the Wudan Mountains of
the night world, all the way down to the Ghouls China). Meanwhile, Indian and Nepalese Rootless
and Dhampyrs. The “Fleeting Elysium” is the premier Trees believe that their Dharma’s forebears received
domain of diplomacy and business… But just as the Secret Wheel of Joy after attempting the
often, supernaturals will call an open Midnight treacherous journey to Kailash’s peak. Others in the
Adda to talk with anyone, which surprises outsiders night world, hearing of the mystical properties of
to the city. Why would you expose yourself to attack braving a view of Kailash at sunrise, simply go in
or the Final Void, they say, just to satisfy a desire to the hopes of finding something useful.
chat?
Much like mortal visitors who wish to take parikrama–
But the Calcuttans simply shrug; if you know, you a sacred walk– around the base of Mount Kailash,
know. An open Midnight Adda is the secret to the Hungry Dead find an easier time going through the
city’s peace, an invitation to the universe to allow mountain ranges of Nepal. Entry through India or
dialogue and the blooming of unlikely friendships. Tibet involves passing through a gauntlet of several
To find an open Midnight Adda, walk through the guardians, from Hungry Dead to wizards and spirits;
city of Calcutta and just keep your senses open. some of them are genuine, while others are just
You’ll feel the pinging invitation in the back of your looking for easy targets. Meanwhile, in Nepal, some
mind: a tug that pulls you past fried fish and sweets Godlings style themselves “gods of the holy journey”
stalls, past the smell of boiled ginger and cardamom, and will take the Hungry Dead to see the best view
through alleyways and hidden corners. Your intuition of Kailash– for a modest fee, of course.
will guide you to just the right spot– if you’re willing
to move where it pulls you. The peak of Mount Kailash is a total mystery to the
Hungry Dead, as none who have attempted the
System: A “closed” Midnight Adda (such as a private ascent have returned. Some say that in the sky above
meeting between Ravnos elders and their Hungry Mount Kailash is a direct gateway to the highest of
Dead counterparts) is a regular social engagement, heavenly realms, and that the purity of it burns with
with no additional systems involved. An “open” an invisible light more powerful than any sun.
Midnight Adda, however, is an invitation to destiny.
It involves the use of a Level-1 God or Devil Art System: Once per lunar month, a Hungry One who
(called Midnight Adda), which can also be taught sees the peak of Mount Kailash from a distance, at
to Cainites as a Level-1 Non-Clan Discipline. sunrise, finds himself refreshed and renewed: His
Chi track is filled to maximum, as is his Willpower;
By activating this power, the player can ask the all Suffering is wiped away– And if it is his first time
Storyteller to bring them to a scene where there are viewing the peak, he also gains a point of dharmic
other supernaturals who want to meet and talk. Roll experience. Subsequent viewings within the same
month offer only non-tangible benefits, and the cost That’s a simple fiction, which obscures a greater and
of being exposed at sunrise means that only the more difficult truth: The native demons of the
most prepared– such as masters of the Godbody of Thousand Hells are not independent and separate
Ash– can do it without risking the Final Void. beings, but infernal emanations– shards both of
their realm and their Yama King.
Tibet
The rulers of hell are so spiritually vast, it is said,
On the Enlightenment of Half-Devils their souls swollen by the turning of the age, that
Most Hungry Dead don’t bother wondering why they cannot help spilling over into the Wheel of
Half-Devils exist. They are pests, hopeless corruptions, Reincarnation. They incarnate pieces of themselves
things to be used or exterminated, as they have in the forms of wicked spirits, which then seek out
always been. The fact that more of them are appearing humans, to make deals and to merge. Half-Devils,
now is a sign of the coming Age of Sorrows, like in other words, are each a human incarnation of a
pox-marks on an old man dying of disease– There’s Yama King.
nothing else to be said, and trying to talk to the
Half-Devils to get rhyme or reason out of them is a Like the legends of the Buddha, who it is said can
fool’s errand. occupy multiple beings at the same time, every one
of the demon-blooded is the tiniest of fractal branches,
The Bone Flower monks of Shigatse– who maintain a piece of royal glory that also embodies the whole.
a secret library beneath the outer foothills of Everest, The Shigatse library is currently split over whether
and who make it their business to know dangerous this represents a loophole– a way for the Yama Kings
things– are hence considered very odd, when it to sidestep their ancient prohibition and interfere
comes to what they do about the demon-blooded: directly in the mortal world– or if it is instead an
Every few years, they leave Shigatse, moving first to opportunity, supposing that the enlightenment of
Lhasa, then out to the rest of the continent, on the a half-devil can reverberate through the very soul of
hunt for new half-devils. They’re seeking the most the Yama King who birthed it.
promising fiends, the ones who have the strongest
whiff of hell and destiny. The ones they find are Redeeming the Thousand Hells is a task almost
given a choice: a swift death, or a chance to live on beyond comprehension, and strengthening the
in the library’s meditation chambers. spiritual power of the most powerful half-devils to
achieve it is incredibly dangerous. But with the
To the Tibetan Hungry Dead, half-devils are not coming end of the current world, they are willing
simply spiritual accidents or products of cruelty. to try anything.
SECTION
AME 151
that in less than a year, his attacks have devastated

SOUTHEAST ASIA Yangon and Mandalay, leaving the Hungry Dead in
Southeast Asia is a rich kaleidoscope of religious chaos. The stories from survivors are chilling: foreign
beliefs, from the majority-Muslim Indonesia to the vampires turning up as piles of ash; Dhampyrs and
mostly-Catholic Philippines, from the Theravada servants drowned, with prayer-strips and heavy
Buddhism of Thailand to the Mahayana Buddhism weights tied around their ankles; newborn Hungry
of Vietnam, all the way to the syncretic secularism Dead chained together, doused in kerosene before
of the city-state of Singapore. Some countries, like a human monk steps up and lights a match.
Vietnam and Malaysia, had to struggle out from
under the yoke of foreign colonialism, while others For U Chan, all is well, for he seeks nothing less
like Thailand have been fiercely independent for than the death of all monsters in Burma.
their entire history. And some, like the Philippines,
achieved democracy after unseating dictators, while Decades ago, U Chan was known as Johnny Myint,
others like Burma have yet to reach such precious a Burmese student in Scotland. A budding talent
stability. for the occult earned him attention from mysterious
benefactors, who offered funding in exchange for
They may share the greater region and the seas, but favors: a spirit summoning here, an odd translation
the cultures of Southeast Asia are each unique. If there, a few cloak-and-dagger trades of artifacts. With
there is one commonality to the night world here, each success, Johnny’s patrons became increasingly
it is that very abundance of uniqueness, and the generous, until the night that they revealed themselves
need to balance the presence of an overwhelming and extended an invitation.
mix of supernaturals and their interests. All of the
Dharmas are fully present here, along with the Beast He had passed all their tests, they said, and their
Courts, Little Gods, Half-Devils and demons, even secret society– the Edinburgh Chantry– was where
centuries of Cainite presence– and with a few notable he could finally learn real magic. Once he was one
exceptions, none of them can claim absolute of them, all the power, wealth and time he could
dominance. ever want would be in the palm of his hand.
It is a region of both camaraderie and civil war, the All Johnny had to do, they said, was let them drink
projects of dictators and demagogues along with the his blood.
undying dream of liberation. Here, perhaps more
than anywhere else, is where the age to come will
be forged and set, whether it is a thousand-year Age
of Sorrows or an age of blossoming hope.
Burma/Myanmar
The Burmese Massasa War
In ancient days, the Hungry Dead and the wizards
of Burma enjoyed, if not friendship, at least a sense
of collegiality. The mystic weikza and the night-dwellers
were said to sometimes seek enlightenment together,
and to assist each other when there was danger in
common– In one noteworthy tale, a group of wizards
and Hungry Dead once stole the throne of the
Demon Emperor from its resting-place in Lanka,
taking great risk to dismantle the cursed palin in
Burma and forestall the Age of Sorrows.
The greatest of the weikza are long gone– either

killed, ascended, or deep in hiding, as Burma struggles
through half a century of civil war. And now a young
wizard currently poses the single greatest threat to
the night world: a zealot by the name of U Chan
Myint.
His devout Buddhist followers say that he is weikza

through and through– but whether U Chan truly
has magic at his command or not, what is true is
To U Chan’s followers, his refusal to become a Cambodia

vampire, the subsequent escape from Britain, and
the long journey back to Burma has become legend. The Hell of Wretched Magic
Johnny resumed his Burmese name and discovered In the ghost-markets of Siem Reap, there is a healthy
many things in his travels: the truth behind magic, market for dead books. Many of the recently deceased
the monsters who wielded its power through human from the 1970s are former students and intellectuals,
blood– and worst of all, the stranglehold that the whose status as Wraiths or Hungry Dead has not
monsters had over humankind, ruling the world diminished their desire to learn– Indeed, the fire
from the shadows. When he finally arrived in Burma burns even brighter in death, with the bitter knowledge
to find more of the same– the creatures in his that they were murdered by the Khmer Rouge simply
homeland calling themselves “Hungry Dead,” dressing for having an education. After nightfall, when the
like monks and feigning respect for the sangha, all spectral colored lanterns emerge to light up the
while gorging on misery– U Chan’s disgust crystallized Shadowlands, the bookhounds of Cambodia cross
into intention and purpose. the Shroud and eagerly head to the streets of Psar
Leu to find something new.
For the past year, the night world has vacillated
between indignant rage and fear, looking for the For the especially clued-in, there’s much more to be
hunters among the mortals. Even their long-standing found here than beloved textbooks or journals of
taboo against feeding on monks and nuns, once poetry. Countless arcane texts were burned in
non-negotiable, has been violated several times over, southern China, both during the Century Rebellion
as young Hungry Dead become paranoid and and as a casualty of the Cultural Revolution, and
desperate. the ghosts of these books and scrolls have trickled
down to buyers in Southeast Asia. Siem Reap, which
As for the elders, they have ensured their own safety. borders the ancient ruins of Angkor, has become
They lie asleep in the Dragon’s Nests of ancient the prime destination if you want to find the best
Bagan and elsewhere, quietly biding their time. The stuff: epics of the heavenly immortals, formulas for
Hungry Dead still active in Burma are the ones too advanced cultivation, topographical maps of the
weak to flee or to claim a Dragon’s Nest, too Hell of Boiling Oil’s seafloor.
unenlightened to avoid the need for blood, too
young and poor to hide within a human herd. For And if you are exceptionally talented, powerful, or
all intents and purposes, they have been left behind destined, the reasons for Siem Reap’s occult riches
as a sacrifice for the wizard and his lackeys. might become clear to you on a moonlit night: As
you turn a corner and see that the ghost-market is
In the meantime, Burma has become an increasingly suddenly empty, you may find yourself facing a short,
strange, dangerous, and hell-tainted world. Demonic elderly woman, arms and torso adorned with rings
spirits, Half-Devils, and other beings are filling in and buckles of hammered gold. Her palms and the
the gaps that the more powerful Hungry Dead left bottoms of her feet will be dyed bright red, a distinction
empty in Burma– And with each passing night, it once reserved only for the kings of Angkor– and
has become increasingly clear that U Chan, for all there’s no mistaking her regal bearing, as she extends
his fanaticism, is unprepared to face a growing army a hand in offering. The woman has many names,
of things much stranger than blood drinkers. but here she is called Grandmother Witch, and she
rules the Hell of Wretched Magic.
Hungry Dead with a knack for prophecy can see
even worse things in store: visions of a dark god Each one of the Thousand Hells claims a particular
crossing the border from Bangladesh, slaking his flavor of sinner: The Pit of Salt and Iron takes
thirst on every creature in his path, taking back his traitors, the Wicked City claims those who die of
long-stolen throne. overwork and corporate anomie, and so on. The
Hell of Wretched Magic takes victims of sorcery,
The thousand-year reign of the Demon Emperor is both those brutalized by cruel magic and those
going to begin, they warn, and this time won’t be corrupted by it– which, since the night world rarely
like the legends– The Hungry Ones are diminished has innocents, is usually one and the same. The
and profane, the greatest weikza an unworthy tortures of this hell-realm are almost purely devised
pretender and demagogue. Surely, it’s said, they will by its prisoners, as damned souls scramble to regain
never come together as they once did, to save the the powers they’ve lost in death and, once obtained,
mortal world and protect the flame of enlightenment. to exercise them with impunity.
Grandmother Witch watches the darwinian free-for-all

from her palace, carefully assessing. The magical
powers used by her prisoners are mere facsimiles,
of course; they can twist their own environment and
SCECTION
AME 153
torment those around them, but they have no chance

of escaping, let alone challenging Grandmother
Witch’s power. But every once in a while, one of
them shows exceptional potential, even managing
to rattle the real bars of the prison. Such individuals
are either invited to the palace to be further groomed,
or they are simply allowed to escape and take the
Second Breath.
THE REAL
In truth, Grandmother Witch is a contender to the
SOUTHEAST ASIA
throne of the Demon Emperor– perhaps the most
serious of them all, though few are yet aware of her. In the original run of Kindred of the East, its
Whereas the Wicked City has hitched its wagon descriptions of the countries of Southeast Asia were
entirely upon the horrors of urbanism and modernity, particularly unfortunate. There is a stereotype of
Grandmother Witch has a different theory about the region as being a wonderland of vices and/or a
the Age of Sorrows: It will be the most powerful age hotbed of crime, and the game line at the time didn’t
of magic ever seen, albeit not a form of magic that do much to try and change minds.
the current world will survive. To that end, she sends
her agents all over the world to collect cursed artifacts, So, here are a few points that a group who knows
to recruit talented infernalists and warlocks, and to absolutely nothing about Southeast Asia may want
shore up her claim to the throne with as much to know, to get them started on a journey of discovery:
forbidden sorcery as she can find.
• In Southeast Asia, religion and history are like
Hence, the ghost-markets are a perfect honey trap– an onion: The remnants of ancient Hinduism
a way to capture the occult addicts and risk-takers, interplay in lively ways with folk animism,
who are willing to make a deal with Hell to get what Buddhism, Islam, Chinese Taoism, and more.
they want. But the location of the booksellers also There are Thai Buddhists who don’t eat beef,
points to a vulnerability, which Grandmother Witch and there are Catholics in the Philippines who
is either unable or unwilling to hide completely: consider visiting the occasional ghost doctor to
that she was once a mortal among the Khmer, many be a no-brainer.
centuries ago, and that old Angkor was her home.
Among the many piles of dead books in Siem Reap, • There is color and life to be found everywhere,
someone who knows what they’re looking for could most famously among outdoor markets and
piece together the life of the woman who would street vendors, and in the cities it’s at all hours–
become a Yama King, to uncover her secrets and But many regular people actually lean on the
challenge her bid to rule the Age of Sorrows. conservative side, and you won’t find them
anywhere near the drinking and party zones
Indonesia where foreign travelers end up.
The Godbody of Smoke • People in the region sometimes have a reputation

If there is one surprising thing to know about with outsiders for following their own timetables
Indonesia, it is that the country is a smoker’s paradise, and for being relaxed about most things, for
even for a time when smoking is still massively better or worse. But that doesn’t mean they’ll
prevalent in the world. The smell of cigarettes, shy away from a righteous fight, as the many
especially the clove smell of kreteks, is an ever-present struggles against unjust rule show in just the last
feature of life in the republic, from the poorest parts few years of the 1990s.
of society to the city mosques and rich enclaves.
As mentioned in Chapter 5, setting a game in Laos,
It is for this reason, perhaps, that young Hungry Cambodia, Malaysia, or any other country of Southeast
Dead who struggle to find their voice have been Asia is an opportunity to use the abundance of
learning the forbidden techniques that they call the resources we now have, to enrich one’s understanding
"Godbody of Smoke"– officially proscribed, by their of a place that too often is ignored or buried under
elders, as the "False Godbody of Poison." shallow assumptions. There is much beauty and
depth to be discovered in this part of the world, if
Every Godbody is a unique piece of enlightenment, one is willing.
and there are as many stories of how they come to
be as there are Godbodies. Some, like the corpse-pillars
of Blood, Bone, Flesh and Jade, are said to be
descended from the arts of the heavenly immortals.
Others, like the Godbodies of Devotion and Illusion,
are believed by their adherents to have always existed, unifying purity of smoke.
pure and perfect since the beginning of time.
System: The Godbody of Smoke has not yet been
On the other hand, there are those who believe that attained; its final form is still unknown. The most
the Godbodies are simply techniques like any other, unusual feature of this Art is that it can be learned
developed through trial and error and the slow pace by both Hungry Dead and Cainites, similar to the
of mastery. They point to the oddity that is the Godbody of Illusion. Cainites must buy each dot
Dragon Tear, or to the forbidden techniques of twice, at the cost of an out-of-clan Discipline.
Hellweaving, as evidence of Godbodies straining
from within the Soul Arts to reach their final form– For those beginning to walk the road to mastery,
Or, if they are familiar with Indonesia in the modern these are the steps that have been found and shared:
nights, they will point toward the restless youth of
Jakarta, and the way they weave cigarette smoke like The First Preparation: Smokeshow (•)
magic. The Hungry One can manipulate existing smoke,
expanding its volume up to the area of a large
The elders of Indonesia's Hungry Dead rule the warehouse, as well as forming it into all manner of
night, and they are as powerful as they are diverse: delightful or horrific shapes.
Godlings who arose during the Majapahit; ancient
Petals of Virtue who lord over parts of Sumatra; For 1 Chi, the student can generate smoke from any
Cerulean Veils who have tended to the spirits of the orifice or from their hands, which is thick,
Krakatoa islands for centuries; Diamond Serpents sweet-smelling, heady, and potentially poisonous to
who wandered the ports of Surabaya before the mortals who experience heavy exposure (roll Stamina
Dutch were even a dream. at the end of a scene to attempt to soak five levels
of bashing damage– or immediately, in situations
These ancients coexist in constant simmering tension, such as a smoke-filled kiss).
jealously hoarding young Hungry Dead and
maneuvering for dominance. If there is just one The Second Preparation:
thing that has kept them from openly going to war, A Smoker Has Eyes in the Back of the Head
it is the strong and heavy hand of the Eastern Road (••)
of Heaven, whose Rams aggressively keep the peace Once per scene, when the initiate of Smoke is
in this Muslim-dominant country. attacked (but before damage or soak is rolled), they
may reflexively turn part of their body into smoke,
But tonight, Indonesia is a land in turmoil, in both taking just 1 bashing level of damage instead. This
the night world and the day. The effects of the Asian is not a fully conscious action, meaning the player
Financial Crisis have buffeted the mortal world like can choose to apply this power even when the
a hurricane, leading to civil discontent and rising character is taken by surprise.
ethnic tensions. Before the year is out, three decades
of authoritarian rule will finally come to a head, For 1 Chi, this can be done an additional number
leading to riots and violence that will leave deep of times in the scene equal to dots in Godbody of
scars on the county and its people. Smoke.
In the chaos and uncertainty of the nights to come, The Third Preparation:
blades will be drawn and old grudges will be settled– Reach of Smoke (•••)
And the young know that it is they who will suffer By concentrating and taking no other action, the
most, if they don't bring their backs together and Hungry One may give a single column of smoke the
knives out first. solidity and reach of a long tentacle, giving them
the ability to take physical actions from sight distance
So they gather in secret, inexperienced Demon (including combat) as if directly present.
Immortals, Godlings, and others. They train together
in warehouses and abandoned fields, teaching each For 1 Chi, the apprentice of Smoke can instead
other what they know, forming a community that enliven a number of smoke-arms equal to dots in
would make their elders furious– even welcoming Godbody of Smoke, though how quickly each arm
Indonesia’s Cainites, the Gangrel Mariners and can react on its own is limited by the character’s
mountain-dwelling Nosferatu, who have long been single initiative roll. The character is also now free
pushed into the shadows and prevented from having to take mental or social actions, such as negotiation.
a voice by those in power.
When the shit hits the fan– and it inevitably will–

