TEXT:  
   
   
  by John Kirk 
  Beta 6.0 
   
  9/ 2/ 2006 
  GnostigmataTM 
   
   
   
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  “How will you choose between Good and 
  Evil when all of Creation may be a lie?” 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Download the latest version of Gnostigmata and other role-
  playing game materials at http://legendaryquest.com. 
   
   
  
   
   
   
   
   
  Copyright © 2006 by Whitson John Kirk III. Some rights reserved. 
  Gnostigmata is a trademark of Whitson John Kirk III. 
   
   
   
   
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  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -iv- 
   
   
   
  Table of Contents 
   
  Table of Contents .............................................................................................iv 
  Acknowledgements............................................................................................v 
  Introduction....................................................................................................... 1 
  The Gnostic Perspective ............................................................................... 1 
  The Catholic Perspective .............................................................................. 2 
  What You Need to Play................................................................................. 4 
  Starting Out ...................................................................................................... 5 
  Character Makeup ............................................................................................ 6 
  The Four Primary Attributes.......................................................................... 6 
  Traits............................................................................................................. 7 
  Character Creation ......................................................................................... 12 
  The Story Arc.................................................................................................. 13 
  Advancing the Story.................................................................................... 13 
  Plots............................................................................................................ 16 
  Sub-Plots .................................................................................................... 18 
  The Steps of Play ........................................................................................... 23 
  Plot Elements and Character Appearance.................................................. 23 
  Flashback or “Present” Time....................................................................... 24 
  Scene Framing and the Tarot Deck ............................................................ 24 
  Jumping to the Action.................................................................................. 29 
  Playing Out a Scene ................................................................................... 30 
  Character Conflict Resolution......................................................................... 31 
  Rounds........................................................................................................ 31 
  Action Contest Rolls.................................................................................... 32 
  The Currency of Successes ........................................................................ 36 
  Say “Yes” or Roll the Dice........................................................................... 38 
  Failure Rewards.......................................................................................... 39 
  Narrating Magical Effects ............................................................................ 40 
  Healing ........................................................................................................... 41 
  First-Aid....................................................................................................... 41 
  Healing as an act of Desperation ................................................................ 41 
  Miraculous Healing...................................................................................... 41 
  Natural Healing ........................................................................................... 41 
  Ascension & Martyrdom.................................................................................. 42 
  Gnostic Ascension ...................................................................................... 42 
  Catholic Martyrdom..................................................................................... 42 
  Player vs. Player Conflict Resolution.............................................................. 43 
  Character Sheets............................................................................................ 43 
   
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -v- 
   
  Acknowledgements 
   
  I would like to thank Mike Holmes, who co-authored Universalis, and Paul Czege, the 
  author of My Life with Master, for their expert advice on many aspects of this game.  
  Mike helped out a lot in the conflict rules and helped me eliminate the Game Master role.  
  Paul gave some much-needed advice on how to maintain a somber mood throughout the 
  game and provided the inspiration for Stigmatics. 
   
  Additionally, Vincent Baker, creator of Dogs in the Vineyard, provided many of the 
  concepts behind his oft-quoted “Say ‘Yes’ or Roll the Dice”.  His ideas, along with those 
  found in Keith Johnstone’s Impro, published by Routledge, contributed greatly to the 
  improvisation rules found in the game. 
   
  Much of the information concerning Gnostics comes from Elain Pagel’s The Gnostic 
  Gospels published by Vintage Books.  The various plots and sub-plots in this game were 
  inspired by Ronald B. Tobias’s 20 Master Plots published by Writer’s Digest Books. 
   
  I would also like to thank Matt Ault, David Bailey, James Bockmon, Bill Boucher, Kim 
  Boucher, Dan Budd, Ralph Buttner, Melissa Kirk, Mike Patrick, Adam Reid, Paul White, 
  and Glenda Wright for play-testing this game.  Without their help, Gnostigmata would 
  never have gotten off the ground. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Gnostigmata fits the definition of a CSI Game 
  For more information about CSI Games, see 
  http://competitiverpgs.blogspot.com/ 
   
   
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -1- 
  Introduction 
  God exists.  Satan exists.  In the beginning, one of the two created the Heavens and the Earth.  
  But which one?  The vast majority of Christendom asserts that God is the Creator.  Since the 
  birth of Catholicism, this has been the view of the Catholic church.  But, not all Christians view 
  the world this way.  One group of early Christians, known as the Gnostics, believed the world to 
  be a prison created by Satan to ensnare and bewilder countless souls, who would otherwise be 
  deities themselves.  Thus, Christ came to teach us how to escape our delusional worldly bonds 
  and assume our rightful place among the divine.  Needless to say, the Gnostic view of the world 
  is at odds with the Catholic viewpoint.  So, in the fourth century A.D., the early Catholic Church 
  systematically slaughtered the Gnostics.  The Church proved highly efficient in the art of 
  genocide, but a few Gnostics managed to slip away.  Gnosticism survived, but only in secret. 
   
