Best of
World-Of-Darkness

2003

Orpheus


Richard Dansky - 2003
    Science thinks it's shattered the barrier between life and death, but it's only opened the floodgates. Stop meddling with the affairs of ghosts and close the doors before something follows you back through. You should have left some secrets buried, because now they won't go back to sleep without a fight.' I See Dead People It's called projecting, the ability to separate the soul from the body and interact with ghosts. It's a multi-billion dollar enterprise for companies like Orpheus Group, which offers its services to public and private interests. It's also a portent of dark things to come. Orpheus is a new type of game, a ghost story for ghosts told in a six-book limited series. Hardcover. Core Book.

Ashes and Angel Wings


Greg Stolze - 2003
    But when the ancient Scourge Hasmed finds himself in the body of three-time loser and mob bagman Harvey Ciullo, he finds the world a very different place than he expected. Using his demonic will, he begins to claw his way up the New Jersey underworld, determined to make it his own. The Angelic Host that locked him away seems to have vanished, but other demons are out there. And all the while, this hardened child of the pit can’t quite shake his affection for Harvey’s daughter, an instinct that could redeem his soul or destroy him forever.

Shadow Games (Orpheus)


Kraig Blackwelder - 2003
    Don't believe the hype. The missionaries may say they help folks, but who do you think started all this? They're some bad people, brothers and sisters. They're helping something big and nasty, and they ain't scared of you. In fact, they know every trick you do. How do you figure they're so good at being dead? You may not like the answer, because the truth has a taste for you." In Shadow Games, the true nature of the characters' adversaries is revealed, as is the cult behind the Pigment trade, and its connection to Spectres. Helping the heroes, however, is a new character class, new roles to combat the coming storm, and a new way to use Spite to fuel abilities in a deadly gamble between need and power.

Days of Fire (Demon)


Greg Stolze - 2003
    Hidden within their ancient sanctums, the Earthbound stir after millennia of sleep, summoning their scattered worshippers and forging chains of slavery for fallen and mortal alike. Now come the words of Lucifer himself, lost Prince of the Fallen, warning of the terrible cataclysm to come. Demon: Days of Fire presents a vision of the world on the brink of apocalypse, as ancient powers clash and the future of mankind hangs in the balance. Will the fallen destroy the threat of the Earthbound forever, or will the mad gods of legend bring about eternal night? Will the world be destroyed or reborn in the dawn of a new age?

Shades of Gray


Kraig Blackwelder - 2003
    Hundreds have died from taking tainted Pigment, but what the news doesn't know is that all those addicts have become ghosts. We have an epidemic of lost souls on our hands, and the scavengers are coming out the woodwork. What you've got to wonder, my loyal listeners, is who poisoned the drugs and why are Spectres building hives?" Hundreds die from tainted drugs on the streets, revealing another truth behind Orpheus Group. In addition to offering new challenges and dangers, Shades of Gray introduces a new enemy responsible for the drug Pigment. But fear not. With each rising evil comes hope in the form of a new Shade (character class), and level-three Horrors for all Shades.

Crusade of Ashes (Orpheus)


Kraig Blackwelder - 2003
    Orpheus, book two of a six-book series.

Players Guide to Low Clans - A Sourcebook for Dark Ages: Vampire


Zack Bush - 2003
    Vassals, serfs, lepers, madmen. The Low Clans have always done the tasks that their lords disdained. But in the wake of the War of Princes, the fallen Cainites question the Divine Right by which the High Clans rule. The low-blooded have seen the world from the underside and they are quite willing to share their revelations.The Lowly Ones RiseThe Players Guide to Low Clans contains detailed information on the Assamites, Followers of Set, Gangrel, Malkavians, Nosferatu, Ravnos, and Tremere. It includes hints on running all Low Clan or mixed chronicles; how Low Clan characters develop over time; the mythology and history of the clans; and new Merits, Flaws, and Discipline techniques for the fallen. Also, you'll find details on Low Clan secret societies and on the Low Clan Cainites who have drawn notice in the Dark Medieval.

Dark Ages British Isles (Vampire)


Gavin Bennett - 2003
    Ancient vampires lurk in the fens and wolf-men stalk the moors. The Church has taken hold here, but worshippers of far older gods call upon power that no follower of Christ has ever known. And somewhere beyond the mist the fae laugh, for they were here before any other.Here There be MonstersDark Ages: British Isles is the first regional sourcebook for the Dark Ages line. It includes the history of the land, information on the major citiesof England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and details on how the supernatural denizens of Europe deal with each other and the oldest inhabitants of the Isles.

The Infinite Tapestry


Brian Campbell - 2003
    Those roads are now closed. The Avatar Storm not only hazards the Gauntlet between worlds, it scours whole Realms. The maps the Traditions once devised to navigate these perilous Realms are useless; whole new realities now exist beyond the barrier. Even the Masters are missing, their wisdom lost to the latest generation of Awakened.Forging Paths AnewA new era of exploration dawns as Tradition mages once more seek to pierce the Gauntlet and wrest magical secrets from the spirit worlds, to find what was lost and bring it back to their own reality, to once more awaken a bitter, apathetic world to magic. To do so, however, they must travel to the source and survive its chaotic, unstable spiritscape.