they plan to stick together, the young against the
old, the myriad powers of the ancients versus the
SECTION NAME 155
Laos
The Helldivers of Vientiane
Laos is a land blessed by the naga. In the Shadowlands,
ghost-monks who practice the purifying art of
Castigate wear silks woven in elaborate diamond
patterns, bringing to mind the scales of the legendary
healer-serpents. The Hungry Dead, who run the
gamut from Demon Immortals, Godlings, the human
dharmas and everything in between, share a basic
respect for the Godbody of Storms– for the naga,
when pushed to fury, are said to be able to call down
monsoon rains and hurricane wind. And along the
banks of the Mekong River, the shape-changers of
the Beast Courts prefer to be led by the snake-folk,
for it is they who are believed to have the closest
connection to the river and its sacred guardians.
The greatest of the naga is said to reside in the capital

city of Vientiane: a giant, seven-headed king serpent,
which once shielded the Buddha himself from harm,
and which now protects the city and its people. But
for nearly half a century, Vientiane has been closed
to the night world, its portion of the great river
closed and silent. Only a rare few who accidentally
found their way inside and lived– kinfolk and
Dhampyr children, ironically escaping notice by
being too weak and insignificant– have witnessed
the terrible truth: that Vientiane is ruled by a cabal
of monstrous Hungry Dead, who have stolen the
power of the naga king for themselves.
Back during the turn of the century, most of the

hidden Dharma of Ten Thousand Screams threw
their lot in with the burgeoning Empire of Japan,
making plans for a new realm of hell. But a schism
in the south, enamored by the ancient history of
the Hundred Demon Kingdoms, instead decided
on a bid to revive their former rulership– starting
with an artery of spiritual power on the Mekong
River, which had been long protected by the Beast
Courts of Laos.
The night community, already battered by years of

war and unrest, was utterly unprepared for the ritual
that was performed at the banks of the Mekong in
1951, which bound the legendary naga king to a set
of new overlords.
Tonight, the four Ebon Masks who rule the city have
complete control of its environment, like masters
of the Godbody of Jade several times over: Vines
and cables strangle the limbs of people who try to
flee them, streets circle around and don’t go where
they should, vehicles and even animals will move as
if remotely controlled. Worst of all, the Ebon Masks
appear to be unkillable by normal means, as the
power binding them to the naga king has protected
them through decades of mortal turmoil and
supernatural assassination plots.
But all is not lost. As of 1998, the night world of accurate, minus a few cosmetic details. There are
Laos has made a breakthrough discovery, albeit an powerful, malevolent spirits, often women, who
unpleasant one: People who enter Vientiane directly terrorize and feast upon the mortal world of Malaysia,
from the Thousand Hells are cloaked in its energies, much like the Hungry Dead. This is because they
making them effectively invisible to the Ebon Masks are Hungry Dead in their most embryonic and
until sunrise. At nightfall on the Lunar New Year, cursed form. When a human escapes from the
a group of freedom fighters– fera mostly, but some Thousand Hells and is unable to re-enter their body,
Hungry Dead, perhaps even a wizard or witch– will a Langsuir is the unfortunate– and dangerous–
choose to take this most dangerous of routes, armed result.
with a ritual that they hope will restore the naga
king and break the immortality of the seven Ebon Even the spiritually dull and blind will know the
Masks, freeing Vientiane at last. presence of a Langsuir by the sudden darkening of
a room and breath-frost on the windows, by the
They will have two choices: stench of corpses mingled with wisteria, the laughing
of unseen children. Without a physical body infused
The Iron Queen, regnant of the Hell of Being with Chi to provide a measure of containment, the
Skinned Alive, has offered the corridors of her realm Suffering of a Langsuir permeates the world with
to those brave enough to use them. Travelers will abandon, twisting the environment around it with
find themselves in a screaming dune of burning infernal energy. Langsuir are spirits wracked by
sands and endless howling winds, where even one hatred, agony, and a sense of incompleteness, which
step off the black-pebble path will tear one’s flesh can only be calmed for a time by glutting themselves
to shreds– The only way to survive, if you are pushed on Chi– Which, since they are Hungry Dead with
or thrown off, is to shout your worst memories and access to the Demon Arts, results in exactly the
darkest secrets, to “skin yourself” and reveal who carnage one might expect.
you really are. If it pleases the Iron Queen, the winds
will still themselves for a precious few seconds, no All across the night world of Asia, there are escapees
more. from hell who fail to find their bodies, or who don’t
have the strength to reconstitute their corpses from
The Mother of the Depths has also offered safe pyre-ash and grave dust. Some of these unfortunates
passage through the infinite seas of her world– settle for any corpse at all, resulting in an unusual
though “safe” is a relative term, when dealing with rebirth where the soul doesn’t match its original
a goddess of shark-teeth and rainbow eyes of abalone. body (not necessarily a tragedy, for those who were
Outside of a very narrow channel of calm waters, not comfortable with what they were before). Most
the stormy seas will destroy even the hardiest of of the time, however, the escapees who cannot
ships, leaving its occupants vulnerable to complete the Second Breath are simply killed and
monster-sharks and tentacled beasts from out of consumed by more powerful beings, bringing a tragic
nightmare. The only way back, if your vessel loses end to their journey.
its way or is forced off-course, is to offer something
you love to the depths: Drop it into the ocean, lose The mystery of Malaysia is why the corpse-less are
it forever, and the Silver Princess of Pearls may send so much more common than elsewhere, and why
a friendly current to save you. so many are women. Some Hungry Dead point to
the unusual ley lines of the islands, or to an old
Note: For an example of one of the naga, see the story in which Ravana, King of the Demon City of
rules for other supernaturals in Appendix I. Lanka, cursed the Hungry Dead of the archipelago
for rejecting a political marriage. Regardless of why
Malaysia it happens, Malaysia’s Hungry Dead courts are built
to accommodate this nightly reality: Certain cells
Langsuir of Hungry Dead are skilled “Kingfishers,” dealing
In Malay myths and legends, the langsuir is a female with the Langsuir by either helping them complete
ghost– Sometimes it is said to be a woman who died the Second Breath, or by destroying them when
while pregnant, while other legends specify a woman necessary.
who died from the heartbreak of a stillbirth. Adorned
with a white or green dress, fine fingernails, and Accordingly, fostering the newly-risen has reached
flowing black hair, the langsuir drinks the blood of the level of an art form in Malaysia: A Kingfisher
young children and feasts on the fresh entrails of uses fate-reading arts to track a Langsuir (often using
men it meets at night. techniques borrowed from the masters in Singapore),
then captures them using special artifacts. The rite
The Hungry Dead of Malaysia hear such legends requires the Langsuir themselves, a bowl of incense,
and nod their agreement, however soberly: This is and a corpse– which can be their original, a close
one of the few times when mortal stories are fairly match, or one they might like instead. At the end
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of the night, either the Langsuir is reborn as a true always on when the nail has been hammered into
Hungry Dead, or they are considered to be beyond a corpse’s neck, making the Chi Pool no longer
hope. accessible for anything other than the effect. However,
any time the enslaved party experiences an exceptional
System: A Langsuir has a pool of 9 points of Chi, (5+) success, they can push out the nail with a basic
of which it uses one per night. When it is down to Willpower roll, allowing them to take their revenge.
the final point, the Langsuir instead gains points of
Suffering– This Suffering is not tracked, but The Philippines
immediately disperses, causing deleterious effects
wherever the Langsuir goes. In addition, while the The Florentine Heresy
Langsuir is in this starved state, every point of On paper, the Society of Leopold has long protected
Willpower it spends and every strong (3+) success the Philippines from the forces of Satan. Its officers
counts as another point of Suffering, which enhances report to the Inquisitor-General, telling the
existing effects. This cloud of corruption only stops leadership of their daring hunts for monsters, and
when the Langsuir replenishes its Chi– which it can of the demonic talismans that they uncover and
only do by killing and eating the flesh of the living, destroy in the name of the Lord. To date, this has
or through the blood of very young children. much pleased the upper echelons. But the tales are
only half-truths, which carefully obscure the real
For a Langsuir to complete the Second Breath, the relationship between the hunters and the
normal process of waiting for them to do it on their night-brood– For if Rome were ever to find out the
own is not quite enough. Unlike other places, where whole truth of the Philippines, it would invite
the escaped soul simply needs to be led to its body’s nothing less than a bloody, all-out purge.
resting place, in Malaysia the ritemaster must engage
in an extended challenge with the Langsuir, with To the Inquisition, working with witches, shapeshifters
Willpower as the dice pools and Willpower points and revenants is unacceptable. Friendship with such
as health levels. Assistants to the ritual will add one creatures is unfathomable. And yet, the inquisitors
die for the ritemaster per assistant; bringing a mortal of the Philippines count among their allies psychics,
tied to the Langsuir to the ritual will add three; and spirit-healers, ghosts, fairies, beast-people– and most
ritually killing that mortal will add five automatic damning of all, vampires and the Hungry Dead. All
successes to the next roll. of them work together, sharing information, even
fighting together, for the sake of a greater peace.
When the Langsuir is down to 1 Willpower point,
they can be forced into the corpse, whereupon the For those who know their Society history, they might
Second Breath proceeds. see echoes of the Florentine Heresy that once
threatened to split the order. And they would be
Flaw: Reformed Langsuir (3 points) right: In 1658, when Inquisitor Raffaele Renzi was
You spent some time as a tormented, bodiless spirit, sentenced to death for consorting with the enemy,
and you needed help to take the Second Breath– not all evidence of his heretical beliefs– that monsters
Either in your own body or someone else’s. Any were capable of redemption, and that the Society
time you fall into torpor, you must roll Dharma itself needed to make room for God’s grace– was
(Difficulty 7) to avoid losing your grip on the body destroyed. Renzi’s compatriots were forced to recant
you have and becoming Langsuir once again. On their beliefs on pain of the torture rack, but a
the plus side, you get +1 die in interactions with handful, unable to relinquish their convictions,
spirit beings or the various spirit worlds. chose instead to flee. The fugitives went eastward
to Asia, settling in the Spanish colonies– a fateful
Talisman: The Good Wife's Nail (•••••) decision, they discovered, for the night world here
Hammer this nail into the back of a corpse’s neck. If the was unlike any other.
corpse is occupied by a supernatural entity of spirit (such
as a Langsuir, Risen, or even a Hungry One), you now In the Philippines, kapwa– meaning “fellowship”
have total control– Any commands you give must be obeyed or “communion”– is the rule of the night.
by the bearer of the nail to the best of their ability, even Supernaturals of the islands have coexisted for as
self-destructive ones. long as anyone can remember, and the lines of
camaraderie run deep. Even now, as mortal believers
Chi Pool: 5 pray after sunset in the plaza of the Black Nazarene,
Related Special Abilities: Jeweled Eyes (Devil Arts one of the Hungry Dead might do business there
•••, commanding obedience), Throat-Cage of with a fey duwende, a werewolf, and a Cainite from
Heaven (Heavenly Arts ••, controlling the spirit’s the Spanish Kastilla, with none of them so much
ability to leave) as batting an eye at the confluence. In principle, at
least, no one has to be enemies. In other words, the
Note: The Talisman’s special abilities are considered Florentine heretics had accidentally found themselves
in the best of all worlds. Singapore

Tonight, the inquisitors of the Philippines– no The Disobedient Devils
longer a few rogue Europeans, but native islanders The night world of Singapore is a haruspicracy: a
one and all– carefully maintain their secret, sending society ruled through the power of augury and
creative reports to Rome while continuing to practice fortune-reading. With the use of powerful oracular
their forbidden brand of inquisition: peace and arts, problems are studiously predicted and avoided,
cooperation with the best of the night world, balanced crimes and unrest visited early and nipped in the
occasionally by a hunter’s stake and blade against bud. In a secret upper floor of one of Downtown
the worst. Until now, it has been a grand success. Core’s many skyscrapers, a veritable bureau of destiny
even pulls fate’s strings and stays always one step
But as the millennium draws to a close, two problems ahead, shifting the world in favor of the Hungry
now loom before them: Dead and the Golden Lion Court. For this reason,
the Resplendent Cranes count the court as one of
The first is one of faith– not their own, but that of their greatest successes, a city that unquestionably
the Hungry Dead. Despite a majority of Filipinos holds heaven’s favor.
being Catholic, as well as the major presence of the
Eastern Road of Heaven, the most that Catholicism The truth, however, is that the night world on these
has managed to penetrate the Dharmas is in the islands is a highly stratified society, ruled by the
iconography of the Cranes and Veils. But a massive Heaven and Earth Society– an alliance of largely
change is at hand: In Quezon City, a group of Hungry Malay Thrashing Dragons, Bone Flowers from India,
Dead have rediscovered an ancient text, a vampire and Chinese Resplendent Cranes, with the last
holy book called The Gospel of Laodice. The leader group standing as first among equals. Members of
of the group, a former nun named Sofia Alcantara, all other Dharmas, from the most bombastic Godling
has been transformed by the book, shedding her to the quietest serpent, are closely watched and
old Thrashing Dragon beliefs and rocketing toward controlled as “troublemaking elements.” When
a new and mysterious mastery. accused of wrongdoing, there are neither rights nor
room for appeal; unless the accused has something
But, to the dismay of the inquisitors, those who
follow Sofia are nothing like their cousins among
the Islamic Ram-Hearted, who value cooperation
and generosity: These “Crusaders” are fiery, vicious,
self-obsessed, and completely uninterested in
partnerships with unbelievers. When the Western
Road of Heaven grows enough to start claiming
territory in Metro Manila, it is clear that other
Hungry Dead will have to join them– or burn.
The second problem is the bigger one, at least for

the inquisitors themselves: The Society of Leopold–
the true Society, which believes that it destroyed the
Florentine Heresy ages ago– has become a strong,
global force, and the leaders have turned their
attention at last to reorganizing their hinterlands.
The first-ever Provincial of Southeast Asia, a young
and tech-savvy man, is turning out to be a suspicious
and careful auditor, who with every passing day
appears to be inching closer to the truth.
Barring divine intervention, the careful secrecy of

the shared night world is about to come to an end.
The response from on high, when it comes, promises
to be swift and painfully thorough.
Note: The tenets of the Western Road of Heaven