  Gnostigmata is about faith.  How can a person believe in a divine Creator who has our best 
  interests in mind without any hard facts supporting that assertion?  Is it reasonable to do so? 
   
  To play Gnostigmata, you must pick a side for your character: Catholic or Gnostic.  If your 
  character believes God is the Creator, then he is a Catholic.  If he believes Satan created the 
  universe, he is a Gnostic.  For Gnostigmata to work, Catholic and Gnostic characters must be 
  nearly equal in number.  So, before creating characters, your play group needs to decide who is 
  on which side.  If there are an odd number of players, then one side will have one fewer players 
  than the other.  Don’t worry about imbalances due to this number disparity.  The mechanics of 
  the game can handle a one-player difference and even things out so that both sides have a fair 
  chance of winning. 
   
  What’s that?  Did we just say you can win Gnostigmata?  Yes.  Unlike most role-playing games, 
  Gnostigmata has actual winners and losers. 
  The Gnostic Perspective 
  Gnostics believe that the world is a lie.  It is a fiction crafted by nefarious entities as a distraction 
  from reality.  All of known creation is a perfect cage holding countless gods in bondage.  It is a 
  trap so cleverly devised that even recognizing it as such is miraculous.  Rocks, trees, buildings, 
  heaven, earth, and even people are window dressing of the physical illusion.  Because the 
  universe was created by Satan, it is fundamentally corrupt and evil.  Finally realizing this, how 
  far will you go to escape its grip? 
   
  Gnostics believe that if a soul attains a level of perfect knowledge, or “gnosis”, it escapes the 
  bonds of the physical world and ascends into “reality”.  As a person’s understanding of the 
  world’s true nature increases, his ability to manipulate the Delusion in miraculous ways grows.  
  These miracles are often so spectacular they can put even the best-funded movies’ special effects 
  to shame.  That is fortunate, because the ability to work miracles can show others reality’s true 
  face and gives them hope that they too can break free of their eternal prison.  The ultimate 
  miracle is, of course, to escape the Delusion entirely.  If a person does not attain gnosis within 
  his lifetime, he will be reincarnated back into the Delusion, doomed to repeat the process until he 
  does. 
   
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -2- 
  If you choose to play a Gnostic, it is your character’s self-appointed task to discover all that can 
  be revealed about the ultimate reality and to help other Gnostics attain gnosis.  Perhaps the best 
  way to do this is to discover one of the many ancient Gnostic texts that were hidden long ago in 
  caves and ancient catacombs by the early Gnostics.  These texts were written by pupils of Jesus 
  himself, and so contain accounts of His life that have survived in a relatively uncolored state.  
  Some of the great finds of recent years include The Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Philip, the 
  Gospel of Truth, the Gospel to the Egyptians, the Apocryphon of John, the Letter of Peter to 
  Philip, the Apocalypse of Peter, and the Gospel of Judas.  Many more are believed to still await 
  discovery, including “Q”, which is said to be a document comprising a lengthy list of direct 
  quotes of Jesus. 
   
  Gnostics have given the name of “Demiurge” to the creator of the shared delusion that makes up 
  the world.  As the creator of the physical universe, the Demiurge is associated with the ancient 
  Hebrew deity Jehovah.  As the primary force of evil in the world, the Demiurge also directly 
  corresponds to Satan.  Therefore, Gnostics believe that the Creator and Satan are one and the 
  same.  The Demiurge will do anything in his power to maintain the Delusion.  This primarily 
  involves promoting the concept of sameness throughout the universe and discrediting 
  individuality and miraculous acts of Gnosis.  Who the Demiurge actually is and what motivated 
  him to create the Delusion in the first place is unknown, however.  Those are some of the big 
  questions Gnostics ask. 
   
  In seeking enlightenment, Gnostics look to reports of supernatural occurrences and exciting 
  archeological finds for clues leading to absolute truths.  It is hard to predict where these clues 
  may be found, though.  In a modern setting, Magazines, newspapers, and Internet websites 
  would all be useful sources.  Even tabloids could provide important leads.  Whatever the source, 
  the Demiurge does whatever is necessary to cover up or discredit any genuine miracle.  This may 
  be done in any number of ways.  Some of the more common means of doing so are: 
   
  1) Destroying the credibility of the witnesses, such as planting evidence that everyone 
  involved is a pedophile or axe murderer 
  2) Fabricate fictional facts alongside the real ones to make the witnesses look like kooks.  
  Linking a contrived UFO sighting to a witness generally proves sufficient. 
  3) Silencing everyone involved through murder or threat of murder. 
   