Dark Ages Mage Grimoire


Kraig Blackwelder - 2003
    But some refuse to let it go. These magi dare to tread the bane places and twisted paths that still shimmer with ancient power. These dwindling lands still have guardians, though. Spirits and secrets that sorely test those who try to wrest forth their power. The Grimoire expands the Dark Ages: Mage world, providing insight into Fellowships in various lands, aids to help players and Storytellers grasp medieval magic and superstition, and hints on maintaining chantries in the tumultuous times of the early 13th century. There's also a look at hedge magic, medieval holy days and the shallowings they create, and a host of creatures--including the fae--that haunt the forlorn frontiers of Dark Ages Europe.

Hammer and Klaive: A Player Sourcebook for Werewolf: The Apocalypse


Ethan Skemp - 2003
    

Right of Princes


Stephen Michael Dipesa - 2003
    You might rule over a vast forest, or your word may be law in a city. The resources of the place are yours and the people look to you for guidance and leadership. In the Dark Medieval, land is power. What will you do with yours? Rule the Dark Medieval Right of Princes is the primer on ruling and commanding a domain for all of the Dark Ages games, from a vampire's dark fief to a mage's arcane chantry to a werewolf or inquisitor's hunting grounds. Players will find rules and suggestions for developing their characters' homesteads both individually and as a group - as well as tips for defending them when a rival turns a jealous eye.

The Infernal


Rick Chillot - 2003
    Hunters don't know if Scripture gets it right, but they do know one thing: Darkness has fallen and it's Hell on Earth. Things that can be called no less than demons walk among us, tempting the righteous, corrupting the innocent and orchestrating the end of the world. Can they be stopped before the Devil gets his due? Hunter: The Infernal explores the blasphemous realm of demons as hunters desperately seek out devils' strengths, fears and weaknesses. But the tempters have discovered hunters, too, and are willing to strike a bargain. Can hunters possibly drive the infernal host back into the Pit? If they can't, there will be Hell to pay.

Players Guide to Changing Breeds


Bjørn T. Bøe - 2003
    

Road of Heaven


C.A. Guleiman - 2003
    We Cainites bear that mark even now. Many undead ignore our responsibility to the Almighty, but some of us do God's work here on Earth, night after night, until He sees fit to release us. We are agents of divine justice, mercy and retribution. We are the Faithful. Devils or Angels? In the third of the Road Books for Dark Ages: Vampire, we examine the Crusaders, priests, monks and penitents of the clans of Caine. Road of Heaven contains the history and secrets of the Faithful, along with information on their role in the War of Princes. God works in mysterious ways, indeed. Road of Heaven includes: The history, beliefs, current practices of the Faithful Story hooks and character templates suitable for all Dark Ages: Vampire characters New Merits and Flaws, Discipline techniques and advice for playing Faithful vampires

The Spellbound


Kraig Blackwelder - 2003
    Warlocks. Witches. Myths and legends describe them as powerful magicians, wise sages and humanity's helpful guides. Hunters know better. In the modern world, wizards make the impossible possible, changing the very face of reality on a whim for their own mysterious purposes. What kind of hold do they have over mankind? Hunters intend to find out -- and break it. Hunter: The Spellbound explores the magical realm of wizards as hunters perceive it, learning warlocks' strengths, fears and weaknesses. But enchanters have discovered hunters, too. Can these occult masters weave their spell and command the will of even the imbued? Not if hunters can help it. Let the witch-hunt begin.

Tradition Book: Virtual Adepts


William Thomas Maxwell - 2003
    Virtual Adepts dont waste time delving into ancient grimoires or contemplating their navels. Theyre too busy surfing the razors edge of the next zeitgeist. They dont follow trends, they make them. By the time the mainstream catches up to their latest idea, theyve moved on to new frontiers of space and mind.Reprogramming Reality Bit by ByteComputer hacking? Thats so yesterday. Why hack computers when you can tap into reality itself? After all, the programming language of the universe is hardwired into every mages Avatar. Unlike other mages, Virtual Adepts arent content to just seek enlightenment. Its time to upgrade the universes operating system, even if it risks crashing the current program. Continues the revolution storyline in the wake of the Ascension War.

Road of Sin


Myranda Kalis - 2003
    But rare is the Cainite who, his Beast howling for sweet vitae, has not given in to that longing. The Sinners have been soothing that Beast for centuries - they know that mastery of the Beast is an illusion. Only through acquiescence can one be truly free. Only through sin can a Cainite know peace. Only on the Via Peccati can the Damned ascend. The Price of Virtue In the fourth of the Road Books for Dark Ages: Vampire, the secrets of the Road of Sin, the most mysterious and sinister of the major roads, are finally revealed. Herein, find the tempters, torturers and defilers of the Cainites - their history, their rites and practices, and their theories on how damning their souls may save their sanity.