can be found in Chapter 2.
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special to offer the powers that be, they are simply unseen through the night world of Singapore and
disposed of. its many spies, and to at last pursue their own goals.
The ultimate endgame– to gouge out the eyes of
But by whom, one may ask? In this country where every oracle, to break down the haruspicracy all the
the mortal world is so efficient and spotless, where way to the rumored bureau of destiny–grows closer
the Cranes and their lackeys congratulate themselves by the night.
for ruling over a perfectly harmonious and
well-controlled system, who does all the dirty work? Tainted Dragon’s Nest:
The Paper Hell City of Haw Par Villa (••••)
Nearly every new Hungry Dead who rises in Singapore Haw Par Villa, a theme park in Singapore, is infamous
is taken to the city’s oracles, to have their horoscopes for its “Hell’s Museum,” where the tortures of Chinese-style
read and their destinies proclaimed. Those with hells are rendered in glorious, life-size sculptures. It doesn’t
leading potential are placed among the Cranes, those cost much to get in, and the gory simulacra provides only
with other gifts are given to the Flowers and Dragons, brief entertainment– but there is an area that lies behind
and the remainder are simply registered and told to a locked room, where a designer for the villa left a miniature
stay out of trouble. But every few years, one or two city made entirely out of “hell money,” slips of paper
fledglings are set aside, their name and existence intended to be burned as offerings. It is said that the
wiped from the record. It is because their destiny designer was later found dead, his eyes inside his stomach.
shows as an empty, featureless void, which can only
mean the worst possible fate– hence, the only future It is a beautiful, maddeningly precise diorama. The
that remains for them is to become an enforcer. Devil-Tiger rebels who meet in Hell’s Museum at night,
who have discovered the paper city, say that it looks quite
The enforcers are the Golden Lion Court’s open familiar.
secret: A secret police of Devil-Tigers, ruthlessly
trained by a handful of ancient masters. Aside from Max Chi: 16 per night (no more than 4 Chi per
these masters, who count themselves among the person). Note that this Chi is tainted and inflicts 1
upper echelons of Singapore’s night world, the point of accrued Suffering per point of Chi, or
Devil-Tigers don’t have an official presence in the equivalent corruption for other supernatural beings.
city at all. It’s the enforcers who do fate’s dirty work, Note: This Dragon’s Nest is located in the mortal
removing those who have been deemed criminals world, in an area that receives occasional visits but
and spying on the comings and goings of all the is otherwise isolated. As such, the Gauntlet rating
lesser Dharmas. They have no real names, no status is normally 7, lowering to 5 when there are no
to speak of– Given the brutality of their training, mortals present. Note that this Dragon’s Nest, being
many can scarcely even remember who they were. tainted, only allows those who cross the Gauntlet
to arrive in the neon-and-smog streets of the Wicked
Lately, however, there is a wrench in the gears: The City.
Pure Illusion-Truth has secretly followed mortal
Indians to the Lion City, cloaking themselves from Thailand
the all-seeing eyes of Singapore’s augurs. The
followers of Mayaparisatya have discovered the secret The Penitence of Alms
of the enforcers, and they see the servitude of Bangkok, the capital and largest city of Thailand,
Singapore’s Devil-Tigers as an affront to everything was once a city of glorious canals. Some parts of it
they are supposed to be. How can beings who rose still are, though the traditional waterways have
from hell itself be content to spend an eternity become greatly diminished, paved over by construction
skulking in the shadows, nameless and unknown? and polluted by modern industry.
What, indeed, happens to the enforcers who grow
too much in their Dharma and threaten their Bangkok is also a city of temples, which, unlike the
masters? No, they say; this cannot be their true canals, have only proliferated with time. The
purpose. thousands of temples, shrines and spirit-houses in
Thailand provide easy access to cross the Gauntlet.
Fomenting a rebellion takes time, but the great And in both the Realm of Ghosts and Realm of
sibling-rivals of the Ravnos know how to entrench Beasts, the old canals still cut strongly through the
themselves. They have made overtures to promising city, the crisp, colorful ghost-waters providing valuable
enforcers, looking to offer a friendly hand and a transit and riverside commerce.
different perspective. The propaganda of the Cranes
is strong and difficult to break– but a precious few When you wander the banks of the spirit worlds
have done so, young Devil-Tigers looking around after dark, you may run into someone by the water
and finally realizing that they live in a gilded prison. with their head shaved, dressed in the traditional
The Pure Illusion-Truth teaches these new friends robes of a monk. They have no possessions, save for
how to hide themselves from destiny, how to move prayer beads and a small metal bowl; by all appearances
they are just like human monks, going through the Bangkok is ruled by an ancient prince who straddles
traditional rounds to receive whatever food the the lines of several Dharmas: a Diamond Serpent,
community will offer– an ancient and honored with deep friendships among the Chinese Petals of
practice, even in the biggest city in the country. But Virtue, he is also said by Thailand’s Godlings to be
this is not the world of daylight, and these are not an emanation of the god Ganesha. Though he no
mortal mendicants; this is the night world, and they longer strolls the streets and canals as he once did,
are the Hungry Dead. the Prince’s longtime allies and royal guard, the
bird-like creatures called khrut, still soar the skies
The Penitence of Alms is a long-standing institution of the Lower Heavens as a sign that he is favored to
among the Hungry Dead of Thailand, adapted from rule.
the customs of Theravada philosophy. While it may
once have been a practice for spiritual betterment, The khrut may or may not be the monster-birds of
in these latter nights it is often a form of Buddhist legend– and they certainly don’t talk much
punishment– a cudgel wielded by older Hungry either way– but they are bound by ancient agreements
Dead against young ones whom they judge to be inside the city, their loyalty to which is absolute.
making trouble. When a Hungry One who has been judged by his
dharmic betters is caught flouting the Penitence of
A Hungry One who’s been summarily judged by Alms, the khrut swoop down without mercy–
her masters will have her possessions confiscated, inflicting grievous wounds at the first infraction,
handed the beggar’s bowl, and she is thenceforth and carrying the Hungry One into the sky upon the
forbidden to feed. For the duration of the Penitence, second, after which the perpetrator is never seen
which can last for a fortnight or more, they are only again.
allowed to take Chi that has been given to them as
charity. In 1998, there are more Hungry Dead being
punished with the Penitence than ever. Masters and
Anyone of the night world can offer alms, if they so Grandmasters, even Great Sages who have long
choose: It can be fellow Hungry Dead, or it can be withdrawn from nightly affairs, have become suddenly
sympathetic wraiths learned in the Arcanos of Usury, mad for punishment, eager to force the robes for
human spirit doctors, and so on. Custom dictates even the slightest disrespect. Rumors abound of the
that no one has to give, and that if they do, they Prince of Bangkok having risen at last to the Hundred
only offer the absolute minimum: dribs and drabs Clouds– or, in hushed whispers, it is said that his
of blood, tiny offerings of spirit food. The begging councilors have stabbed him in the back and sent
bowl must be able to hold these offerings, which him to the Final Void, and now they feel they have
grant one or two points of Chi at the end of the license to remake the city however they wish.
night– never more.
The long-standing detente in Bangkok between the
Much like the mortals of Bangkok with mendicant Human Dharmas, the Godlings, and the Petals of
monks, there are some supernaturals who give a Virtue was largely due to the Prince, who masterfully
little bit of whatever they can spare as a matter of balanced the worlds of all three groups. Without
habit. However, direct associates of the Hungry Dead him, it is anyone’s guess who will rise to power, and
are forbidden from generosity, or to harbor the who will be driven to extinction in the aftermath.
Hungry Dead in their homes. Even temporary
housing is provided: cramped, uncomfortable Those who believe that Bangkok is about to enter
dwellings near the banks of the spirit canals, which a time of chaos look to the skies expectantly,
are nonetheless safe from daylight. Those who survive wondering what the khrut have seen, what they
the experience are invariably humbled. know, and wondering how to get their attention. A
brave few are prepared to do crime for the greater
Foreign vampires visiting Thailand are often horrified good: to take on the monk’s robes, take blood under
and fascinated by the Penitence of Alms, which in an open sky, and await a dangerous parley under
turn alienates the Hungry Dead. While the Hungry the flapping of wings.
Dead have a general understanding of vitae’s addictive
properties, the abject fear that Cainites have of Note: For an example of a khrut and their ancient
humbly asking for blood still strikes Thais as childish enemies, the naga, see the spirits and supernaturals
and self-obsessed. Is it really so terrifying, they say, detailed in Appendix I.
to be reminded that you rely on others to survive
the night? Dragon’s Nest: Spirit House (•)
Above all, Thailand is a place defined by both Buddhist
Lately, however, a system based on tradition and faith and belief in the spirits. Spirit houses– small raised
spiritual purity is showing signs of strain. effigies of homes or temples, laden with offerings and
complete with figurines of people and items– are a fixture
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of Bangkok and the rest of Thailand, present in many

street corners and near prominent buildings. While not
every spirit house is actually charged with Chi, many that
are tended to by the night world serve as convenient
gateways.
Max Chi: 2 per night, which can be shared with one

other person or creature.
Note: This Dragon’s Nest is typically located in the
mortal world, normally in places with at least some
human foot traffic. As such, the Gauntlet rating is
normally 7, lowering to 5 when there are no mortals
present.
Vietnam
The Rite of Joined Lives (Major Ritual)
The Hungry Dead of Vietnam are well known for
this unique ritual, which defies easy categorization.
A slow ritual unique to the region's Rootless Trees–
who are so common in Vietnam that their masters
take leadership roles, forming the closest thing in
the night world to a Rootless Tree court– it takes
years to activate the Rite of Joined Lives in its entirety.
But once it is done, two people will live a single,
glorious life: the mortal during the day, and the
Hungry Dead during the night.
System: Spend 1 Willpower while in the presence

of both a human baby and one of the Hungry Dead.
The Hungry One can be either the wielder of the
Rite, or one who wishes to receive the Rite’s effects.
From that point on, until the mortal child is ready
(typically adolescence to adulthood, but at least ten
years), the Hungry Dead recipient must visit the
child for at least half the nights of every lunar month.
Visits can be as simple and unobtrusive as watching

the child sleep, but each visit must be no less than
one hour– If the Hungry Dead ever fails in this
requirement, the Rite is ruined and must be
attempted again with a new infant.
Once the mortal has reached the proper age, the

Hungry One changes his body and face to match
that of the mortal, with the help of either specialized
Talismans or a master of the Godbody of Flesh.
Then, in the presence of the rite master, the Hungry
Dead recipient spends one permanent Willpower
dot, and the Rite is complete: The mortal and the
Hungry Dead will share the same appearance,
mannerisms, basic capabilities, and memories,
growing together for the rest of the mortal’s life.
Obviously, this bond is grossly unequal.
The Hungry Dead doppelganger has perfect recall

of the mortal’s waking hours, as if they had lived
those hours themselves. If both are ever awake at
the same time, the Hungry Dead can simply spend
a turn to know exactly where the mortal is and what heritage and to explain her parting gift to her
they are doing at that moment. daughter.
The mortal, however, has nightmarish, fragmented The Hungry Dead of Southern California, in truth,
recollections of what the Hungry One does at night, are a mixed lot. Unlike the established Dharmic
and can only sense the location of their double with schools that are said to exist further north, here you
a Perception+Awareness roll at Difficulty 8, which find all the misfits: Godlings who were kicked out
they can only do if they know the truth at all. And of their bond-circles, trigger-happy True Bones trying
what’s worse, the mortal experiences extreme to stop the smuggling of Korean talismanic jade,
drowsiness whenever the Hungry Dead is active, renegade immortals on the run with pages of The
suffering a -2 penalty to all rolls until they give in to Broken-Winged Crane, utterly bewildered Diamond
sleep. Serpents who struggle to protect their families in
this strange land. But if there’s one thing that unites
If there's one blessing for the mortal, it's that serious all the Hungry Dead, it is the need to stay fed in a
wounds and disfigurements don’t go both ways, nor dangerous world. And the Lucky Bat just happens
does death. If the mortal wises up to what has to be an incredibly potent Dragon’s Nest, one of
happened to them, the only way to be free is to hunt the most plentiful sources of free chi for miles and
down and destroy their other half. miles.
On the other hand, when the mortal dies, the For now, the Lucky Bat is a de facto Hungry Dead
Rootless Tree will spend a long time in meditation, Elysium, where the night people go to rest and
sometimes ritually mutilating themselves to be rid convene with their kind. There is a simple peace
of the old identity as they reflect on what they learned that rules here, enforced by Tiffany and the other
and what it all meant. Then they will decide which patrons: If you make trouble, no Chi for you.
life they wish to live next, and they will move on.
Four things currently have the potential to break
FURTHER AFIELD this peace, turning the Lucky Bat into the site of a
future bloodbath or worse:
The world outside of Asia is a harsh one for the
Hungry Dead, with support and resources few and The first thing is the ghosts and shapeshifters– not
far between (though they do exist– see Appendix I). because they covet the Lucky Bat, but because they
But there is one shining exception, a land that has fearfully avoid it, and tell everyone else to do the
hosted the Hungry Dead for nearly a century and same. They warn Tiffany that every bit of chi drained
a half, and whose night world is now stronger than is like a tiny mosquito bite upon a sleeping god.
ever– though it is not a place without great dangers. And if the creature that’s bound here were ever to
awaken, they say, it would be a catastrophe on the
California level of “Gorool”... whatever that is.
The Lucky Bat Restaurant and The second thing is the Tremere antitribu, who are
Banquet Hall beginning to appear in Southern California with
At the end of a block of strip malls and aging greater and greater frequency. From what anyone
apartment buildings, there is a two-story building can tell, they seem to be answering some kind of
with red Chinese-style roofing, most notable for the summons that is taking them south of the border–
granite haetae statues that flank either side of its but along the way, more than a few of their kind
front doors. Go in, and you’ll find the interior is have sensed the spiritual potential of this “shitty
exactly what one expects from a Korean-Chinese Chinese joint,” and have expressed their confidence
restaurant of Greater LA: ancient posters for Hite in taking it.
Beer and Tsingtao, ceramic teacups so sturdy they
could kill a man, large family tables with lazy Susans The third thing is the Anarch Free States of Greater
and ornate privacy screens. Smells of spice, seafood, LA, who rule the territory that the Lucky Bat sits
fry oil and jasmine tea dominate– And at the end on. Thus far, they have been content to ignore the
of your meal, you will, in fact, get a fortune cookie tiny, insignificant presence of the “Kindred of the
with your bill. East.” But now that these Asians are gathering in
numbers and appear to have a leader– a mere ghoul,
The current owner of the Lucky Bat is Francis Jin, if the reports are true– the calculus of their tolerance
a widower who immigrated from Yanbian and bought has abruptly changed.
the restaurant at the advice of his late wife. Francis’s
only daughter, Tiffany, is Dhampyr– a child of the The fourth calamity, and the least known, is Tiffany
Hungry Dead. After her mother faked her own Jin herself: how much she misses her mother, and
death, she visited Tiffany one night, to reveal her the things she will do in order to see her again.
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The Eastern Mariners Hawaii. Feeding from the laborers who were journeying
Few young members of the bloodline know what to the sugarcane fields, their boat full of corpses and
they were really called, in the time before the princes invalids was quarantined at the harbor of Guam,
of the Camarilla dubbed them the “Eastern Mariners.” which forced them to board another vessel. That
Those princes are long gone, but the name lives on: ship eventually arrived at the Port of Los Angeles,
an obscure reference to an offshoot of Clan Gangrel, where the Japanese vampires were shocked to discover
aquatic monstrosities who are said to haunt the seas. a completely different world– a world where their
Like their namesake, the Eastern Mariners have an kind ruled the night, where everything was different.
unsettling curse: Over time, their inhumanity A land where they would be allowed to thrive.
manifests as shiny scales and razor-sharp fins, bulging
eyes and the hard, permanent frowns of sharks. But And thrive they have: From the original four refugees,
the Eastern Mariners are not kin to the legendary the Eastern Mariners have become a force within
Mariner Gangrel. Indeed, they aren’t really Gangrel the Anarch Free States. While its members often
at all. hail from Asian descent, the modern bloodline has
vampires of every race and ethnicity, in high society
On the darkened coasts of Japan, they were once and low. The youngest take the success of their
known as tsuchigumo. It was not the name of a Clan bloodline for granted, jockeying for influence and
or bloodline, if they ever had such things– This was power like any other Cainite punk– It is the formative
an exonym, an ancient title, which designated their group, the original tsuchigumo and their childer,
kind as eternal enemies of the Hungry Dead. The who understand how far they have come, and just
tsuchigumo were despised, their ability to create how much they could lose.
more of their kind shunned by the night world as
a pestilence. Among the many indignities they And of the original four vampires, there are now
suffered, the tsuchigumo were subjected to regular only three: One of them, the eldest, was lost to an
purges by their Hungry Dead lords, who ritualized unexpected frenzy and Final Death. It occurred after
brutal hunts as a means to purify the land. she caught sight of one of the Hungry Dead, who
was freely walking the streets of her city.
The original Eastern Mariners were escapees from
one such purge, stowing away on a ship bound for The hidden war of the Eastern Mariners is not
sanctioned by the leadership of the Free States, nor
is it much known. The three remaining tsuchigumo
have largely kept to themselves, which they now use
to their advantage as they quietly recruit their
grandchilder and great-grandchilder to hunt down
and exterminate the Hungry Dead in California.
PLAYING AS Overwhelmed by past trauma and the paranoia of
age, they see this campaign as a sacred mission, a
NON-ASIAN battle to keep their adopted home free from the
torments of old.
HUNGRY DEAD For young neonates, however, the battle and its
stakes are far less understood. What’s more, they
are at the front lines of an evolving situation that
There are certain things to keep in mind if you want their grandsires don’t understand, making decisions
to play a non-Asian member of the Hungry Dead: that would make their elders furious. It’s all well
and good to take down bloodthirsty demons from
1) Your game is probably set in urban California. With the old country, who threaten their ghouls or their
a few exceptions, the Hungry Dead don't have a feeding grounds– But what happens when the
society or culture native to Europe or the Americas. demon isn’t very bloodthirsty, or even from the old
The world west of India is a Cainite world, and the country? What happens when he says he’s from San
Hungry Dead who rise within it have a very strong Francisco or San Diego, and not Tokyo? And what
incentive to see themselves as Caitiff or as tragically happens when it’s a mortal you used to know,
abandoned Sabbat shovelheads. Only places where huddled in your cheap haven, who alternates between
the Dharmas have made inroads, like California gibbering about his escape from hell and begging
(and to a much lesser extent in London and New you, begging you, for help?
York, under the heavy shadow of the Camarilla),
are where the Hungry Dead have a greater chance Nicknames: Fishheads– but never to their face.
to be found and taught what they really are. Among the elders of the bloodline, the term “soto
no mono,” or “the ones outside,” sees internal use.
2) Your character is very likely to have ties to an East
Asian, Southeast Asian, or South Asian culture. While Disciplines: Protean, Fortitude, Presence
a wandering Ravnos can teach your character the
Pure Illusion-Truth, or your character could get Bloodline Weakness: The Eastern Mariners are not
tangled up with a Celestial Tribe cult or some markedly different from Clan Gangrel in their flaw,
Scorpion Eaters hiding out in Mexicali, it's a bit other than their animalistic features almost always
harder to simply luck one's way into the Dharmas. being aquatic in nature. The bloodline also suffers
In California, the Petals of Virtue are deeply +1 Difficulty to resist frenzy or rotshreck in the
embedded in Chinese-American culture, while the presence of the Hungry Dead.
Ram-Hearted are among the Pakistani and Indian
Muslim community, just to name two examples. Mark of Excellence
Rather than a prohibition, this is simply an invitation (Talisman •, tied to Status)
to think deeply about your characters connections A Mark of Excellence is a small, spherical gem,
and what matters to them. sometimes made of red amber or pearl, but usually
from jade. The Demon Immortals who call Northern
3) You're unusual, but you're not unique. The reach of California home have developed a range of fashions
Hungry Dead civilization has at times extended into to wear these talismans as jewelry: sometimes
Russia and into the Central Asian steppes, through embedded in a ring or medallion, or set as a bead
the lands of eastern Persia and into the edges of in a forearm-wrapping mala. Younger immortals–
Europe. Other characters are sure to note that you're the kind who square up against rival Anarchs fist
different from the usual mold-- But by default, there to fist– often wear their Mark in the form of an
is no assumption that you will be seen as a unicorn eyebrow stud or cartilage piercing.
or an abomination, unless you specifically want to
tell stories with those kinds of problems. To possess a single gem is to show the world that
you are a member of one of the great Immortal
Dharmas, trained by the New Promise Righteousness
Society of San Francisco. Possessing two gems is a
sign that you have advanced the cause of
enlightenment and have been rewarded by your
elders. Three or more Marks of Excellence, a rare
CHAPTER 6: MANY PLACES TO MAKE TROUBLE 165
status, identifies you as a most fearsome being, a has made inroads into Silicon Valley, riding the
legendary immortal of the Golden State. popular wave of transformational self-help. In Thai
and Cambodian enclaves to the south, the words
Like many time-honored traditions, it was utterly of the Thunderbolt Triune have been heard on the
unplanned. lips of young Hungry Dead, copies of The Mirror of
the World appearing in translation from Pali. And
In the wake of the California Gold Rush, when all across the state, the werewolves are suddenly
Chinese Petals of Virtue came to rescue the newly-risen struggling with defiant spirit courts, empowered by
who were far from home, they quickly came to mysterious spirit roads and guerilla shines that had
understand that they had made a terrible not existed just a few years ago.
miscalculation: The mission to the west, composed
of all four Dharmas, had expected to find an empty, Interesting times have come to California, say the
wild land. What they found instead was a violent elders of the Society– and all who bear a Mark of
frontier, where brutal beastfolk guarded the Dragon’s Excellence must be ready.
Nests, and where parasitic blood tribes exterminated
all threats to their power– a world, truly, where the
Hungry Dead were not welcome.
The “New Promise Righteousness Society" quietly

established itself in Chinatown, succeeding in its
mission to find the just-risen Hungry Dead and train
them in secret. But in just a few short decades, their
own success grew to be a problem, as the
American-born chafed at staying in the confines of
Chinatown. Every time they left the city to feed was
an opportunity to be discovered and destroyed. Still,
this was not China, and the Righteousness Society
was not the Quincunx. They could not hope to
control everything– even so, something would
eventually have to give.
A solution finally came from tragedy: In the chaotic

nights following the Great Earthquake of 1906, a
Sabbat war party attempted a hostile takeover of
San Francisco. Among those who sacrificed their
lives to defend Chinatown and the secret of the
Hungry Dead was an elder Resplendent Crane
named Jiejie Li– At the end of a long battle, she sat
down to meditate with her fatal wounds, clutching
tatters of flesh to her body as she faced the sun. At
the moment she would meet the Final Void, Li’s
body dissolved into a thousand perfect beads of
pearl, amber and jade.
The Marks of Excellence are those remnants. Each

bead is a store of emergency chi, as well as a badge
for fellow immortals to recognize each other across
the state. Over time, the Marks became a fruitful
tool, ensuring the safety of far-flung students and
enabling the creation of a Dharma network outside
San Francisco. After the New Promise Righteousness
Society came out of hiding in the early 1990s,
declaring Chinatown and its Hungry Dead to be an
equal player among the Free States of California,
the Marks of Excellence have become a symbol of
their success, as well as a reminder of what they have
sacrificed.
In the modern nights, the Righteousness Society is

far from the only game in town: The Celestial Tribe
“Real things in the darkness

seem no realer than dreams.”
― Murasaki Shikibu
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APPENDIX I: SPECIAL RULES AND EXAMPLE CHARACTERS