  So, the only way to truly know what parts of a story are accurate is to conduct personal on-site 
  investigations.  Unfortunately, demonstrating curiosity in such matters is always dangerous.  
  Unseen demons abound that are eager to claw and rend the flesh of anyone seeking gnosis.  It is 
  common for cuts, bruises, and burns to spontaneously appear on a Gnostic’s body, occasionally 
  accompanied by snarls or diabolical laughter. 
  The Catholic Perspective 
  “God works in mysterious ways.”   The workings of God permeate every aspect of the world 
  around us.  It only takes a willing eye to see them.  But, the Creator is a God of faith.  He does 
  not reveal Himself through flash and grotesquerie.  Such displays would rob His children of their 
  right to freely choose between good and evil.  After all, a choice made by force is no choice at 
  all.  Ever since He sacrificed His only Son to save mankind, the God of the Old Testament has 
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -3- 
  tempered His wrath to allow His children to exercise their free will without fear of divine 
  retribution.  God is subtle.  God is patient.  Most of all, God is good.  In the end, God will judge. 
   
  If you choose to play a Catholic, your character plays a special role in Catholicism.  Your 
  character is a Stigmatic.  A stigmatic is a person who suffers from stigmata, supernatural wounds 
  that mimic those borne by Jesus at His crucifixion.  Many Stigmatics fall into an ecstatic trance 
  having visions of Christ’s crucifixion just prior to their wounds appearing, although this is not 
  always the case.  Stigmata predominately develop on the hands, feet, and side, but the head and 
  back are also sometimes affected.  Stigmatcs generally consider their sufferings to be an honor 
  bestowed by God to allow them to empathize with Christ’s agony.  Even so, they bear their 
  wounds with great humility.  To do otherwise would dishonor God.  In fact, some Stigmatics 
  pray that their wounds be made invisible so they can endure their trials with modesty. 
   
  Stigmata are not the only crosses your character must bear, though.  The world is filled with evil 
  and it is your duty as a follower of Christ to combat it.  Satan is always finding new ways to 
  capture the hearts of men.  The lure of power, money, and sex are potent weapons in Satan’s 
  arsenal.  He combines these with confusing and contradictory lies about God’s message of love 
  and hope.  The only way to keep evil from conquering the world is to fight back, and fight hard. 
   
  “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.”  Many modern day Catholics take a softened stance on 
  this divinely inspired directive.  Even if they believe in its validity, they often choose to ignore it 
  or delegate the dirty work to others.  If you choose to play a Stigmatic, you cannot afford this 
  luxury.  You are a holy warrior of God who hunts down and kills witches.  A captured witch 
  must either genuinely convert to the “true faith” or die.  It is your responsibility to track them 
  down and take them out.  Your greatest duty, though, is to protect God’s Word from any heresy 
  that might obscure its message.  The most dangerous of these are the ancient “Gnostic Gospels” 
  and other texts that purport to convey Christ’s meaning.  All such works arise from Satan.  The 
  Holy Bible must never be tainted by them. 
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -4- 
   
  What You Need to Play 
  Gnostigmata requires a number of different props and tokens so that tracking various rewards 
  and resources is simplified. 
  Dice 
  First, each player needs a number of six-sided dice.  (One six-sided die is denoted in the game 
  as1d6.  Two six-sided dice are denoted as 2d6, etc.)  The game uses a lot of them, so it would be 
  best if everyone has 9d6.  More would be even better.  Ideally, each player’s dice would be 
  easily distinguishable from other players dice, so that nobody gets confused over what dice 
  belong to whom.  Having each player use a different color of dice is optimal. 
  Pieces of Silver 
  Next, you need a bunch of “Pieces of Silver”.  Ancient Roman silver coins are the most 
  appropriate, if you happen to have several dozen lying around.  If not, pennies will do.  Pieces of 
  Silver represent a resource whose values can grow quite large.  So, feel free to use higher 
  denomination coins when needed. 
  Rosary Beads 
  You will also need Rosary Beads of at least three different colors.  The rules text describes the 
  beads as being red, white, and black.  But, you can obviously substitute your own colors.  You 
  will need at least 9 each of the red and black beads and a number of white beads equal to four 
  times the number of players. 
  Poker Chips 
  You need Poker Chips to keep track of your character’s primary attributes.  These values tend to 
  change a lot during play.  So, the character sheet is designed to allow you to place poker chips 
  over their spaces instead of forcing you to erase and re-write their values over and over.  Having 
  different color poker chips for each attribute is convenient if someone bumps the table and the 
  chips scatter.  
  The Tarot Deck 
  You will need a Rider Tarot Deck.  In case you don’t know what that is, Tarot Decks are those 
  cards commonly used by fortune tellers in their readings.  There are several varieties of Tarot 
  Deck, the most popular of which is the Rider deck (which is named after its creator). 
  Character Sheets 
  Finally, each player will require a pencil and a copy of one of the character sheets found at the 
  end of this document. 
   
