Victorian (V) — GM Kit: Smoke & Mirrors
Session Zero
- Which ward do you know best (Rookery, Dock, Factory, Cathedral Close, Embassy Row)?
- Where did you first see a Relic Apparatus work?
- Who prints truths you’d die for?
Clocks
- Soot/Unrest (6)
- Patent 0 Monopoly (4)
- Gaslight Circle (Followers) (4)
- Nabour Tremors (4)
NPCs
- Sister Asha Dharo — saves everyone; will lie to officials to save a slum.
- Lord Vark Narakar — polite industry tyrant.
- Captain Amaya Ketari — Ketran commodore; hates pirates and politicians.
- Marshal Tolan (Lanwen Rails) — pays well, breaks harder.
- The Surgeon (Follower) — “data requires pain.”
- Prof. Hoyt (Conclave) — ethics are a brake pad.
- Editor Mirelle — paper queen.
- Inspector Cray — honest cop out of depth.
Set‑Pieces
- World Fair Aether Pavilion
- Greyspire Rail Hub
- Opium Salon
- Gasworks
- Bone‑Vault
- Drydock in Storm
- Cholera Ward
- Embankment Chase
Encounters (d8)
1 press gang; 2 strike march; 3 patent spy; 4 cholera panic; 5 salon invite; 6 Ketran tariff; 7 gas leak; 8 miracle‑tonic peddler.
Mission Arcs
- Whitechapel Rifts: track geometry murders → stop rite at rail hub.
- Patent of No Number: steal plans → publish, sell, or sabotage.
- Quarantine Map: unlock pump scandal → save a ward.
- Nabour’s Wake: escort frigate through tremors; dump or risk relic cargo.
Rewards & Legacy
- Reporter’s Eye (LS): 1/scene learn a hidden motive.
- Aether‑Tuned (LS): +1 Timebender near relics; Backlash on nat 1–2.
Quick Stat Templates (Victorian)
- Constable: DEF 12, HP 12, Baton +4 (d6+1), Pistol +4 (d8).
- Strikebreaker (Brute): DEF 13, HP 22, Club +5 (d8+2), Intimidate aura.
- Follower Surgeon (Controller): DEF 13, HP 18, Scalpel +5 (Bleed), Agony Rite.
- Conclave Agent (Skirm): DEF 14, HP 16, Derringer +6 (d6), Grapple‑Grapnel.