The night world can be a very full place. The main • Rank 0: Primary Aspect 1, Chi and Willpower
purpose of the following appendix is to provide rules 1, 1 health level
for spirits, as well as for the various supernaturals
that share the night world with the Hungry Dead. • Rank 1: Primary Aspect 2, Chi and Willpower
Also included are a sampling of example characters, 2, 2 health levels, 1 Thematic Action
from Hungry Dead and vampires to a few stranger
beings. • Rank 2: Primary Aspect 3, Secondary Aspect 1,
Chi and Willpower 3, 4 health levels, 2 Thematic
RULES FOR SPIRITS Actions
“Spirit,” in this context, refers to the wildlings of • Rank 3: Primary Aspect 4, Secondary Aspect 2,
the Spirit Wilds, the Little Gods of the Lower Chi 4 and Willpower 5 (or Chi 5 and Willpower
Heavens (when they aren’t occupying a mortal 4), 6 health levels, 3 Thematic Actions, 1 Taboo
anchor), ghosts and other entities of the Underworld,
and demons of the Thousand Hells. All of the • Rank 4: Primary Aspect 5, Secondary Aspect 3,
Hungry Dead have the ability to see spirits with Tertiary Aspect 1, Chi 5 and Willpower 6 (or
minimal effort, and to interact with them by learning Chi 6 and Willpower 5), 8 health levels, 4
some basic techniques. Thematic Actions, 1 Taboo
The following rules are intended to help you build • Rank 5: Primary Aspect 6, Secondary Aspect 4,
interesting and flavorful spirits to populate your Tertiary Aspect 2, Chi 6 and Willpower 7 (or
night world. Chi 7 and Willpower 6), 10 health levels, 5
Thematic Actions, 2 Taboos
Building a Spirit
General Rules for Spirit Actions
Every spirit has a Rank, most being somewhere
between 0 and 5. Above Rank 5 is the domain of Only spirits of Rank 3 or higher can take a variety
powerful beings who defy easy categorization: Wildling of different actions in a similar fashion to mortals.
gods like Luna or Helios, the Yama Kings, or Rank 0, 1, or 2 spirits are limited to the overall area
fully-vested Ministers of Heaven. of their thematic actions, which are listed in each
spirit’s description.
A spirit’s Rank determines its Aspects, which function
like Attributes and Abilities rolled into one. Like Whenever the Storyteller has a spirit take an action,
the Virtues of the Hungry Dead, these Aspects are roll the spirit’s primary Aspect if they are in their
Renunciation, Righteousness, Vitality, and native realm, or choose a secondary Aspect to roll
Wickedness, each reflecting the properties of its if they are taking an action in the mortal world. For
realm in the Great Wheel. 1 Chi, the spirit may add another Aspect’s rating as
a dice bonus to all Aspect rolls for the scene (which
Only the most powerful spirits (above Rank 5) have can stack– so Rank 5 characters who spend 2 Chi
all four Aspects available to them. All other spirits can roll the total of three Aspects at once).
have a primary Aspect that corresponds to their
power within their realm, as well as one or two For 1 Willpower point, the spirit may cross the
additional Aspects that they use to cross the Gauntlet Gauntlet in either direction and manifest a form
and interact with beings in other realms, including visible to mortals. They can also spend Willpower
the mortal world. to add an automatic success to their roll just like
other characters. Note that no matter the Rank,
Each level of Rank also bestows a Thematic Action, spirits can only spend 1 Chi or 1 Willpower per
which adds to a spirit’s flavor and can bestow special turn.
abilities (such as the ability to affect the minds of
mortals, or to inflict damage on physical beings). The Aspects in use heavily color how the spirit
At Ranks 3 and above, a spirit possesses at least one appears to mortals and other visitors– Spirits using
Taboo: a condition which, when met, renders the Wickedness will be fearsome and demonic; spirits
spirit powerless in some way. using Renunciation will appear wispy, shadowed
and unnerving; spirits using Vitality will radiate
The basic breakdown for spirit NPCs is as follows: physical energy and presence; and spirits using
Righteousness will be colorful, shining, and emotionally
magnetic.
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Rules for Spirit Combat and Health

When a spirit decides to fight, the Aspect it is
currently using becomes the universal trait for
everything: Add Aspect plus the result of one die
to determine initiative, roll Aspect to attack, dodge,
or soak, and roll successes to determine damage. If
the spirit spends 1 Chi to add another Aspect for
the scene, the additional Aspect gets added to the
initiative total and to attack, dodge, and soak rolls
(not damage rolls).
As mentioned above, Spirits can manifest to mortal

beings by crossing the Gauntlet for 1 Willpower per
scene. But aside from potentially looking scary or
alluring, they can only attack and harm other spirit
beings, unless the spirit possesses a Thematic Action
that indicates that they can ignore this restriction.
Spirits take aggravated and non-aggravated damage

only. Non-aggravated damage is healed at a rate of
1 Chi per health level, which aggravated damage is
healed at a rate of 5 Chi and 1 Willpower point per
health level. When resting in a Dragon’s Nest, the
spirit heals damage in a human-like fashion, removing
non-aggravated levels as if they were bashing damage
and removing aggravated levels as if they were lethal.
When a spirit fills all its health levels with non-aggravated

damage, or a mix of aggravated and non-aggravated,
then the spirit discorporates, becoming an invisible
mote that can’t do anything for the rest of the scene.
Then it either reincorporates and begins to heal (if
it has Chi), or it floats in this halfway-state until it
gathers at least 1 point’s worth of Chi. Spirits whose
health levels fill entirely with aggravated damage
suffer permanent death.
Example Spirits
Wildling: Sparks of the Forest
These spirits grow rarer and rarer with the passage of time,
as pristine forest gives way to corralled nature and manmade
structures. When they are plentiful– like crackling fireflies–
in the Mirrorlands, it means that the physical wilderness
is healthy and feeding into its spiritual reflection. When
they are few, or even absent, then there is a growing sickness
in the world.
Concept: Kodama
Rank: 0
Aspects: Vitality 1
Willpower: 1
Chi: 1
Domain: Sparks of the Forest, like many Rank 0

spirits, have no intelligence understandable to us;
they simply are. They gain both Willpower and Chi
on a regular basis when the forest they call home is
healthy and unmolested; they starve, wither and die
once the trees come down and the wilderness is cut Little God: Door God
through with roads and houses. Rituals to appease the gods of the threshold are not as
common as they once were. But in China and Taiwan,
Ghost: The Knocking Harbinger there are still numerous figures that grace homes and
The Philippines are teeming with ghosts, from dead soldiers important buildings, painted in bright colors on poster
covered in bandages– who unravel themselves with alarming paper or on carved peachwood. And sometimes, when
speed as they chase you down abandoned bridges– to those figures are given their proper due, they will have a
strange demons with razor tongues, who sneak into houses life of their own.
to feed on unborn fetuses. This spirit is one of the less
disruptive examples of its kind in the night world, but it This particular spirit happens to receive regular blessings
is no less frightening to one who receives a knock at the of liquor and beer, spilled upon its door by careless college
door. students– He was once the doorway god of a minor official’s
house, now converted into student housing for a local
Concept: Kumakatok university. His quiet life, however, has taken a turn, as
Rank: 1 the god has noticed nocturnal visits by creatures that feed
Aspects: Renunciation 2 on the helpless students.
Willpower: 2
Chi: 2 Concept: Menshen/Munshin
Rank: 2
Domain: The Knocking Harbinger is a predictor of Aspects: Righteousness 3 (primary), Vitality 1
coming death. When a knock at the door causes Willpower: 3
terror and a change in someone’s behavior, the spirit Chi: 3
regains 1 Willpower. If it eventually results in an
actual death, the Harbinger instantly replenishes all Domain: Door Gods are responsible for the
Chi. protection and good fortune of the buildings they
oversee, and in particular the people who live within.
Thematic Actions: As a Rank 1 spirit, the Knocking This spirit receives Willpower whenever alcohol is
Harbinger is utterly single-minded, having lost most spilled or consumed directly in its presence, and it
of its once-human personality. It does and says very regains Chi at a rate of one per day, provided that
little other than predicting deaths in the mortal a majority of the inhabitants of its building feel safe
world– and in small, subtle ways, also making them and secure– If not, then it regains Chi at one per
come to pass: lunar month, so long as the building still stands.
• You Are Going To Die - The kumakatok isn’t Thematic Actions: As a Rank 2 spirit, the Munshin
perfect, but it does seem to have some precognitive is somewhat one-directional in its thinking,
ability, choosing to knock only when the chances concerned mainly with the goings-on of the building,
are good. If persuaded with a bribe, it may even its residents, and immediate threats and intruders.
talk about some of the promising deaths it It will take some convincing for the spirit to go
foresees. beyond the following possibilities, but it can be
clever when cornered:
• Luck of the House - If he likes you and you

make an appropriate offering, the Door God
can roll to add an extra die per success to your
next endeavor, such as wooing a new lover or
winning a drinking contest. He may also take
dice away from your next roll, if he finds you to
be a bad guest.
• Apparition - The Door God is a skilled mimic,

and has a vague sense of the memories of those
who live in his building. He can easily take the
form of a long-dead grandmother, for example,
or a beloved cat that leads an intoxicated student
away from a Hungry Dead predator.
Note: As a Little God, the Door God suffers greatly

if his anchor– the wooden threshold of the building
itself– is destroyed. Without that protection, he loses
1 Chi and 1 Willpower per scene in the mortal
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world, which only stops if he crosses the Gauntlet per turn) and setting fire to vulnerable objects.
into the Lower Heavens. If he loses all his Chi and
Willpower in this naked state, the Door God unravels • Beast of Magic - To represent the wide variety
and is lost forever. of magical tricks learned over the fox’s lifetime,
she may roll once per scene to determine one
Wildling: The Thousand-Year Fox secret, one weakness, or one clue to something
It is said that when a fox lives for a hundred years, it she currently faces.
becomes a “bulyeo,” a fire fox, capable of human thought
and attaining the secrets of magic. When a fox lives for a Taboo: The Thousand-Year Fox always has a tell:
thousand years, then it is a formidable beast indeed– it Amber-colored eyes, or whiskers, or a red and white
loses its physical shell and becomes very near a god, though tail sprouting from the lower back. This also applies
not a kindly or generous one. After all, a thousand years to foxes who have bonded with the vampires of
of survival breeds a thousand dirty tricks, a thousand Korea, possessing tells that manifest even in the
inhuman tastes. physical world. When a human being locates the
tell and guesses what the gumiho really is, she loses
This is a relatively younger example of its type, a fox lurking all access to her Chi and Willpower for the rest of
in eastern China and Korea, who loves occult secrets and the scene.
feeding on the organs of unwary travelers. For many
centuries, her clan has also enjoyed an on-again, off-again Note: When the gumiho bonds with one of the
partnership with the Korean vampires who live deep in mountain vampires, they are like one being, with
the mountains, hiding from both western Cainite agents access to both Cainite Disciplines (the physical
and the True Bone Societies. They bond together for a Disciplines of Potence, Celerity, and Fortitude) and
while, becoming peerless creatures of blood and magic. It the spirit’s Thematic Actions. If the vampire ever
will soon be time for this one to make such a bond herself. falls into torpor or Final Death, the bond is broken
and the gumiho must move on.
Concept: Gumiho/Huli Jing
Rank: 3 Demon: The Slit-Mouthed Lady
Aspects: Vitality 4 (primary), Wickedness 3 “Am I beautiful? I see… How about now?”
Willpower: 4
Chi: 6 On a moonless night, in an otherwise-empty street, she’ll
appear: a white-clad woman in a medical mask, hiding
Domain: The Thousand-Year Fox has reached her something behind her back as she asks an innocent question.
status by stealing secrets from gods and men alike. If you agree and tell her she’s beautiful, she’ll take off her
This spirit regains 1 point of Willpower whenever mask, revealing a bloody smile slit from ear to ear… And
she learns– or shares– some interesting pieces of if you tell her she isn’t, she’ll show you the scissors she was
information that lead to insight or transformation. hiding in her hand.
As an animal at heart, the fox regains Chi by eating
the internal organs of victims– 1 point for several She isn’t a ghost; not quite. In fact, there was never a time
animals, 3 points for a human’s, and her full Chi when the Slit-Mouthed Lady was a human girl. Instead,
pool for the liver of a human who is pure and morally urban legends of a vengeful spirit– a murdered woman
upright (Humanity 8+). who’d had her face sliced nearly in half— merged with the
infernal energy that bubbles from cracks in the underworld.
Thematic Actions: As a Rank 3 spirit, the In the shadows between the Tokyo Necropolis and the
Thousand-Year Fox is sharp, cunning, and charming, Thousand Hells, a demon of fear was born, and it has
and she only grows more so by the day– As represented only grown more powerful in the decades since.
through the slightly higher trait ratings, it won’t be
long before this fox is Rank 4. Below is a selection Concept: Kuchisake-onna
of the actions this spirit most commonly indulges Rank: 3
in: Aspects: Wickedness 4 (primary), Renunciation 2
Willpower: 4
• Nine-Tailed Woman - The Thousand-Year Fox Chi: 5
may take any beautiful human form it wishes
for the scene, though it must still cross the Domain: The Slit-Mouthed Lady is closely aligned
Gauntlet (or be bonded to a suitable host, such with battered women, as well as anyone subjected–
as a mountain vampire) to be visible to mortals. willingly or unwillingly– to disfiguration and
mutilation. She regains Willpower from being in
• Fire Fox - One of her oldest tricks is still the the presence of their desire for revenge, as well as
most useful in a pinch. The Gumiho may summon from the fear of mortals who possess an abusive
a gout of flame at will, which inflicts aggravated streak. She regains Chi from going dormant in the
damage equivalent to a bonfire (2 health levels dark corners of the underworld, at a rate of one
every three nights. and enemies of injustice in all forms. This spirit
regains Willpower whenever she successfully strikes
Thematic Actions: As a Rank 3 spirit, the down evil, or when she is witness to another being’s
Slit-Mouthed Lady is intelligent and cunning to a moment of insight. As consummate hunters, who
humanlike degree, and the use of her Aspects is not merge humanlike physical perfection with the features
limited to specific actions. However, as the of a bird of prey, the khrut regain Chi by hunting
embodiment of a strange and complicated fear, she or scavenging for fresh kills– normally spirits, but
tends to favor the following: occasionally beings of flesh and blood.
• Surgical Scissors - They are thin, long, and very, Thematic Actions: As a Rank 4 spirit, this garuda
very sharp, appearing in her hand as she wishes. has an expansive mind, at turns stunningly human
If she manifests in the mortal world by spending and occasionally showing that it is much more than
1 Willpower, she may attack with them, inflicting mortal. She is not at all limited to the following
gruesome lethal wounds. actions, but they are emblematic of the god-birds as
a whole:
• Blink of an Eye - The Slit-Mouthed Lady often
moves like a spider or disjointed doll when she • Endless Flight - So long as the khrut has her
gives chase, but that’s only to heighten the fear wings, she never has to stop flying. She can cross
of her victims. When she really intends to go between the night skies of the mortal world and
somewhere, she simply appears– behind the Lower Heavens without even pausing to flap
someone’s back, or just around a shadowed her wings, though she is invisible to human eyes
corner. until she wishes to be seen– often at the moment
of the kill.
• Twisted Desire - She is indeed beautiful, to the
point where otherwise-intelligent people will • Wicked Talons - The khrut are masters of
overlook the fact that they’re alone with a strange weaponry, but none are quite as powerful as
woman in the dark. Even the grotesque truth of their own hands and feet. When attacking targets
her true face has a unique allure, to those who in the mortal or spirit worlds, this spirit inflicts
want to throw their lives away. aggravated damage. If she wishes, the khrut may
also pick up a target up to twice a full-grown
Taboo: Answer yes or no, but the kuchisake-onna human's weight.
cannot stand to be ignored. Those who successfully
act as if she isn't there for a number of turns equal • Scent of the Penitent - The khrut are naturals
to the spirit's Rank will trigger her banishment from at detecting the rot of evil. The spirit can roll to
the area for the remainder of the scene. gauge a Hungry One’s Suffering and other forms
of corruption– and in Bangkok specifically,
Little God: Raptor of Enlightenment whether or not a target has been bound to the
The god-birds go by many titles: Carriers of Vishnu, Penitence of Alms.
Defenders of Dharma, Enemy of All Serpents. In Thailand,
the khrut are steadfast allies of the ancient Godling who • Godly Glory - Lesser creatures quake in the
rules Bangkok, who has withdrawn in recent years– putting presence of the khrut. The spirit may roll at any
the city in a quiet state of chaos, as less righteous Hungry time for the purposes of intimidation or
Dead have risen to rule the city in his place. Still, the browbeating, especially to extract the truth.
khrut maintain their duty to patrol the skies, to eat demons,
and to punish the wayward. Taboo: If the khrut can be shown that she has
wrongfully harmed an innocent, all her Aspects
Below is a typical “ideal” warrior, balanced in both sagacity diminish to 1 for the scene.
and viciousness. Her feathers and armor are flawless, her
knowledge of the Buddha’s wisdom impeccable– and most Note: As an unbound Little God, the khrut is
importantly, her skill at dealing death from the sky is extremely vulnerable to corruption. She loses 1 point
utterly perfect. each of Chi and Willpower for each scene she is in
the mortal world, until she unravels completely and
Concept: Garuda/Khrut is lost or she crosses into the Lower Heavens to
Rank: 4 recuperate. The garuda are very choosy about who
Aspects: Righteousness 5 (primary), Vitality 3, or what they choose to bind with, and would rather
Renunciation 1 play with fire than have an unworthy anchor.
Willpower: 6
Chi: 5
Domain: The khrut are upholders of enlightenment