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -5- 
   
  Starting Out 
  Before anyone works up a character, the entire group needs to sit down and discuss the primary 
  focus of the story they are about to create.  Since Gnostigmata is about the conflict between the 
  Gnostic and Catholic world-view, you already have a big head-start in this regard.  You already 
  know that it will involve a group of Gnostics competing with a group of Stigmatics over some 
  important relic or event.  However, you need to get more specific.  Are the Gnostics following 
  leads to an as-yet undiscovered Gospel that the Catholics want to remain lost (like the characters 
  in the movie “Stigmata” seeking the Gospel of Jesus)?  Perhaps the Gnostics are trying to follow 
  clues hidden in great works of art to uncover the descendents of Jesus himself (ala “The Da 
  Vinci Code”), but the Catholics are striving to keep what they believe are blatant lies from being 
  propagated.  Perhaps the Gnostics are trying to bring about the Apocalypse, because they believe 
  that will free all mankind from its delusional bonds but the Catholics want to prevent the end-
  time from coming (shadows of “The Exorcist”).  Maybe the story will be set on a much smaller 
  scale.  Perhaps the Catholics are building a new cathedral in a town where Gnosticism has been 
  warmly received and the Gnostics don’t like the competition.  Whatever you decide, make sure 
  the topic is something everyone is interested in. 
   
  Also, put a little time into discussing the general time period in which the story is to transpire as 
  well as the setting.  Does it take place in the 18th century American West, modern day Paris, 4th 
  century Egypt, or somewhere else?  Are the characters free to roam the world in their quest or is 
  everyone expected to stay in the same city?  When everyone agrees to some parameter, make 
  sure someone writes it down so it can be referenced later if need be. 
   
  Once you have your main topic and general setting, you need to start discussing the various 
  characters that will be involved in the plot.  Each player will have one primary character to play.  
  These will be the main characters of the story.  Other characters may be introduced as the game 
  progresses, but they will essentially be “extras” or, at best, supporting characters.  Take your 
  time here and don’t be too concerned over what sounds “cool” or “tough”.  A seven year-old 
  schoolgirl can be just as potent a character in Gnostigmata as a twenty-five year-old Marine.  
  What is important is that each player finds his or her character interesting and worthy of 
  exploring.  Discuss their strengths and weaknesses and how the characters relate to one another, 
  if at all.  (The more you understand their inter-relationships, the easier it will be to get the game 
  rolling.) 
   
  Once you have discussed the story’s premise and characters, it is time to start working up 
  characters.  Do not be surprised if your discussion and character generation take up most of the 
  game’s first session.  This is normal and helps to ensure an enjoyable game for all. 
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -6- 
   
  Character Makeup 
  The Four Primary Attributes 
  Gnostigmata characters have four primary attributes: Physicality, Magic, Coincidence, and 
  Agony.   There is an intricate interplay between these attributes.  To ease your understanding of 
  these relationships as you read, you might want to periodically review the character sheets 
  provided at the end of this document, since they graphically depict their interdependencies. 
   
  Because Gnostic and Catholic characters have such radically different views of the world, they 
  give different pseudonyms to these attributes.  Regardless of what they call the attributes, their 
  observed effect on the game world is unaffected.  How these effects are interpreted by the 
  various characters may differ, though.  What is good to one may be evil to another.  What is real 
  and concrete to a Catholic is mere illusion to a Gnostic. 
  Physicality 
  Physicality is a Conflicted Resource Attribute.  It is used in any contest in which your character 
  directly manipulates the physical world according to its physical laws.  The higher the value, the 
  more effective your character is in all physical actions.  The only way Physicality can be raised is 
  by using it in the performance of physical actions. 
   
  Catholic characters give the name “Self-Reliance” to Physicality.  Gnostic characters call it 
  “Delusion”.  Physicality is a resource, since you can spend these points to a minimum of 1 on 
  gaining ranks in various traits (explained later). 
  Magic 
  Magic is also a Conflicted Resource Attribute.  It is used in any contest in which a character 
  manipulates the physical world in ways that contradict its physical laws.  The higher the value of 
  Magic, the more effective a character is in its use.  The only way Magic can be raised is through 
  the performance of metaphysical actions, or actions that break the game world’s physical laws. 
   
