What is the intent of the Bound In Darkness ability of the Cult crew in conjunction with leading a group action?

8 thoughts on “What is the intent of the Bound In Darkness ability of the Cult crew in conjunction with leading a group action?”

1. /sub

   Sounds like comms in a modern game.

2. Cult in my new game picked this as starting special ability: I intend to ask group how it works

3. I am no official source, but the intent seemed clear to me:

   1. To allow teamwork actions despite distance from one another. Usually, you need to be together to use Teamwork actions (they share stress among helping teammates, allow combined dice pools, etc). Bound in Darkness changes that to function without being together. That’s the only requirement it circumvents though..

   2. Yes. If the sneaking from multiple places helps (very likely) then yes. And if the plan changes, a whispered message will ensure the others know what to do.

   3. Maybe? Depends. They still have to do things that actually help, to be helpful.

   4. Don’t completely understand the question. Seems to ask “Can I do a thing without actually doing it” to which the answer is still no, even with the Bound in Darkness ability.

4. Mark Cleveland Massengale Sure you can’t do something without doing it, but can you help someone do something without doing it? I’d submit the answer would have to be yes (at least in some cases), or the ability doesn’t really do much.

   How do I improve someone’s position or effect from across town? What help do I provide such that I give a person +1d when I’m not there? The only thing I can think of is by passing on expertise, power or whatever through the mind link that is created by Bound in Darkness.

5. Oh, right: when it makes sense, Teamwork actions are already designed to do that. The difference with the BiD ability in effect is: now your crew do those things from anywhere.

   “How?” Good question. If you do a thing that helps, it helps. It depends largely on the situation whether it Assists, Leads, Protects, or Sets Up another action. This, I see, as a chance for players to be creative, and the GM to be lenient when they have BiD.

   I picture.. a huddle of cultists at their crew’s grotto, scoping the scene by opening their minds to the ghost field around their stealthy assassin who is infiltrating Scurlock Manor. The guards nearby are surprised by a sudden mist that rolls in to provide cover for this clandestine stalker to move in and knock them out.. [stuff like that]

6. Mark Cleveland Massengale And that definitely makes sense for increasing position, or effect, or handing a bonus die. I can Attune to create some kind of weird mist to help someone else in their stealth mission, or roll Sway during a diplomacy mission and a target near my partner hears honeyed words whispered in their ear.

   In the case of leading a group action however, you have to all roll the same action. So if one PC is prowling, can another PC back at the hideout see through their crewmate’s eyes and lend their expertise to lead them in a group prowl? 

7. Yeah, Mark Griffin, that ability is a bit ambiguous. I can maybe re-write it to be clearer.

   But, basically, the answer to your question is: with this ability, you can break the normal constraints of teamwork. Say how the power manifests to let you “use teamwork regardless of the distance separating you” and you do it.

   For a group action, I’d say you could do stuff like “everyone sneaks in to a different place simultaneously” and then the best roll counts for everyone.

   In the case of one person sneaking and other people meditating about it at the base, that sounds like Assist or Setup (they’re not participating in the group action).

8. Perfect, thanks John.

Comments are closed.