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Variant Little God: Royal Garuda wood. They simply appear on the horizon from
The grand kings and queens of the khrut are rarely seen, out of nowhere, and then they are upon a
but they are feared in all the realms of the universe. Necropolis in minutes.
Rank: 5 • Titanic Size - The creature can be surprisingly

Aspects: Righteousness 6 (primary), Vitality 4, nimble, when it chooses to be– But when it
Renunciation 2 wants to be heavy, it has a weight and power to
Willpower: 6 more than match its building-like size.
Chi: 7
• Razor-Whip Tentacles - Every asura-beast has a
Modified and New Thematic Actions: different appearance and arsenal of horrors–
• Endless Flight - The royal can fly through the this one in particular has many long and pointed
Underworld and Spirit Wilds as easily as the arms, like an enormous stinging jellyfish. The
Lower Heavens and mortal world, and can lead arms only inflict lethal damage, but limbs stung
other khrut through these realms for no additional by them suffer -4 to all actions using that limb
Willpower cost. for the scene, as a spectral poison renders them
all but useless.
• Horn of Battle - The royal can blow on a massive
ox-horn instrument, which emits a booming call • Corona of Eyes - Not all such creatures can see
to other khrut for miles around. in every direction, but this one is studded with
eyes of every type and description: human eyes,
New Taboo: A Royal Garuda cannot kill another insect eyes, goat and lizard eyes, tormented ghost
of its kind, even one that has committed crimes eyes. There is simply no way to take it by surprise
against enlightenment. One who does so accidentally in a way that involves vision.
will suffer the same death as the khrut it has slain.
• God-Voice - When it senses that it is in real peril,
Ghost (?): Asura-Beast the asura-beast can choose to unleash the power
There are maddening beasts in India’s land of the dead, of its voice to make the world quake. All present
and this is one of them. must roll Dexterity+Athletics at Difficulty 8 to
stay upright, and any white jade buildings nearby
Concept: Child of Kali are liable to crack and fall apart.
Rank: 5
Aspects: Renunciation 6 (primary), Wickedness 4, Taboos: Each asura-beast has a unique weakness,
Vitality 2 which can be discovered through divinatory Talismans
Willpower: 7 or the Soul Arts. This one is weak to weapons made
Chi: 6 of petrified wood, which must be properly prepared
by an artisan to resemble the real thing and blessed
Domain: Asura-beasts, not being talkative, are by an individual with True Faith. With this, and
defined by what they do– and what they do is only this, the asura-beast will suffer aggravated damage
endlessly consume. They passively regain Chi at a and can be killed.
rate of 1 point every five turns, represented through
the things they are constantly eating: bricks of white Secondly, anyone reciting prayers to the gods in the
jade or soulsteel, hapless spectres and wraiths, relic presence of the asura-beast becomes invisible and
ghost-objects… everything goes into their maws and mute to the ghost’s eyes and ears. The asura-beast
vanishes. If there is any hint of a human nature in can only track such people through secondary
them, it is that they regain a point of Willpower evidence, such as footprints or snapping twigs.
whenever they successfully crush something that
actively tries to fight or resist them. RULES FOR OTHER SUPERNATURALS
Thematic Actions: As a Rank 5 spirit, this creature
goes beyond any conception of a human ghost and As mentioned in Chapter 1, the mortal world is full
edges upon being a force of nature. As any Godling of creatures beyond the Hungry Dead. In the night
of Tirumala will attest, the asura-beasts have tricks world of Asia, which includes some of the most
up their sleeve that will surprise and dismay even densely populated places on earth, it is almost
the most prepared warrior in the Shadowlands, these inevitable that Hungry Dead characters will run into
five just being the most unavoidable of them: their fellows of the night.
• Arrival of Doom - An asura-beast cannot be The following are rules intended to quickly model
hunted or tracked, as it moves through all the other supernatural creatures for use in The Relentless
layers of the Underworld like a termite through Age. Those who are interested in higher fidelity may
use Werewolf: the Apocalypse, Mage: the Ascension, Lastly, bear in mind that in this arrangement, a
and the many other World of Darkness games, but character equivalent to your average starting Hungry
bear in mind that those systems were built separately One is Rank 2 or 3. Rank 1 is closer to a Dhampyr,
and may not interact as elegantly with your game of Half-Devil, or mortal folk magician, Rank 4 is a
the Hungry Dead. Dedicant-level character, and Rank 5 represents
someone even more powerful still, in the range of
For ease of play, supernatural characters who are a Master.
not Hungry Dead (or closely related types, such as
Cainites, Dhampyrs and Half-Devils) should be built Example Supernaturals
using mortal and spirit character creation rules,
which are combined as follows: Hedge Sorcerer
Minor sorcerers and practitioners of magic exist all across
After determining mortal traits– Attributes, Abilities, the night world; not just legendary wizards and witches
Backgrounds, Mortal Virtues, Humanity, and who can crater the earth with every spell, but regular ghost
Willpower– assign the character a Rank, including doctors and keepers of folk ways, who represent the spiritual
a Chi rating and Aspects appropriate to their lifeblood of the common people.
supernatural nature. Similar to spirits, the character’s
Domain covers the type of supernatural being they Below is one such person, who considers himself not a
are (including how they regain Chi), and their “magician” so much as someone who just knows what to
Thematic Actions cover their key powers. If necessary, look for, who sees what is lucky and what is not. He uses
they should also have a Taboo, representing any the traditional tools of Taoist religious practices to cleanse
weaknesses. homes and help people– and occasionally, to delve into
the darkness of the night world.
Unlike spirits, supernatural characters are naturally
of the mortal world and must instead use Willpower Concept: Feng Shui Master
if they wish to cross into the spirit realms. Also Rank: 1
unlike spirits, supernatural characters in a pinch Aspects: Righteousness 2
may use Willpower points in the absence of Chi, Chi: 2
with a direct value of one Willpower for one Chi.
SAECTION NAME
PPENDICES 175
Domain: The master works in a language of auspicious

portents and the flows and dams of qi, and he
possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of signs. He
gains 1 point of Chi after he has rested for at least
one scene in an area where he has spent the previous
scene properly arranging the correct elements (rolling
Intelligence + Occult or Awareness, difficulty of the
local Gauntlet rating), or in a place where those
elements have already been properly prepared. As
a hedge sorcerer, he must have his tools and the
proper amount of time in order to access his Thematic
Action. MORTAL NUMINA
Thematic Actions: A hedge sorcerer or psychic at
Rank 0 would be considered barely on the edge of Some groups may wish to represent the rules for
what might be “supernatural” at all. This master, at folk geomancy, feng shui, and other magical practices
Rank 1, has the training and experience to edge into with more granularity. Detailed rules for mortal
a level of power that is more impressive– and sorcerers, for those interested, are available in the
potentially recognizable as magic, which is not always Onyx Path sourcebook M20 Sorcerer, including effects
a good thing. that encompass the abilities of a feng shui master
like the one above.
• Positive Horoscope - The feng shui master may
always add Righteousness as dice to his Occult
and Awareness rolls, but his real specialty is in
arranging the world for the benefit of others.
Once per scene, he may add his Aspect rating
as bonus dice for up to five rolls related to a
specific endeavor, such as delivering a perfect
dinner service, or preparing for an exam– This
endeavor must take place in his immediate
presence, or in a space that he has just prepared
(within the last hour) for luck and good fortune.
For 1 Chi, he may double this bonus for the
scene, or he may place the standard bonus upon
a home for one lunar month.
Mortal-Bound Little God cross fully into the Lower Heavens by spending 1
The types of mortal vessels chosen by the Little Gods are Willpower. This particular tanuki enjoys fulfilling
as wide and varied as the heavenly ones themselves. For small dreams; she regains 1 Chi when she’s directly
every sacred vessel groomed from birth to be an appropriate in the presence of a spoken prayer, and she regains
carrier of the gods, there is a sickly, bed-bound child who her full Chi pool when she helps a mortal surpass
just happened to meet a trickster spirit at exactly the right their self-imposed limitations.
time.
Thematic Actions: At Rank 2, this human-tanuki
This child has grown into a young woman now– and she’s hybrid is no slouch, but she’s not the strongest of
blessedly healthy, made strong by the racoon-dog spirit that her kind, either. The wide variety of magic tricks
sleeps and dreams inside her soul. Those who are clued-in available to her elders– a wild found family of
to the realm of gods and dreams will see a tell-tale mask Inari-gitsune, kappas, and other beasties– are not
pattern on her face, as well as black hands and an yet within her grasp. But what she does have, she’s
unmistakable tail. creative with:
Concept: Tanuki • Racoon-Dog Magic - The tanuki are master
Rank: 2 shapeshifters. As a Little God bound to a mortal,
Aspects: Righteousness 3 (primary), Vitality 1 this character can take any human form by rolling
Chi: 3 Manipulation + Subterfuge. (Those wishing to
pierce the disguise must achieve more successes
Domain: The Little Gods are creatures of heaven on their perception roll than the tanuki’s
and of mortal dreams, whose bodies live partially Righteousness.) For 1 Chi, she can take real,
in the Lower Heavens at all times. Every one of their functional animal forms for the duration of the
kind, mortal-bound or otherwise, has the ability to
scene– but never a large or threatening animal, secretive and paranoid. Regardless, the Hungry Dead are
except as a harmless illusion to scare off attackers. everywhere, and from time to time they have reason to
cross paths and swords with real wizards.
• Treading the Earth - This racoon-dog-girl is
naturally fast and dextrous– and when she needs This one is an itinerant monk, living on the charity of the
to be, she can be very strong, too. Add Vitality communities he passes through and helping solve their
to all of her physical dice rolls; for 1 Chi, she problems before he leaves. He abhors violence, and takes
may also add Righteousness to her physical rolls pains to only move against people as much as he needs to
for the scene. in order to make them calm and ready to talk… But when
it can’t be done, it can’t be done.
Taboo: Binding to an anchor protects the Little
Gods from corruption, but it isn’t perfect. If the Concept: Akashayana Monk
tanuki is forced to be in the presence of hell’s power– Rank: 3
or its mortal reflections, such as misery, tyranny, Aspects: Renunciation 4, Vitality 2
hatred, and other forms of spiritual darkness– then Chi: 4
she will lose one Chi per scene, and once that’s
drained, she will start losing Willpower points. This Domain: The true wizards of the night world are
loss is stymied as long as she makes an effort to exceptionally powerful, but a part of them remains
improve the situation she’s in, but if she is unable as fragile as any mortal. Without the training and
to do anything about it, then she will continue to preparation to resist lethal wounds, they die; without
wither. Once everything is gone, she will fall into a spells or magical items, they cannot contend with
coma and awaken with no memory of her heavenly the spirit realms or arm themselves to fight against
self, unless someone knowingly gives her an offering the other denizens of the night world, such as the
of Chi. Hungry Dead. They, more than any other supernatural
being, rely on Dragon’s Nests both for their Chi
Mystic Warrior and their magic, and thus guard them with fanatical
For whatever reason, humans with true mystic power tend dedication.
to shy away from their fellows of the night– perhaps the
nature of gathering their knowledge tends to make them Thematic Actions: At Rank 3, this monk of the
Akashic Sangha is one of the more accomplished
sorcerers on the streets. Like most of his mystic kind,
he has a set of moves that he has trained to perfection,
but he is bright and capable of great creativity beyond
these as well:
• No Desire - The monk has been trained to keep

his mind still and resistant to the dread powers
of monsters. He may roll Willpower to resist
mind control or pierce illusions like other
supernaturals, and for 1 Chi, he may add his
Renunciation rating to such rolls for the scene
as well.
• No Suffering - Like the Buddha and his legendary

periods of deprivation, the monk has trained
his body to ignore the most hostile environments.
He adds his Vitality rating to all Physical rolls–
and by spending 1 Chi, he can roll to soak lethal
and even aggravated damage with a dice pool of
Stamina+Vitality.
• No Existence - The monk’s ability to disappear

is legendary. Roll his Wits+Renunciation,
Difficulty 6, to allow the monk to vanish from
a scene where no one is watching him,
reappearing in a nearby area of his choice. If he
spends 1 Chi, he also clouds the memories of
anyone looking for him for the scene.
Taboo: Wizards of exceptional power seem to require

SECTION
A NAME
PPENDICES 177
secrecy to access their most potent spells. When (see example spirits), this shapeshifter has access
witnessed by mundane human eyes, their magic to a shocking level of experience and insight.
unravels and becomes inert, or they must hide it She may roll Wickedness at any time, Difficulty
behind tricks and fakery– Why this is the case is a 7, to recall one secret, one weakness, or one clue
mystery to the Hungry Dead. about the situation before her. For 1 Chi, she
can automatically have as many secrets as dots
Beast Courtier in Wickedness.
The Beast Courts of Korea have not done well with the
turning of the age. Where they once had to deal only with • Summon the Eight-Legged - The beast-folk are
a few fox-vampires in the mountains and the Hungry Dead capable of calling animals and wildling spirits
in the Green Court of Kaesong, now they must contend of like kind to their side. Roll Vitality at a
with a hundred different “True Bone Societies,” along Difficulty of the local Gauntlet, with each success
with endless threats to Korea’s precious stores of talismanic representing one creature who is willing to fight
jade. for the Ananasi elder. For 1 Chi, each success
instead represents five creatures.
This spider-woman is an elder of the largest Beast Court
outside of Seoul. Styling herself in the manner of mountain • Spider’s Lair - Particular to the Ananasi is an
shamans, she is now in the position of advising young ones ability to create a small pocket realm, neither
fighting the good fight, a scary grandmother who has fully in the Spirit Wilds or in the mortal world.
wisdom to share. To Hungry Dead and other tainted She may roll Vitality at any time, at a Difficulty
creatures, she has learned that it is better to be simply of the local Gauntlet, to cross into her lair from
terrifying. wherever she is. For 1 Chi, she may cross without
rolling, and she can take a number of additional
Concept: Ananasi “guests” with her equal to her dots in Wickedness.
Rank: 4
Aspects: Vitality 5 (primary), Wickedness 3, Taboo: The beast-folk are weak against silver; touching
Righteousness 1 silver objects brings them great discomfort, and they
Chi: 5 suffer aggravated damage if they are ever struck by
a silver weapon.
Domain: The beast-folk are creatures of both spirit
and flesh, and can cross into the Spirit Wilds by Prince of Serpents
spending 1 Willpower, which becomes no-cost if The naga are particularly venerated in Laos and Thailand,
they can walk “into” a mirrored surface. Like the but the whole of Southeast Asia recognizes these fierce
Hungry Dead, members of the Beast Courts make and (mostly) benevolent beings. Even as far away as Tibet
use of Dragon’s Nests and Talismans unique to their and Korea, people know tales of the giant serpents, who
kind to regain Chi, but when pressed can hunt exist for three great purposes: to call down life-giving rains,
spirits– or people– for more. In the case of spider-folk, to dispense the wisdom of the ages, and to mercilessly hunt
any hunting of mortals means drinking blood; use evil.
the rules for feeding as detailed in V20.
This creature is one of the greater examples of its kind still
Thematic Actions: At Rank 4, this Ananasi is quite active before the Age of Sorrows. Not a spirit and not one
powerful and possessed of many magical secrets. of the beast-folk, he is a true-born naga, naturally half-serpent
These four Thematic Actions are not necessarily the and half-man, though he can disguise himself among
limit of what she can do, but they indicate what she mortals when he must. No other being is as dedicated to
favors and what one may expect from an average fighting against the wave of darkness that threatens to
encounter: consume the world-- except perhaps the garuda, but you'll
never tell that to a naga if you want to keep your head.
• A Thousand Forms - The beast-folk sorceress is
capable, at any time, of shifting into the form Concept: Phaya Naga
of a large, palm-sized spider. She can roll Vitality Rank: 5
at Difficulty 6 to change into this form and back Aspects: Vitality 6 (primary), Righteousness 4,
instantly, or she can spend three turns to avoid Wickedness 2
a roll altogether; alternately, she may roll Vitality Chi: 7
at Difficulty 8 to change into different animals.
For 1 Chi, she may shapeshift for the scene into Domain: Like the garuda, the naga are guardians
a giant, spider-like war form, which adds Vitality of enlightenment and defenders of the land, though
to all her attack and defense rolls, as well as the god-serpents are perhaps more indulgent when
Wickedness to all her damage rolls. it comes to earthly pleasures. This prince regains
Willpower by striking down evil, by bringing wisdom
• Dark Secrets - Much like the Thousand-Year Fox to the ignorant, and by successfully encouraging
others to enjoy love, community and companionship. are granted a reprieve from the naga prince
As a hunting creature at heart, the naga regain Chi himself.
by killing for it, though they will rarely hunt a mortal
human for sustenance alone. Taboos: Despite his great power, the naga prince is
vulnerable in manmade and polluted places, especially
Thematic Actions: Perhaps a true nagaraja, such as polluted water. When he cannot escape such an
the guardian naga of Vientiane (see Laos in Chapter environment, the naga gradually loses power in a
6) would be akin to a true god at Rank 6 or higher. manner similar to Little Gods around spiritual
But at Rank 5, the naga prince is still second to very corruption, with Chi or Willpower fading at a rate
few beings when it comes to the clarity of his thought of one per scene.
and the potency of his powers. Below is a selection
of some things he can do: The naga are also the sworn enemies of the garuda,
the great raptors of enlightenment (see example
• Lordly Bearing - Whether he is in his true form spirits, above). When faced with an opportunity to
or in a mortal disguise, the naga prince never chase and fight one of the khrut, the naga prince
skimps on impressing others, adding his must roll Willpower at Difficulty 7 to avoid falling
Righteousness rating to all social dice pools. For into a frenzied lust for battle, dropping everything
1 Chi, any creatures at a Rank (or approximate else to pick up his sword.
equivalent) lower than his Righteousness must
speak the truth, and any creatures at a Rank
lower than his Wickedness must obey him
EXAMPLE CHARACTERS
unquestioningly.
Hungry Dead and Vampires
• Fecund Waters - The rains brought by the naga
are profoundly restorative and healing– Anyone Artie Huang, Fortune’s Deputy
touched by the first few seconds of a shower that Arthur is one of the growing number of “ABCs” who have
he calls down will gain a floating dice bonus taken the Second Breath on the west coast. A former boxer
equal to the naga’s Vitality, which can be used who never gave the old country a second thought, “Artie
to add to any physical efforts or to speed healing the Artist” saw the light after a brutal beatdown by an
until the bonus is used up. For 1 Chi, the benefit apprentice of Jade, which brought him to the door of the
is doubled. New Promise Righteousness Society.
• Storm of Rage - A naga inspired to rage can also As a celebrant of the Resplendent Cranes, he pays for his
call the weather to harm, summoning winds and lessons by working for the Society’s ruling Minister of
unseasonal frosts at will– Add Wickedness to Fortune. Between collecting tribute money, training in the
the naga’s damage dice pool when such effects Godbody, cracking the skulls of Anarch saboteurs, and
are used in combat. For 1 Chi, the naga prince keeping the spirits and ley lines happy, Artie is beginning
can call lightning, heavy hail, or similar harmful to wish there were more hours in the night.
effects, using a dice pool of Vitality+Wickedness
to determine damage. Concept: Bareknuckle Bureaucrat
Nature: Gallant
• Sagacity of Serpents - To represent the depths Demeanor: Bravo
of an ancient and enlightened mind, the naga Dharma: Resplendent Cranes
prince may roll Righteousness once per scene Master: Han Yue, The Minister of Fortune
to determine one deliberately held secret, one Destiny: Leader of a breakaway Dharmic sect in
as-yet-unknown truth, or one clue to something Oakland
he currently faces, and he does not need to roll
to sense spiritual presences. For 1 Chi, the naga
can look upon any spirits in the area and hunt
them for the scene as if they were physical beings.
• Giant Snake - At the end of the night, the “half