  Gnostic characters give the Magic attribute the pseudonym of “Gnosis”.  Catholic characters call 
  it “Infernal Favor”.  Magic points can also be spent on traits (as explained below).  You may 
  spend this attribute down to a minimum of 1.   
  Coincidence 
  Coincidence is also a Conflicted Resource Attribute.  It is used in any contest in which you 
  manipulate the physical world in ways that obey its physical laws but which have no direct 
  cause/effect relationship due to your own character’s actions.  Coincidence generates seeming 
  fortune.  The happenstances may seem far-fetched, but they never break any of the game world’s 
  physical laws.  Also, your character cannot even be present in a scene for his Coincidence 
  attribute to apply and is never aware when it influences circumstances.  So, you can always 
  participate in the development of a scene even when your character is entirely absent.  So, while 
  you would use your Physicality attribute to apply to your own character’s actions, you would use 
  your Coincidence attribute to apply to the actions of non-player characters you control. 
   
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -7- 
  Coincidence points can be spent on Traits (explained later).  You may spend it down at any time 
  to a minimum of 1.  The only way Coincidence can be raised is by using it in contests. 
   
  Gnostic characters give the Coincidence attribute the pseudonym of “Fate”.  Catholic characters 
  call it “Divine Favor”. 
  Agony 
  Agony is a Trauma Resource Attribute.  It reduces your character’s effectiveness in all activities, 
  whether through Physicality, Magic, or Coincidence.  Its value often increases whenever your 
  character loses a conflict.  Your opponent can “spend” his successes in a conflict to raise your 
  Agony.  To do so, he must spend a number of successes equal to the next higher Agony value.  
  So, to raise your Agony from a 2 to a 3, he must spend 3 successes.  If he has enough successes 
  to raise it by two or more points in this fashion, he may do so.  However, Agony can only be 
  raised in whole increments.  Any left-over successes are either spent to purchase facts in the 
  game world (described below) or simply lost. 
  Traits 
  Traits are abilities or characteristics that enhance your character’s ability to interact with his 
  environment.  They are broken up into the categories of Persona & Possessions, Vices, Material 
  Desires & Fears, Relationships, Virtues, and Interests & Hobbies.  Virtues and Vices act as 
  “verbs” whereas the other traits play the role of nouns.  When performing any action involving 
  traits, the traits must be paired together and only certain kinds of pairs are allowed.  You can 
  apply only one Interests & Hobbies/Virtue, Virtue/Relationship, Relationship/Material Desires & 
  Fears, Material Desires & Fears/Vice, or Vice/Persona & Possessions pair to any given contest.  
  There is more detail on this concept later. 
   
  If you find yourself befuddled, take a moment to look at the Gnostic and Stigmatic character 
  sheets at the end of this document.  They may prove illuminating.  Note that only traits in 
  adjacent columns may be paired together.  That means that all trait pairs except for Material 
  Desires & Fears / Relationships pairs are verb/noun trait pairs.  Verb / noun trait pairs are only 
  usable when your character is present in a scene.  Material Desires & Fears / Relationships pairs 
  are only usable when he is not. 
   
  All characters start out with 5 points to spend in each trait category.  It is important to understand 
  that these points must be spent before any Gnostic character can ascend or any Catholic character 
  can martyr himself.  So, you can’t just decide to abstain from taking character vices as a shortcut 
  to ascension or martyrdom (described later). 
  Trait Ranks 
  Traits have ranks, which lie in the range of 0 to 5. 
  Increasing Trait Ranks 
  Trait ranks are gained by spending attribute points.  The attribute points that must be spent to 
  raise a particular trait depends on whether a character is a Gnostic or a Catholic and the type of 
  trait being raised.  These relationships are listed on the following table: 
   
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -8- 
  Category 
  Catholic Attribute 
  Gnostic Attribute 
  Persona & Possessions 
  Infernal Favor 
  Delusion 
  Vices 
  Infernal Favor, Agony 
  Delusion, Agony 
  Material Desires & Fears 
  Infernal Favor, Divine Favor 
  Delusion, Fate 
  Relationships 
  Self-Reliance, Divine Favor 
  Gnosis, Fate 
  Virtues 
  Divine Favor 
  Gnosis 
  Interests & Hobbies 
  Divine Favor 
  Gnosis 
   
  So, a Gnostic can spend Delusion points to buy ranks in Material Desires & Fears, Vices, and 
  Persona & Possessions traits.  A Catholic can buy ranks in Relationships, Interests & Hobbies, 
  and Virtues traits using Divine Favor points, etc.  Again, if you find yourself stymied by all the 
  seeming confusion, take a look at the character sheets.  The curly braces indicate what primary 
  attributes can be spent on what traits.  The only thing missing on the sheets is the fact that Agony 
  can be spent to raise Vices or to lower Virtues. 
   
  The cost to gain any rank after having attained the previous rank equals the rank itself.  So, 
  attaining rank 1 in a trait, which is the only way to gain new traits, costs only a single point.  
  Rank 2 can only be attained after having gained rank 1 and it costs another 2 points.  Rank 3 
  costs another 3 points, etc.  So, a Gnostic with a “Love” Virtue having a rank of 4 could be 
  raised to a rank of 5 by spending 5 Gnosis points. 
   