giant snake” part of being naga is perfectly
serviceable. In his natural form, the naga prince
adds Vitality to all physical rolls. For 1 Chi per
scene, his venom inf licts a dice pool of
Vitality+Wickedness in aggravated damage upon
first bite– which, for mortals and other living
creatures who cannot regenerate like beast-folk,
gets rerolled every scene until they either die or
SECTION
A NAME
PPENDICES 179
Attributes She took the Second Breath outside of Mumbai, where

Physical: Strength ••• / Dexterity ••• / she was rescued and fostered by a member of the Pure
Stamina •••• Illusion-Truth. But as the nights go on, she is finding her
Social: Charisma •• / Manipulation ••• / teacher increasingly alien in outlook, with beliefs that she
Appearance • privately finds absurd, whenever she has a moment to turn
Mental: Perception •• / Intelligence ••• / them around and around in her head.
Wits •••
But what choice does she have otherwise? What path can
Abilities Hardipa follow that is true to her heart?
Talents: Alertness • / Athletics ••• / Brawl ••••
/ Intimidation ••• / Streetwise • / Subterfuge • Concept: Burgeoning Lioness
Skills: Drive •• / Larceny •• / Melee •• / Nature: Visionary
Performance (Showboating Fights) •• / Stealth • Demeanor: Judge
Knowledges: Academics •• / Medicine •• / Dharma: Mayaparisatya (for now)
Occult • Master: Jaswinder Singh
Destiny: Founder and sage of the Dharma of the
Backgrounds Lion
Status •
Contacts • (Various lesser spirits of Chinatown) Attributes
Mentor • (A disciple of Jade living in Oakland) Physical: Strength •• / Dexterity •• /
Talisman • (Mark of Excellence) Stamina ••
Retainer • (A mortal son, now grown into a Social: Charisma ••• / Manipulation ••• /
college-aged adult) Appearance ••
Mental: Perception ••• / Intelligence •••• /
Advantages Wits •••
Virtues: Righteousness ••• / Vitality ••• /
Renunciation •• / Wickedness ••• Abilities
Willpower: •••• Talents: Alertness •• / Athletics • /
Chi: 10 Empathy ••••/ Streetwise • / Subterfuge •
Dharma: 1 Skills: Etiquette •• / Leadership ••• / Melee •
/ Stealth •
Arts Knowledges: Academics •••• / Finance • /
Devil Fist • Investigation • / Medicine ••• / Occult •• /
Black Wind • Politics ••
Iron Mountain •
Demon Regalia: Giant Form, Toughened Hide, Backgrounds
Extra Arms Allies •• (A mortal couple, two Sikhs of Mumbai,
Beast Arts: At the Gates of Wind and Water • who– dangerously– are fully aware of what she is)
Godbody of Jade • Mentor •• (A master of the Godbody of Illusion)
Talisman •• (A bronze blade once wielded by her
Roleplaying Hints: You appear to be a thug, a surly master’s master, now ascended)
clenched fist for the powers that stole Chinatown
from the Anarchs of the Bay– And you have no Advantages
problem playing up the ugly bit. But the truth is Virtues: Righteousness •••• / Vitality ••• /
that you want to be the best at whatever you put Renunciation •• / Wickedness ••
your heart into, and nothing gets you going like the Willpower: ••••
purity of unarmed combat. Even so, you respect Chi: 10
people who fight in their own way. Sometimes you Dharma: 1
even think you’re beginning to understand all the
“harmony of heaven” stuff they’re always yammering Arts
about. Iron Mountain •
Demon Regalia: Loyal Chakram
Hardipa Kaur, Questioner Heavenly Arts: The Scent of Heaven’s Favor •, Read
Hardipa grew up a Sikhi in Punjab. She fled from the Destiny ••
strictness of her parents’ home as soon as she came of age, Godbody of Illusion •
after which she was murdered by a jealous lover and
plunged into the jungles of Lanka– a planned sacrifice to Roleplaying Hints: Many Hungry Dead pick the
the demon of the temple, from whom she only barely wrong Dharma at the start of their long journey,
escaped. and in that respect you’re nothing special. But you
are gradually returning to the faith of your childhood,
to the sacred teachings of the gurus– and if your

destiny goes a certain way, you’re going to stick with
it through your eternal night. You’re catching whiffs
of other Sikhi in the past who took the Second
Breath, who may have been so successful that they’ve
already ascended. Or maybe not. Either way, you’re
going to find out.
Lin Xiao, Warlord of the North

Grandmaster Lin is power personified. She tells many
tales of her mortal days, most of them definite falsehoods–
She was a dancer in the court of the first Han emperor;
she disguised herself as a man and was a leader in the
Yellow Turban Rebellion; she was a skilled groom of the
Great Khan's horses, who liked China so much she decided
to stay. No one knows the truth.
What people do know, however, is that Grandmaster Lin

rules the city of Beijing with absolute control, only keeping
counsel with her circle of students, now all Masters
themselves. She believes that she is the sole Demon Immortal
fit to rule the new China– of this, she and her students
have no doubt whatsoever.
Concept: Deadly, Smiling Conqueror

Nature: Autocrat
Demeanor: Bon Vivant
Dharma: Devil-Tigers
Master: Old Li of the Yellow Dunes (now ascended)
Destiny: Dead at the hands of General Ma Hai-Lan
in single combat
Attributes
Physical: Strength •••••• / Dexterity ••••••
/ Stamina •••••
Social: Charisma ••••• / Manipulation ••• /
Appearance ••
Mental: Perception ••• / Intelligence ••••• /
Wits •••••
Abilities
Talents: Alertness •••••• / Awareness •••• /
Athletics ••••• / Empathy ••/ Streetwise •••
/ Subterfuge ••••
Skills: Brawl ••••• / Etiquette •••• /
Leadership ••••• / Melee ••••• /
Stealth ••••
Knowledges: Academics •••• / Investigation •••
/ Medicine ••• / Occult •••• / Politics •••••
Backgrounds
Dragon’s Nest ••• (a personal grotto under the
largest building in Beijing)
Dragon’s Nest •• (a secondary location, found at
the end of a road in the Spirit WIlds)
Talisman ••••• (a ceremonial shield depicting
the five realms of the Great Wheel, which allows
her to cross into any realm she wishes)
Allies ••••• (her students, powerful and
independent but fiercely loyal)
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A NAME
PPENDICES 181
Contacts ••••• (a network of well-fed ghosts who

act as spies for the Grandmaster)
Retainers ••••• (a small army of Dhampyr children,
some of them hers)
Advantages
Virtues: Righteousness •••• / Vitality ••••• /
Renunciation ••• / Wickedness ••••••
Willpower: •••••••
Chi: 20 (3 Chi per turn)
Dharma: 6
Arts
Devil Fist ••••••
Black Wind •••••
Demon Regalia: Horns, Skinner, Monstrous Maw,
Extra Arms, Inhuman Dexterity, Eyes of Darkness THE DHARMA OF
Beast Arts: At the Gates of Wind and Water (•),
Healing Sleep (••), Junkyard Menagerie (•••), THE LION
Running with the Wolves (•••), Stone Lion
(•••••) When Hardipa– or one of her Sikhi predecessors
Devil Arts: Tears of Hell (•), Wrathful Ajna (••), in the night world– forges a Dharma based on the
Joyful Spark of Union (••••), The God of Being teachings of the gurus, its tenets and triggers for
Crushed to Death (•••••) Suffering will be as follows:
Ghost Arts: Ghost Mask (•), Like a Wisp (••),
Through the Spider-Lily Gate (•••) Tenets
Heavenly Arts: The Scent of Heaven’s Favor (•), Breathe, and be with God in every breath.
Wayward’s Brand (••), Fate of One (•••) Lust, anger, greed, attachment, ego– These are the
The Dragon Tear: Perfect Eye of Heaven (•••) five thieves; resist them.
Hellweaving: Flowing Canal of Hell (•••), Wax Compassion, truth, humility, contentment, love–
Seal of the Demon King (•••) These are the five treasures; cherish them.
Godbody of Flame ••••• Share what you have with those in need.
Godbody of Bone ••••• Above all: Earn your existence with honest labor.
Godbody of Blood ••••
Godbody of Flesh ••• Example Suffering Triggers:
• Using an inhuman appearance or monstrous
Roleplaying Hints: You were actually no one amazing behavior beyond what is needed in order to
in your mortal life, an unwanted daughter who failed protect.
to marry and who died from having your parents • Turning away from someone in need when you
drown you during an ancient famine. It was the are able to help.
Second Breath that gave you power and purpose, • Lying, especially in order to achieve a goal that
and it is the night world that you seek to thank for harms someone.
the beauty that is your immortality– by ruling over • Benefitting from someone else’s labor without
China as its new empress regnant, of course. You offering anything in return.
have seen the agents of Ma Hai-Lan’s “Heaven-and-Hell
Legion,” but you have no fear. They are mere ants
trying to chip away at your power, nothing more.
Tamaki Sui, Amakusa Ninja

Sui is a fervent believer in the Blood Tribe. A half-Chinese
woman, originally from Okinawa and transplanted to
Kyushu, she was well-acquainted with what it took to be
an outsider: a good scowl, a take-no-shit attitude, and a
willingness to hit first. After dropping out of high school
and drifting for years, she was embraced by one of the
tsuchigumo, who was one of the first people to show her
unconditional kindness and compassion.
Under her sister-sire’s tutelage, Sui learned to still her

raging heart, to wear a convincing smile, to embrace the
peace and mystery of silence– and now, as an agent for
the Blood Tribe, she has found purpose and belonging of similar skills but higher seniority)
at last. Generation •
Contacts • (Camarilla operatives in Nagasaki)
Concept: Modern-Day Kunoichi Resources •
Nature: Anarchist Status • (Amakusa Blood Tribe)
Demeanor: Child
Clan: Caitiff (Amakusa Blood Tribe) Advantages
Generation: 12th Virtues: Conscience ••• / Self-Control •••• /
Destiny (optional): Entangled with a lover from the Courage ••••
Scorpion Eaters Willpower: •••••
Blood Pool: 11
Attributes Humanity: 7
Physical: Strength •• / Dexterity ••• / Vinculum: 7 to her sister-sire, Midori
Stamina ••
Social: Charisma •• / Manipulation ••• / Disciplines
Appearance ••• Valeren (Path of the Healer) ••
Mental: Perception •••• / Intelligence ••• / Celerity •
Wits ••• Obfuscate •
Abilities Roleplaying Hints: The truth, beneath whatever
Talents: Alertness •••• / Athletics ••• / disguise or refined manners you put on, is that you
Intimidation •• / Streetwise •• / despise bullies and take great pleasure in seeing
Subterfuge •••• them knocked down. You view the Hungry Dead,
Skills: Drive • / Etiquette •• / Firearms •• / both the Great Clans and the Night-Temple, as the
Larceny ••• / Melee •• / Stealth ••• ultimate tormentors, privileged and seemingly secure
Knowledges: Investigation •••/ in the big cities of Tokyo and Osaka. Hence, you’re
Medicine (poisons) •• happy to take orders from your sister-sire, wearing
a variety of disguises and identities, doing whatever
Backgrounds dirty work is necessary to take back Japan from the
Mentor • (Her sister-sire in the Blood Tribe, possessed real monsters. If your enemies show you kindness
THE INEVITABLE COMPARISON

In a white room fight between a Cainite and one of the Hungry Dead, who would win?
There’s no avoiding the fact that the Hungry Dead are individually powerful in combat. All of them have a
built-in potential to deal aggravated damage through Demon Regalia, and having Regalia also means that
they are effectively never unarmed. In addition, a majority of them have some means to deal truly grievous
wounds through the advanced applications of Black Wind or Devil Fist. If a player decides to optimize in
character creation for combat– by, say, purchasing a Demon Art to 6, which also comes with three pieces of
Demon Regalia– then it’s fully possible that they could turn the average Camarilla neonate into blood paste,
provided they’re willing to accumulate the cost in Suffering. And that’s not even considering the possibilities
of the Soul Arts.
Bear in mind, however, that a game is rarely just a single white room fight, and that Cainites as a whole have
thrived in a world filled with Lupines, archmasters of the Technocracy, and other, much stranger things. In
the actual world of the setting, Hungry Dead characters are aware and careful about the buildup in their
Suffering– which happens astonishingly quickly, when one wants to guarantee the outcome of a fight. And
rare is the character who won’t have some kind of personal connection that can be exploited by a careful
vampire, able to make their own personal army of Renfields, using the resources of the Camarilla at their
disposal.
This book endeavors not to shame those who want to simulate combat; those can be very fun. But hopefully
a one-on-one fight between a Child of Caine and a Demon Immortal is a dramatic event in play, with both
an interesting road that led to it and an interesting road of consequences.
APPENDICES 183
or mercy, it’s not necessarily going to change your Attributes