  A player may raise trait ranks any time other than when his character is currently involved in a 
  conflict.  To gain a rank in a trait, the player must narrate some scene that illustrates the 
  character’s advancement.  For example, as a character staggers away from a fist fight he just lost, 
  he could have his character mumble under his breath, “Son-of-a-bitch.  You think you’re so 
  special beating up a guy twice your size.  I’ll show you.  I’ll show you.”  This could qualify as an 
  explanation of gaining a rank in the Vice of Hate. 
  Forgiveness 
  No Gnostic can ascend and no Catholic can martyr himself as long as he has any Vice with a 
  rank above zero.  So, eventually, most characters will want to “buy off” their vices.  In game 
  terms, the character “forgives” the transgressions of others that brought the vice about in the first 
  place.  The cost to lower a Vice rank equals the cost to obtain it.  However, Gnostics must spend 
  Gnosis points and Catholics must spend Divine Favor points to do so.  Therefore, lowering a 
  Gnostic’s Rank 3 Hate vice down to a rank of 2 costs 3 Gnosis points.  The character's player 
  should narrate an appropriate scene to explain the character's changed attitude. 
   
  Note that, from a Christian perspective, forgiveness is an act of internal soul searching that 
  represents the mending of a person’s psyche.  In comparison, healing physical wounds is easy.  
  As such, there is a fundamental difference between healing and forgiveness that makes 
  forgiveness more difficult and costly than a simple conflict roll. 
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -9- 
  Persona & Possessions 
  Persona & Possessions is a trait category that incorporates aspects of the physical nature of a 
  character.  These include both the character’s physique and most of his trappings. 
   
  Elements of physique include aspects such as strength, agility, charisma, etc.  Similarly, a 
  physique trait could just as easily be chosen as weakness, clumsiness, or ugliness.  Whether a 
  Persona & Possessions trait is described as helpful or harmful to a character’s persona, both are 
  beneficial mechanically.  The only difference lies in how conflicts are narrated: “With a mighty 
  heave, Jacque forces open the door to surprise those on the other side”, “Knowing his strength to 
  be no match for the door, Jacque hides behind it and waylays whoever comes through first.” 
   
  Trappings correlate to standard items of equipment and/or decoration.  For a trapping to fall 
  under the Persona & Possessions category, though, it must be an item that is easily replaced.  
  That is, it has no sentimental value to the character.  (Unique items having sentimental value 
  generally fall under the Relationships category.)  So, trappings such as “knife”, “necklace”, and 
  “purse” fall under the Persona & Possessions category.  Note that similar traits could be placed 
  under the Material Desires & Fears category as “knives”, “necklaces”, and “purses”.  A player 
  may wish to do so because Material Desires & Fears are more general in that their use does not 
  necessarily pertain to items possessed by the character.  However, Material Desires & Fears traits 
  have nothing to do with a character’s persona or features.  If, for example, you picture your 
  character as always wearing a trench coat and fedora hat and carrying a tommy-gun, these 
  aspects would best fit under the Persona & Possessions category. 
   
  Persona & Possessions traits enhance conflict rolls when the element is used in an action.  Note 
  that a player is free to list Persona & Possessions traits at rank 0 (zero) merely to note that the 
  character possesses a particular item, but it is of no particular value or great quantity.  A rank of 
  4 in “bullets” implies a character has a lot of ammo, so the character increases his chances in 
  shootouts by filling the air with lead.  A rank of 3 in the Persona & Possessions trait of “Colt-45” 
  indicates possession of a weapon of superior quality. 
  Vices 
  Vices are harmful, self-destructive, or selfish acts.  As such, they must be verbs.  Their 
  expression is an act of indulgence.  The group may decide on specific Vices they wish to explore 
  in the game that will be common to all characters.  Alternately, the group may decide that Vices 
  should be customized on a character by character basis.  For a trait to qualify as a Vice, its 
  expression must be something that a character chooses to do.  So, “forgets” is not a Vice even 
  though a character’s wife might think so.  Some examples are: Abuse, Insult, Scream, Yell, 
  Ignore, Despair, Destroy, Sigh, Hate, Glower, Prejudge, Belittle, Brag, Embarrass, Envy, Insult, 
  Overindulge, Judge, Mutilate, Consume, Crave, Devour, Lust, Fondle, Leer, Mistrust, Attack, 
  Desire, Covet, Steal, Defile, Hide, and Neglect.  Use whatever you want and add any others the 
  group (or player) wants to explore as Vices. 
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -10- 
  Material Desires & Fears 
  Material Desires & Fears are categorical nouns dealing with physical things that your character 
  either wants to possess or fears encountering.  Note that they must be categories of concrete, 
  physical things.  They cannot refer to specific objects or characters (such as the English Crown 
  Jewels) or abstract concepts (such as loneliness).  Examples are: Pistols, Guns, Spiders, Locks, 
  Swords, Money, Caucasians, Snakes, Asians, Horses, Cats, Men, Women, Computers, Robots, 
  Bugs, Vulcans, Gods, Gangsters, Emeralds, and Secret Doors.  Material Desires & Fears should 
  be broad enough to be useful, but not too broad.  In general, group consensus decides what is 
  allowable as a Material Desires & Fears trait and what isn’t.  Disagreements are resolved through 
  the player vs. player conflict rules.  
   