mind about anything… at least not right away. Physical: Strength • / Dexterity •• / Stamina •••
Social: Charisma •• / Manipulation •• /
Dhampyrs, Half-Devils, and Demon Appearance •••
Mental: Perception ••• / Intelligence ••• /
Hunters Wits •••
Tiffany Jin, Keeper of Elysium Abilities
Tiffany grew up doing homework in the steaming kitchens
of the Lucky Bat, which has survived gang wars, obtuse Talents: Alertness •• / Awareness •• / Empathy
city health officials, and more than its fair share of rowdy ••• / Leadership •• / Streetwise • /
drunks. Her father’s been a walking shadow ever since Subterfuge •
Mom disappeared, but someone needs to step up to serve
the crazy night crowd– So, she figures, it may as well be Skills: Crafts (Yanbian-style Chinese cuisine) • /
her. Drive • / Etiquette • / Performance (Zither) • /
Stealth •
As the de facto head of Southern California’s number one Knowledges: Investigation •• / Medicine • / Politics
spot for the Hungry Dead, Tiffany is beloved and protected • / Occult •••
by a motley assortment of night-monsters. In secret, she is
also learning that the fruit of her parents’ love– both the Backgrounds
restaurant and herself– is far more interesting than anyone Allies •• (Major allies: 1 - a curmudgeonly Devil-Tiger
could have imagined. who was in love with Tiffany’s mother; 2 - a
recently-deceased cousin who is now a powerful
Concept: Beloved Local Waitress ghost)
Nature: Idealist
Demeanor: Survivor Contacts ••• (Major contacts: an Anarch
Parent’s Dharma: Rootless Trees powerbroker from Long Beach; a representative from
Destiny: Dread Messiah of the Neverborn the New Promise Righteousness Society of San
Francisco; a respected elder of the Diamond Serpents
in greater Los Angeles)
Dragon’s Nest ••••• (The Lucky Bat Restaurant Empathy •• / Intimidation • / Streetwise • /
and Banquet Hall, also known as the bound resting Subterfuge ••
place of Eater-of-Eyes, ancient god and son-husband
to the Labyrinthine Neverborn) Skills: Animal Ken •• / Etiquette •• / Stealth •
Knowledges: Academics • / Computer • /
Advantages Investigation •• / Medicine • / Occult ••
Virtues: Conscience •••• / Self-Control ••• /
Courage •••• Backgrounds
Willpower: ••••• Allies •• (Another Half-Devil, a friend of your devil
Humanity: 7 half– but not you)
Contacts •• (a Demon Hunter in training, who is
Dhampyr Advantages a boy from a neighboring school)
Ghost Arts: Ghost Mask • Resources •
Chi: 3 (Luck points: 7 per scene, per point of Chi)
Advantages
Roleplaying Hints: Beneath your friendly waitressing Virtues: Conscience •••• / Self-Control ••• /
skills, people find you to be eminently practical and Courage ••••
no-nonsense, which is exactly how you want to come Willpower: •••••
across. You’re a little too young to be trying to keep Humanity: 7 (max 8)
it all together, which you hide by championing your
community– both local Chinese-Americans and the Half-Devil Advantages
night people– with everything you’ve got. Secretly, Demon Regalia: Razor Claws, Glider Wings
you miss your mom terribly, and any evidence of
her greater plan for you will lead you to make rash Roleplaying Hints: The truth is that you’re afraid:
and unwise decisions. afraid of the demon inside you, afraid of telling
anyone– because they wouldn’t understand, and
Fujimoto Asahi, The Unlucky One frankly, why would anyone have a reason to care
Asahi was a loner growing up, and she’s still a loner now: about you now? Ironically, the desperate situation
a bitter wallflower, thinking snide thoughts at the happy you’re in seems to make your devil half your only
people around her going about their happy little lives. An real friend. But you can tell she’s starting to get
orphaned childhood, going from unwelcome home to frustrated with your lack of development, and more
unwelcome home, has left her soul closed off and dark– and more often you’re waking up from nightmares
Perhaps a perfect candidate to join the Hungry Dead, if with strange instructions, ritual components… The
the demon hadn’t found her instead. things needed to call on your devil half’s boss back
home.
Yoru-no-hana is Asahi’s dark passenger, seeing what she
sees and whispering in her mind at all hours. A devil of Okamoto Risa, Oddball Occultist
the Thousand Hells, it took advantage of a moment of Strike Force Zero R&D was not Risa’s first choice of career.
peril in Asahi’s life, and now the girl is merged with the But she needed to do something in the family, and the
demon forever. “She” is now “they,” and they have big rapid modernization of the Okamoto clan’s business under
plans in store for the mortal world. the new family head has opened up job pathways that–
thankfully– don’t require her to carry a sword and kill
Concept: In Over Her Head bloodsucking demons.
Nature: Curmudgeon
Demeanor: Chameleon Risa is making good use of her master’s degree in folklore,
Demon: Yoru-no-hana, Rank 4, Demon of Perfect not to mention her hobbyist’s interest in metalworking
Peace (i.e. of All-Out War) from the Hell of and welding. Nobody in the clan likes the folks who toil
Upside-Down Sinners in the workshop, but everybody needs the tools. Sometimes
Destiny: Gold-hearted friend of new Half-Devils she even leaves little signatures on company weapons that
she’s especially proud of, which she regrets whenever she’s
Attributes drinking alone at night and she hears something in an
Physical: Strength • / Dexterity ••• / alleyway.
Stamina •••
Social: Charisma • / Manipulation •• / Concept: Nerdy Weapon-Maker
Appearance ••• Nature: Artisan
Mental: Perception ••• / Intelligence ••• / Demeanor: Loner
Wits ••• Destiny: Excommunicated from her family, on the
run with a Yanagi clan assassin
Abilities
Talents: Alertness ••• / Awareness •• / Attributes
SECTION
A NAME
PPENDICES 185
Physical: Strength •• / Dexterity •• / Executioners on their missions. As she’s grown older and
Stamina •• made friends among the Arcanists, however, she has begun
Social: Charisma ••• / Manipulation ••• / to spend more and more time at the library, growing
Appearance •• interests she’d never imagined before.
Mental: Perception ••• / Intelligence •••• /
Wits ••• Concept: Arcanum Intern
Nature: Conniver
Abilities Demeanor: Dabbler
Talents: Alertness •• / Awareness ••• / Empathy Destiny: Author of the second Kindred of the East
••• / Subterfuge •• memorandum, the "Analects of the Damned" papers
Skills: Animal Ken • / Crafts (metalworking) •••
/ Etiquette ••• / Melee • / Stealth • Attributes
Knowledges: Academics •••• / Investigation ••• Physical: Strength •• / Dexterity ••• /
/ Occult •••• / Technology •• Stamina ••
Social: Charisma ••• / Manipulation •• /
Backgrounds Appearance ••
Resources •• Mental: Perception ••• / Intelligence ••• /
Allies •• (a duo of Strike Force Zero field agents– Wits •••
both cousins and childhood friends)
Hunter’s Talisman ••• (a tanto short sword with Abilities
a handle wrapped in an ancient invocation to the Talents: Alertness •• / Awareness •• /
goddess Amaterasu-no-mikoto– when activated, it Empathy •• / Intimidation •• / Streetwise •••
emits a flash of blinding light with each successful / Subterfuge •
blow, inflicting Strength+1 dice in aggravated damage Skills: Animal Ken • / Brawl •• / Etiquette • /
upon vampires and Hungry Dead) Melee •• / Stealth •
Knowledges: Academics • / Investigation •• /
Advantages Occult •••
Virtues: Conscience ••• / Self-Control •••• /
Courage •••• Backgrounds
Willpower: ••••• Mentor •• (The vice-chancellor of the Taipei chapter
Humanity: 7 house)
Contacts •• (various junior Arcanists)
Demon Hunter Advantages: Hunter’s Talisman • (a crystal pendant that acts as
Chi: 1 a lens, showing spiritual corruption)
Roleplaying Hints: You’re a folklore geek, a scrawny Advantages

ne’er-do-well, trying to make your way in a clan of Virtues: Conscience •••• / Self-Control ••• /
too-cool-for-school Demon Hunters in suits and Courage ••••
mirrorshades. But damn it, those agents in the field Willpower: •••••
who look down on you would be D-E-A-D without Humanity: 7
your gear, and that keeps you going. You just wish
they’d treat your creations better… Also, you keep Demon Hunter Advantages:
telling the higher-ups that you think someone’s Chi: 1
following you, that someone is carving graffiti that Battle Arts: Mastery of Wounds (Self-Control)
says “vengeance” and “traitor” in places where you
can see– but nobody’s listening to you about that, Roleplaying Hints: You currently stand at a major
either. It’s your safety on the line, so what’s the harm crossroads in your life. In one destiny, you will be a
in taking your work home with you? superb Executioner, one of the best in a generation–
and like all Executioners, you will eventually die or
Josephine Chan, Promising Apprentice retire after a crippling injury, and that will be the
Josephine was born to be an Executioner, at least on paper. end of it. In another destiny, you go to the other
An American-born troublemaker transplanted to the city side of the Taipei Arcanum, to the bookish Arcanists
of her parents, she broke her way into the Taipei Arcanum’s and their ways of careful study and critique. There,
chapter house thinking she could find something good to like most Arcanists, you will likely slide into obscurity
sell. And when she got caught up in an ugly incident and scholarly minutiae… or perhaps something
involving a captured vampire, she put up enough of a fight grand and intriguing waits for you in this future,
that the head Executioner was impressed. too.
She’s late to the way of the Demon Hunter, but she’s more
than made up for lost time, shadowing more experienced
Assorted Secrets Virtues: Righteousness •• / Vitality ••• /

Renunciation ••• / Wickedness •••
Marissa Reyes, Lost Lamb Willpower: •••••
Marissa began her unlife in a mass grave outside Oklahoma Chi: 10
City. Her packmates still share the story of how she literally Path: 1 (Power and the Inner Voice; no special
chewed her way out, leaving nothing but shreds of the Suffering triggers. Marissa will only lose this dot if
unfortunates who were buried with her– evidence, to them, she violates the worst of the Path's sins, or if she
that she was destined for greatness. abandons the Path to pursue Dharma.)
In just a few years, Marissa has established herself as an Arts

exemplary member of the Sabbat, currently acting as scout (Note: Marissa knows none of the true foundations
for a major war party that is making its way west. But of the Hungry Dead Arts. She uses the following
she’s beginning to feel unsettled, as the evidence of her powers intuitively, believing that they are the same
existence builds toward a conclusion that no one around Disciplines that her peers possess. However, she
her is equipped to understand: Marissa Reyes is not actually hides that she can summon a Monstrous Maw from
a Cainite. all but her closest packmates.)
Concept: Confused and Hungry Dead Black Wind •••

Nature: Critic Demon Regalia: Inhuman Movement, Monstrous
Demeanor: Fanatic Maw
Dharma: None– Clan-wise, she is known as a Pander, Devil Arts: Tears of Hell •
and believes she is actually a Toreador; both of these
are wrong Roleplaying Hints: You feel ill-fitting and out of
Master: None place, which you compensate for by throwing yourself
Destiny: Lay student of the Godbody of Flesh, into service for the Sword of Caine. The dreams
Celebrant of the Devil-Tigers you have of escaping a dark, hellish place before
your “Embrace” are disturbing, and you’ve just
Attributes experienced your first major eruption of Suffering,
Physical: Strength •• / Dexterity •• / which is freaking you out quite a bit. As a free-ranging
Stamina •• scout, you have a few options ahead: go north to
Social: Charisma ••• / Manipulation ••• / San Francisco, to take advantage of the chaos you’ve
Appearance •• heard is taking place in Chinatown; go down to the
Mental: Perception •••• / Intelligence ••• / South Bay to initiate secret talks with the elders of
Wits •••• the Eastern Mariner bloodline; or go even further
south to Mexico, where you’ve received an odd tip
Abilities just as the Sabbat Tremere are converging for a
Talents: Alertness •••• / Athletics ••• / Brawl gathering.
•• / Intimidation •• / Streetwise •• / Subterfuge
•• Armin Aghajanian, Owl of God Most High
Skills: Drive • / Firearms •• / Larceny ••• / In the lands formerly claimed by the Ottomans, at the
Melee •• / Stealth ••• beginning and the end of the Silk Road, the Mhachkay
Knowledges: Academics •/ Investigation •••/ take flight after dark.
Technology •
The Mhachkay see themselves as kin to no one, not Cainites
Backgrounds or the Hungry Dead. Instead, they believe that they were
Allies • (an odd friend who calls her from payphones humans uniquely cursed with two souls: one ascending to
all over the country– in reality, the ghost of her old heaven after death, the other pulled down into a deep,
boyfriend from her mortal days, recently deceased) dark labyrinth filled with demons, from which only the
Armory • (standard-issue fare for a Sabbat scout in mercy of God allowed them to escape. Now the second
enemy territory: guns, knives, stakes, etc.) soul needs to find its way to heaven's grace-- albeit under
Contacts • (ghoul and vampire plants operating in much harsher conditions.
California)
Resources • Armin is considered a seasoned elder of the Mhachkay,
Status • (Sabbat) an experienced demon hunter. He leads a small clutch of
fellow “Owls,” possibly the last of their kind, soaring the
Advantages skies across the Anatolian peninsula in a never-ending
(Note: As one of the Hungry Dead following a search for redemption.
Cainite Path of Enlightenment, Marissa suffers +1
difficulty to all rolls to resist Soul Imbalance, and Concept: Hungry Dead of the West
her Path rating can never go above 1.) Nature: Autocrat
SECTION
A NAME
PPENDICES 187
Demeanor: Penitent in the Demon Art allows a character to add the

Dharma: Western Road of Heaven (see the variant following features at one per dot, which the character
tenets under The Eastern Road of Heaven: The can accrue 1 additional Suffering to activate all at
Ram-Hearted, in Chapter 2) the same time for the scene:
Master: Pyotr Astakhov, a Russian Mhachkay, now
deceased • Razor Beak: +2 lethal damage to bite (Aggravated
Destiny: The true last of the Mhachkay, dead at the damage for +1 Suffering)
hands of an ancient vampire • Razor Talons: +2 lethal damage to claw and
scratch (Aggravated damage for +1 Suffering)
Attributes • God-Given Strength: Double Strength for the
Physical: Strength •••• / Dexterity ••• / Stamina purpose of lifting others while still maintaining
•••• flight
Social: Charisma ••• / Manipulation •• / • Spirit Flight: Cross the Gauntlet at will, back
Appearance •• and forth, for the scene
Mental: Perception ••• / Intelligence ••• / Wits • Astounding Speed: When flying high in the sky,
•••• move at the speed of a bullet train for travel and
maneuvering purposes (i.e. no special bonuses
Abilities for attack)
Talents: Alertness •••• / Athletics ••• / • Wings of the Evil Eye: -2 dice for all actions,
Awareness ••• / Brawl •••• / inflicted upon non-Mhachkay who look upon
Intimidation •• / Subterfuge •• the character’s spread wings for as long as they
Skills: Drive • / Firearms • / Larceny ••• / Melee can see them
••• / Stealth •••
Knowledges: Investigation ••• / Occult ••• Armin can return to human form at any time he
wishes, but bear in mind that each transformation
Backgrounds into the demon bird form requires gaining another
Allies •• (two young Mhachkay under his care, point of Suffering.)
inexperienced but loyal)
Armory • (stakes, knives, ropes, a few guns) Roleplaying Hints: You were not a good Christian
Contacts • (a handful of penitent ghosts in the boy growing up, and you’ve been trying to make up
Shadowlands) for it ever since– too late for your earthbound soul,
Haven ••• but at least you can ensure no one else makes your
mistakes. Your teacher is long dead, and you’re
Advantages almost certain that your group is the last of the Owls
(Note: The Mhachkay do not recognize the four remaining in the world, which is perhaps a good
souls of the Hungry Dead. Instead, they see the thing… though there are so many demons these
imbalances specifically as four inner demons: The nights, it’s hard to say your kind is no longer needed
Vainglorious Demon, the Beastly Demon, the Slothful to serve God. To lead by example, you’ve long
Demon, and the Wrathful Demon.) endeavored to subsist solely on the evil spirits you
Virtues: Righteousness ••• / Vitality ••• / dispatch, not even feeding on human criminals and
Renunciation •••• / Wickedness ••• low-lifes. But you have early memories of feasting
Willpower: •••••• on flesh and blood, and the pleasure it gave you still
Chi: 10 haunts your daylight dreams.
Dharma: 3
Cassius Green, Confused Tremere
Arts Among the apocryphal tales of Saulot’s many experiments,
Form of the Owl •••••• it is said that a handful of his childer were charged with
(Astounding Speed, Razor Beak, Razor Talons, Spirit finding and fostering the Hungry Dead. This small, select
Flight, Wings of the Evil Eye) group of vampires maintained houses across the continent,
Devil Arts: Killing Shriek ••• in a time span stretching from ancient nights all the way
to the early medieval era.
(System: Form of the Owl is a Demon Art unique
to the Mhachkay. At one dot, the character can The Salubri Keepers spent their time studying the undead
transform into a large black raptor for the night for condition in all its forms, particularly to rehabilitate the
the cost of 1 accumulated Suffering. Armin cannot newly risen. Their secret houses were places of great learning,
speak to humans in this form, but he can fly and where the Hungry Dead of Europe could study their unique
retains all his Attributes, plus whatever Abilities are state and possibly prepare for a pilgrimage to the lands of
reasonable for a bird to use. Any damage he inflicts Dharma.
in this form is lethal– or aggravated, for one
additional Suffering per attack. Each additional dot With the rise of the Tremere and the extinction of the
Three-Eyed Clan, this history has been eradicated, and Thaumaturgy Rituals: Blood Contract, Blood Mastery
knowledge of the bloodline lost. But some young Tremere Auspex ••
in the modern nights are guided by strange visions in their
daysleep: nightmares of their grandsires diablerizing Roleplaying Hints: You’re really not sure what you’re
three-eyed monsters, of corpses rising from the earth and doing. Playing by ear has been working so far: studying
eating flesh. Slowly and in secret, they have begun to the infamous recent “Kindred of the East”
rediscover the former resting places and texts of the old memorandum, sneaking into chantry libraries to
Keepers. find techniques with funky names like “Eye of Shiva”
and “Infernal Road,” listening very carefully to the
This is one such Tremere, an inquisitive and ever-skeptical odd reports coming out of San Francisco. But there
member of the clan operating from the Chantry of Five was always something missing, some piece that was
Boroughs, New York City. As they continue following the needed to bring everything together into a cohesive
trail of clues, each night brings apprentices like Cassius picture– And now you’ve found it, in the form of a
closer to apostasy from the Pyramid, and to the strange newly-risen Hungry One from Queens. You have so
truth of the Hungry Dead. many questions, and so many things you want to
do… but the first priority is to get a handle on his
Concept: Reluctant Mentor craving for flesh before Regent Sturbridge finds out.
Nature: Competitor
Demeanor: Pedagogue
Clan: Tremere
Generation: 10th
Destiny (optional): Salubri Keeper in both name
and spirit
Attributes
Physical: Strength •• / Dexterity •• / Stamina
••
Social: Charisma •• / Manipulation ••• /
Appearance •••
Mental: Perception •••• / Intelligence •••• /
Wits •••
Abilities
Talents: Alertness •••• / Empathy ••• / Streetwise
•• / Subterfuge ••••
Skills: Etiquette •• / Firearms •• / Stealth ••
Knowledges: Academics •••• / Investigation •••
/ Law • / Occult (Hungry Dead) ••••
Backgrounds
Mentor • (Regent of the Chantry of Five Boroughs:
Aisling Sturbridge, a distant but sometimes helpful–
and potentially dangerous– superior)
Generation •••
Contacts • (Ghoul spies among the Ventrue and
Toreador)
Resources ••
Retainer • (Mattias Cho, Hungry Dead trainee and
baby bird in the palm)
Status • (Tremere)
Advantages
Virtues: Conscience •••• / Self-Control ••••
/ Courage •••
Willpower: ••••
Blood Pool: 13
Humanity: 8
Disciplines
Thaumaturgy (Path of Blood) ••
SECTION
A NAME
PPENDICES 189
APPENDIX II: THE WAY OF THE DEMON HUNTER