  Please note that a character having a rank 3 in the Fear trait of “Spiders” does not mean that he 
  has more fear of spiders than if he had only a rank of 2.  It means that he has more control over 
  what he fears.  (Listing any fear assumes the character exhibits an extreme aversion to the trait’s 
  subject.)  Similarly, gaining a rank of 3 in the Material Desire of “Jewelry” does not mean that a 
  character possesses more desire for jewelry than another character only having a rank of 1 in that 
  trait.  It means that the character has more influence over what he desires.  From a Catholic 
  perspective, ranks in these traits are blessings, even though men often corrupt the blessings God 
  bestows. Gnostics believe Material Desires & Fears exist to tempt souls and delude those trapped 
  in the delusion into perceiving others as commodities rather than as unique individuals. 
   
  Also, Material Desires & Fears traits do not imply that a character possesses an item.  Only 
  Persona & Possessions traits do that.  If a character does not possess an item appropriate to a 
  particular Material Desires & Fears trait, facts must be introduced into scenes to establish the 
  existence of these elements before they can be utilized in conflicts.  Also note that a rank of 3 in 
  the Material Desires & Fears trait of “Guns” implies guns are important to the character, but does 
  nothing to convey what weapon he carries, if any. 
  Relationships 
  Relationships are the names of specific characters along with brief descriptions of the kind of 
  relationships represented (one or two words generally suffices).  “Self” cannot be used as a 
  relationship.  For an object to qualify as a character, it must be a specific item and must have a 
  name or have sentimental value.  Some groups may want to allow relationships only with entities 
  capable of making some form of judgment or decision, but otherwise relationships with 
  inanimate objects are fine.  Examples are: Bill (husband), Mary (girlfriend), Fido (pet cat), 
  Martin Luther King (hero), Grandfather’s Pocket watch (given to me on his deathbed), Charles 
  (best friend), Herbie (my Volkswagen bug), Tonto (favorite sidekick), HAL (Artificial 
  Intelligence program I wrote), Superman (arch-rival), R2D2 (robot friend), The One Ring (my 
  Precious), Wedding Ring (most prized possession), Odin (ancestor’s pagan god), Excalibur 
  (sword that wields me), The Star of Africa (coveted gemstone), Green Dragon (favorite bong), 
  and God (deity). 
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -11- 
  Virtues 
  Virtues are uplifting, helpful, or selfless actions.  As such, they must be verbs.  The group may 
  decide on specific Virtues they wish to explore in the game that will be common to all 
  characters.  Alternately, the group may decide that Virtues should be customized on a character 
  by character basis.  Virtues must pertain to activities a character chooses to do rather than innate 
  qualities.  So, “Breathe” is not a Virtue, even though it is an action that is personally very 
  helpful.  Some examples are: Soothe, Confide, Encourage, Compliment, Pray, Mend, Trust, 
  Love, Hope, Sacrifice, Reward, Consecrate, Defend, Support, Beware, Comfort, Appreciate, 
  Consider, Contemplate, Study, Moderate, Fix, Compromise, Inspire, Create, Craft, Design, 
  Build, Endure, Persevere, Prosecute, Negotiate, Defer, Serve, Aid, Praise, Heal, Compose, 
  Abstain, Resist, Await, and Reveal.  Use whatever you want and add any other virtues the group 
  (or player) wants to explore. 
  Interests & Hobbies 
  Interests & Hobbies encompass any area of academic knowledge, art, creative interest, or sport.  
  Examples are:  Classical Music, Rock and Roll, Math, Soccer, Sculpture, Philosophy, Painting, 
  Law, Science, the Occult, Metaphysics, Golf, and Computer Programming.  Here again, an 
  interest or hobby should be broad enough to be useful, but not so broad that it covers most 
  situations.  Group consensus decides what qualifies as an appropriate interest or hobby. 
  Exemplars 
  For every Vice and Virtue trait possessed by a character, draw a line between it and one other 
  trait.  For Vices, the line must be between the Vice and either a Material Desires & Fears or 
  Persona & Possessions trait.  For Virtues, the line must be between the Virtue and either a 
  Relationship or an Interests & Hobbies trait.  This line represents the Exemplar of that trait.  (If 
  you look at the Gnostigmata character sheet, you will see that exemplars are always lines that are 
  drawn between traits in adjacent columns where one end of the line is either a Virtue or a Vice.)  
  An Exemplar is the matching trait that is the main focus of the vice or virtue.  For example, John 
  Smith might have a Virtue trait of “Love” and a Relationship trait of “Mary Sue”.  If a line is 
  drawn between “Love” and “Mary Sue”, then “Mary Sue” becomes John Smith’s exemplar of 
  “Love”.  In other words, John Smith’s Love virtue has a special focus upon Mary Sue. 
  Stigmatic and Demonic Wounds 
  Note that Coincidence-based actions can result in Agony for a character as well, even though 
  Coincidence can only be used in scenes where the character is absent.  Agony sustained in this 
  way is handled just like Agony sustained any other way.  In Gnostigmata, this is the origin of 
  Stigmatic and demonic wounds.  The actual wounds do not appear until the next scene in which 
  the character participates (although their effects are felt on any subsequent Coincidence attempt).  
  But, on the character’s next appearance, a Catholic will suffer from new or more severe stigmata.  
  Gnostics will suffer the indignity of a demonic claw mark, burns, or other injuries suddenly 
  appearing out of nowhere. 
   