Demon hunters are mortal characters. Their Virtues If the Chi is bound, it activates a power indefinitely,
are the mortal Virtues of Conscience, Self-Control, but the Chi cannot be used for anything else until
and Courage, and their dot spread is no different the binding is released. If the Chi is spent, then it
from other V20-style mortals (Attributes 6/4/3, replenishes upon the next sunrise, or can otherwise
Abilities 11/7/4). The one difference is that they be regained through use of a (rare) Talisman or
have trained in secret, sometimes for their entire Dragon’s Nest. Unlike the Hungry Dead or Dhampyrs,
lives, to fight toe-to-toe with monsters. demon hunters cannot use Chi to heal themselves
without a special power to do so.
Their lives are brutal and short, and they rarely win
against the renegades of the night world– But In a crisis, a second point of Chi can be unlocked
sometimes, just sometimes, they do. For those who (either to refill a spent Chi point or to make two
wish to use these characters as supporting cast or points available at the same time) by taking two
antagonists, this book recommends using the quick levels of lethal damage, which cannot be soaked and
rules for other supernaturals in Appendix I. must heal at the normal mortal rate. Unlocking a
third point of Chi is theoretically possible, and it
For those who wish to represent Demon Hunters can be done by taking three more points of lethal
in more detail, or who wish to play as one of these damage. But it is almost always a death sentence–
characters, more detailed rules are below. Even if the demon hunter doesn't die at the end of
the scene, only prompt and masterful medical
Awakened Chi: Systems attention will save them.
The intense training undergone by the Demon Awakened Chi Abilities
Hunter Families makes 1 point of Chi available to
characters for free. This point can either be bound The training process of awakening Chi allows demon
or spent to use special powers. hunters to resist the natural memory-erasing and
fear effects of supernaturals (e.g. Delirium, Paradox,
the Mists). When faced with an appropriate situation,
they may roll Willpower at Difficulty 8 to overcome
the normal mortal response. This is a dramatic roll,
so an experienced demon hunter need not perform
the check unless they’re facing something new or
particularly horrific.
The special powers of demon hunters must be

purchased for 10 freebie points, or 20 experience
points each. Note: Only pure mortals, untouched
by any supernatural bloodline or influence, can buy
and use these techniques. Ghouls, Kinfolk,
Dhampyrs, and Kinain can be demon hunters– just
not demon hunters with these powers. Finally, if a
demon hunter is changed against their will to a
Ghoul or Enchanted or the like, they lose their
powers until they can revert back, if it is possible to
revert.
The Battle Arts of Conscience

To see the truth, and to prevent evil from taking hold.
Deny Sustenance
• Bind 1 Chi to provide a target with a “False Chi”
pool equal to Conscience. False Chi acts like
Chi, but the target is unharmed by having it
taken from them, and the “Chi” disappears after
one night (or when the binding ends).
• Spend 1 Chi and strike a target to make them
unable to feed from any humans, which lasts for
the rest of the night or until you are killed. • Spend 1 Chi to heal all normal damage (not
counting any damage taken to unlock Chi) and
Ensnare Evil to ignore wound penalties until the end of the
• Bind 1 Chi to penalize attempts to remove a scene.
snare you’ve put around your target– remove
your Conscience in dice from their dice pool. Mastery of Might
• Spend 1 Chi to make your snare come alive and • Bind 1 Chi to add your Self-Control in dice to
seek its target, moving around obstacles and all Physical actions.
only stopping when destroyed. After it takes • Spend 1 Chi to convert your entire dice pool to
hold, the snare is unremovable by anyone except successes (including your Self-Control rating)
you for one scene. for a single action.
Resist Illusions Mastery of Movement
• Bind 1 Chi to add your Conscience in dice to • Bind 1 Chi to add your Self-Control to Initiative,
any rolls to overcome mind control or illusions and to multiply speed by Self-Control (minimum
being used against you. This includes piercing x2) for the purposes of a chase or travel on foot.
supernatural obfuscation effects. • Spend 1 Chi to effectively enjoy the benefits of
• Spend 1 Chi to break a mind control effect for the passive (zero Chi) second preparation of the
up to three people in the area for one scene. Godbody of Jade, “Tread the Dragon Tail,” for
one scene, including vastly increased jumping
distances.
The Battle Arts of Self-Control
To surpass the normal limits of body and mind. The Battle Arts of Courage
To confront monsters, and to defeat them.
Mastery of Wounds
• Bind 1 Chi to lower your bashing and lethal The Killing Art
healing times by your Self-Control: Self-Control • Bind 1 Chi to increase the dice pool for inflicting
2 is one-half the time, 3 is one-third, and so on. any damage by dots in Courage.
(Demon hunters, as mortals, do not take • Spend 1 Chi to bless a weapon to inflict aggravated
aggravated damage.) damage for a scene.
The Purity of Fire

• Bind 1 Chi to make your barehanded strikes
f lammable: Convert one damage in any
successful blow to aggravated, and roll Courage
to set objects on fire.
• Spend 1 Chi to ignite a target with roaring
flames, which inflicts 4 dice of aggravated
damage per turn until the fire is put out normally.
Spirit Sight
• Bind 1 Chi to see and speak to spirits in the
mortal world, with a Social dice bonus for
negotiating and intimidation equal to Courage.
• Spend 1 Chi to bless a weapon to fight a wicked
spirit as if it were a physical creature, which lasts
for one scene.
New Background:
Hunterʼs Talisman
Some Demon Hunter Families have special tools
that have been passed down for generations: a
magical sword or dagger, an ancient jug that ferments
rice beer into a holy substance. In the case of Japan’s
Strike Force Zero, entire teams of agents are dedicated
to tracking down magical items and retooling them
into modern, practical accessories for the field.
SECTION
A NAME
PPENDICES 191
These kinds of special items are represented through Effect: For the cost of 1 Chi, the Azure-Wave Sword
a variation of the Talisman background, though it will inflict Strength+3 dice in aggravated damage
functions differently for mortals compared to the for the next ten turns. Those who the sword-wielder
Hungry Dead. Taking the background represents declares will be struck down are unable to use special
the owning of a single Hunter’s Talisman, and powers to hide, and they must win a contested
multiple Hunter’s Talismans means taking the Willpower roll in order to flee.
background multiple times.
Note that unlike regular backgrounds, a single dot

in Hunter’s Talisman costs 5 Background points or
5 freebie points, and 10 experience points per dot
to obtain the background during play.
• Useful: Your Hunter’s Talisman possesses a single

power equivalent to a 1-dot Soul Art Technique. A
Chi point must be bound to use the power.
•• Powerful: Your Hunter’s Talisman possesses a
single power equivalent to a 2-dot Soul Art
Technique. A Chi point must be bound to use the
power.
••• Renowned: Your Hunter’s Talisman possesses
up to two separate powers, equivalent to 3 dots in
Soul Arts. A Chi point must be bound to use any
of the powers.
•••• Legendary: Your Hunter’s Talisman possesses
up to two separate powers, equivalent to 4 dots in
Soul Arts. A Chi point must be spent, after which
all powers of the Talisman are available for eight
turns.
••••• One of a Kind: Your Hunter’s Talisman
possesses up to three separate powers, equivalent to
5 dots in Soul Arts. A Chi point must be spent,
after which all powers of the Talisman are available
for ten turns.
Example Hunter’s Talisman:

Electroshock Gloves (••)
A thick set of gloves with circular beads of shiny metal on
each knuckle. The beads were melted down from an amulet
depicting Raijin, the Shinto god of lightning and thunder.
Enhanced with threaded metal wiring and grounding
protection for the wearer, now Raijin’s power is being put
to practical use.
Effect: Against regular mortals, these gloves have

no special effect. Against vampires and Hungry
Dead, however, being successfully struck by the
electroshock gloves inflicts +1 lethal damage and
stuns them for three turns.
Example Hunter’s Talisman:

Azure-Wave Sword (•••••)
An exceptionally crafted straight sword from China, its
blade etched with a stylized wave pattern and the
scratched-out name of the swordsmith. It is said that the
smith, through a miracle of the gods, placed the soul of
his dying son in this blade, and that the sword still howls
with rage when it strikes particularly well.
“You are my Childer:

alone among the rest of existence,
you are my only companions,
forever will we be locked in the
way that fathers are bonded to their
sons and sons to their fathers.”
― The Book of Nod
SECTION
A NAME
PPENDICES 193
APPENDIX ???: THE THIRTEENTH GENERATION

The Camarilla has long banned the practice of Noddist The turn of each Generation has come with a loss, a
augury, which was the province of the now-destroyed Clan diminishment or chaos-making for their kind, and they
of Time-Keepers. And yet every vampire in the modern have come faster and faster with each turn. The Twelfth
nights seems to know the truth: We are now, at last, in Generation, the twilight age, has been longer than expected,
the prophesied Thirteenth Generation– the final generation lasting for nearly two hundred years… But now that it has
before the end of days. ended, the Children of Caine tremble at the signs of
darkness to come.
Caine’s fate marked the world’s First Generation, when
God took the blood of gentle Abel and marked his For those who wish to reskin the preceding systems
brother-murderer with an indelible curse: No sunlight to run an “alternative” game of Vampire: the
would warm him, no food or water would sustain him, Masquerade– running the Paths as Dharmas, giving
and he would walk the darkened desert forever. Cainites the Demon Arts, Soul Arts and Godbody
Arts, and so on– you certainly can.
It was when Caine, in his wanderings, discovered the
realms of spirit and the gateway to the realm of demons, Here are some assorted pointers for a smooth
that the world turned toward the signs of the Second conversion:
Generation. Three damned souls he rescued from the
darkness of hell, restoring them to their dead bodies and • The Rite of the Embrace is a major ritual (see
teaching them the secrets of Aunt-Mother Lilith’s Rituals background, Chapter 3), which outwardly
blood-magic, all to soothe his wretched loneliness. functions exactly as it does in Vampire: the
Masquerade: A mortal is chosen, drained to the
And it was when Caine’s three acolytes, in their resentment point of death, and then they are fed the vitae
and spite, devised a rite of dark magic to send others to of their “sire” to give them a lifeline back from
hell and bring them back, to force them into undying Hell. This recreates the familial structures of the
corpse-bodies just like them, that the world at last lurched Clans as they exist in the original game, albeit
toward the Third Generation. That blighted ritual, the without reinforcement from the Blood Bond.
Rite of the Embrace, has cursed the world with the Children
of Caine ever since. • Optionally, the Blood Bond or Vaulderie may
be reintroduced as a major ritual unique to
Thirteen clans now rule the world of night, variously certain clans, such as the Tremere or the clans
descended from those who first received the Rite of the of the Sabbat. In that case, the rules as outlined
Embrace in the lands of Nod. Without a clan, the Thirteen in V20 can be used as-is whenever one possesses
say, you are nothing: You cannot rise above your bestial the ritual.
state; you are doomed to eat flesh and not indulge in the
purity of blood; you are Caitiff, a non-person. • The main benefit of the Rite of the Embrace,
aside from lineage and political power, is as
And yet, in these modern nights, there are more vampires follows: The rules for Hungry Dead on Humanity
than ever who rise outside the Rite of the Embrace, who are the same as in The Relentless Age, except that
see and reject the clan system and its millennia of elitism. Hungry Dead who were born into or adopted
These “Anarchs” are mocked in the Elysiums of the into a Clan can have Humanity as low as 6
Camarilla– and secretly, they are also feared, for they are without losing the ability to drink blood.
a sign of the final age. Otherwise, they must eat flesh starting at
Humanity 7.
Generations have passed since the momentous darkness
of the Third, each passing marked by inauspicious signs: • Those who rise without the Embrace are the
clanless. The Rite of the Embrace can also be
At the end of the Seventh Generation in the early medieval performed on one of these individuals– They
age, a clan of healers was cruelly slain, their mystical don’t go back to Hell, but the conclusion of the
secrets consumed by a cabal of sorcerers who’d stolen the rite gives them a lineage and confers the benefits
Rite of the Embrace through torture and trickery. of being in a Clan. This, for the Anarchs (who
stay clanless for political reasons), is what it
At the dawn of the Tenth Generation, several clans rose means to “sell out.”
up and slew their antediluvian founders, forming the
fanatical Sabbat through this act of symbolic • The existing rules for Hungry Dead and Paths
chain-breaking. of Enlightenment can be discarded, and Paths
of Enlightenment can instead be treated like
Dharmas: Roll 10 minus the Path rating when

committing a Path “sin,” bestow 1 point of
Suffering for failure (2 for a botch), and require
“Path experience” to raise one’s Path rating.
• Much like the original setting, Paths are likely

to be frowned upon in the Camarilla, if they are
known at all. Both Sabbat and Anarchs are likely
to pick them up in lieu of having a Clan, in
order to avoid the difficulties of being clanless
on Humanity.
• The Arts and Virtues may or may not require

aesthetic retooling to match the Masquerade
atmosphere, such as reframing the Godbody
Arts as highly prized, mystical Clan Disciplines
or secrets of the Paths (also, see the Mhachkay
in Appendix I for a quick example of
“western-style Virtues”). Otherwise, these
elements of The Relentless Age can be used as-is.
• Since Generation is a prophetic marker of time

rather than a literal bloodline, what defines a
Clan is murkier, and immediate lineage (of who
gave the Embrace to whom) is far more important.
Antediluvians still exist, and the Tremere still
ate Saulot’s soul, but it was the work of eradicating
the Salubri and legitimizing themselves to their
peers that turned them into a Clan, same with
the Giovanni and Cappadocians.
• In a setting where raw power is no longer defined

by one’s literal descent from the first vampire,
there is likely to be a history of people rising
meteorically, founding “Clans” (which may even
be widely accepted as legitimate for a while),
then their lineages quickly fall apart and fall into
obscurity. Even more so than in the classic
Masquerade setting, the present-day Thirteen
Clans being descended from the biblical age is
something of a fiction.
• Lastly, converting the Yama Kings and Thousand

Hells into a western-style Hell would benefit
greatly from intertwining the setting with the
details outlined in Demon: the Fallen– which
happens to make the Fallen returning to the
mortal world all the more meaningful, as a plus.
That’s it. Good luck.

SECTION NAME 195
Kindred of the East
The Relentless Age

Name: Nature: Dharma:
Player: Demeanor: Master:
Chronicle: Concept: Destiny:
A TTRIBUTES
Physical Social Mental
Strength_____________ OOOO Charisma_____________ OOOO Perception____________ OOOO
Dexterity____________ OOOO Manipulation__________ OOOO Intelligence____________ OOOO
Stamina_____________ OOOO Appearance____________ OOOO Wits________________ OOOO
A BILITIES
Talents Skills Knowledges
Alertness_____________OOOOO Animal Ken__________OOOOO Academics____________OOOOO
Athletics_____________OOOOO Crafts_______________OOOOO Computer____________OOOOO
Awareness____________OOOOO Drive_______________OOOOO Finance______________OOOOO
Brawl_______________OOOOO Etiquette_____________OOOOO Investigation___________OOOOO
Empathy_____________OOOOO Firearms_____________OOOOO Law_________________OOOOO
Expression____________OOOOO Larceny______________OOOOO Medicine____________OOOOO
Intimidation__________OOOOO Melee_______________OOOOO Occult_______________OOOOO
Leadership____________OOOOO Performance___________OOOOO Politics_______________OOOOO
Streetwise_____________OOOOO Stealth_______________OOOOO Science_______________OOOOO
Subterfuge____________OOOOO Survival______________OOOOO Technology____________OOOOO
___________________OOOOO ___________________OOOOO ___________________OOOOO
ADVANTAGES
Demon/Godbody Arts Backgrounds Virtues
___________________OOOOO ___________________OOOOO Renunciation_______________ OOOO
___________________OOOOO ___________________OOOOO Righteousness____________ OOOO
___________________OOOOO ___________________OOOOO Vitality___________________OOOO
___________________OOOOO ___________________OOOOO Wickedness______________ OOOO
___________________OOOOO ___________________OOOOO
___________________OOOOO ___________________OOOOO
Soul Arts Suffering Health

_______________________ ��
_______________________ Bruised �
_______________________ Chi Hurt -1 �
_______________________ ��
Injured -1 �
_______________________ �� Wounded -2 �
_______________________ Mauled -2 �
_______________________ Per Turn:_____ Crippled -5 �
_______________________ Willpower Incapacitated �
_______________________ OOOOOOOOOO
_______________________ Experience
��
_______________________
_______________________ Dharma
_______________________ OOOOOOOOOO
Dharmic Experience:_________
Attributes: 7/5/3 • Abilities: 13/9/5 • Arts: 3+1 Demon Art • Backgrounds: 5 •Virtues 7 • FreebiePoints:15(6/5/2/1)

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Kindred of the East

The Relentless Age

The Wheel of Ages turns.

The Relentless Age

Celebrating 25 Years of Kindred of the East

Credits Special Thanks

© 2017 White Wolf Entertainment AB. All rights reserved.

Kindred of the East

The Relentless Age

“What is the life of a human being–

"Then let's begin."

It's midnight, and the immortals have gathered.

The Hungry Dead. • In India and Tibet, prophets of Clan Ravnos

Demon Regalia, the spiritual techniques of the Soul

In Chapter Five: Storytelling, we discuss the core

The Hungry Dead can be defeated by sunlight,

True. The Hungry Dead burn equally well from

SELECTED INSPIRATIONAL SOURCES Television and Movies

Century Rebellion: An uprising in China against Eastern Mariners: A Japanese-American bloodline,

Underworld: The realm of ghosts, one of the spirit

Vampire: A blood-drinking monster, superficially

Virtue: Four separate souls that make up the

Vitality: The Virtue of Beasts, gateway to the Spirit

Wheel of Ages: The cycle of time, divided typically

Wickedness: The Virtue of Devils, gateway to the

Wildling, Wildling Spirit: Beast-like spirits native

World of Daylight: Sunrise to sunset, when the

Yama King: A ruler of one of the Thousand Hells.

The nomadic herders of Mongolia still roam the

The megacities of India are still on the rise. More

The Asian Financial Crisis, which began in Thailand

These and other facts of history, of life in Asia at

The entrance to a red light district, aglow with neon

A wire- and trash-strewn alleyway will lead to a

ASIANS ONLY? OK, BUT SERIOUSLY, ASIANS ONLY?

Chapter 6 and Appendix I of this book describes

Thousand Hells this way, and there they remain for

Hunger Indeed, at higher levels of enlightenment, the Hungry

Hungry Dead are like baby birds: utterly reliant on

Hence, the default arrangement in the night world

Aspirant (Dharma 2-3)

The Elder Ranks

Grandmaster (Dharma 6+)

Great Sage (Dharma 7+)

The very pinnacle of Dharma (9 and 10) surpasses

THE REALMS OF THE GREAT

While the Hungry Dead are not a monolith of belief,

night-jasmine spirits dispense careful wisdom from The Heavens:

CONTENDERS FOR THE THRONE

ones to be eviscerated when the Beast Courts have

When they don't have an anchor– when the human

Envoys from Clan Tzimisce are said to be deeply

• In Ginza, Tokyo, the Hungry Dead give the Beast

• In the balmy streets of Columbo, Sri Lanka, the

Travel the night world awhile, and you’ll find that

differently: dedicated scholars of Valeren or the

What was once specialized knowledge became

The effects of this revelation are still being felt in

Those with an interest in Asian Cainite Bloodlines