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -12- 
   
  Character Creation 
  To create a character, perform the following steps: 
   
  1) Set the attributes of Physicality, Magic, and Coincidence to 6, 6, and 6 respectively.  You 
  may spend these attribute points on traits as normal before play begins. 
  2) Set Agony and Pieces of Silver to zero. 
  3) Spend 5 points on trait ranks in each of the categories of Persona & Possessions, Vices, 
  Material Desires & Fears, Relationships, Virtues, and Interests & Hobbies.  These points 
  are spent to gain ranks in the traits just like attribute points would be spent to do the same 
  thing.  Thus, a rank 2 in a trait would cost 3 points (1 for rank 1 and another 2 for rank 2).  
  There are a few rules on how these initial points must be spent: 
   
  a) One of the Creative Interests & Hobbies traits must be a fairly broad “career” or 
  “profession” trait such as cop, truck driver, bartender, student, private eye, computer 
  programmer, etc.  This trait covers all of the abilities related to that particular 
  profession. 
  b) At least two Relationship traits must be with living persons that are not player 
  characters.  This encourages you to think about your character’s past and his 
  relationship to the world at large. 
  c) You may decide to delay the expenditure of these initial points on traits until after 
  play starts in order to get a better “feel” for the character first.  However, please note 
  that spending these points is mandatory, especially for the Vice traits.  A Gnostic 
  character cannot take a “shortcut to heaven” by failing to give his character Vices. 
  You cannot spend any points from your primary attributes of Physicality, Magic, 
  Coincidence, or Agony on trait ranks until all of your initial character points have 
  been spent. 
  4) Pick a sub-plot for your character from those listed later.  Once you choose one, think 
  about its specific requirements.  Don’t try to dream up most of the details at this time, just 
  decide on the major actors.  Who do you want as the antagonist to the sub-plot?  If the 
  sub-plot requires a victim, who should that be?  If you want another player character to 
  fill a role in your sub-plot, make sure you get approval from that character’s player first 
  and make sure he understands the role his character is going to play. 
   
  You’re done! 
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -13- 
   
  The Story Arc 
  Gnostigmata stories build up to a single Climax through the course of an indeterminate number 
  of Acts and Sub-plots.  The Climax resolves the outcome of the overarching storyline that the 
  players all discussed prior to beginning play.  Acts are broken down into an indeterminate 
  number of Scenes, and Scenes are broken down into an indeterminate number of Actions.  Each 
  of these has a conflict that is resolved based on the outcomes of lower level contests (with the 
  exception of Actions, which are the lowest level contests).  So, each Act, Scene, and Action has a 
  winning side and a losing side.  So does the story’s overall Climax. 
  Advancing the Story 
  As mentioned before, every character has a sub-plot that his player is trying to push forward.  In 
  addition, the overall story has its own overarching plot.  Each of these has a set number of 
  prescribed steps that it must perform to satisfy the plot or sub-plot.  These steps are fully 
  described for a variety of sub-plots a little later.  
   
  Each scene has a central conflict.  The topic of all 
  scenes is pre-determined and is designed to push 
  forward the plot and/or some character’s sub-
  plot.  The specific sub-plot that is being advanced 
  depends on the winner of the previous scene.  In 
  other words, when players compete against each 
  other in a scene, what they are really trying to 
  win is the right to push their own character’s sub-
  plot forward in the next scene.  When one side 
  wins enough scenes and when a player finishes 
  his character’s sub-plot, the overarching plot is 
  pushed forward in that side’s favor. 
   
  Also, the winner of a scene gets the last word on 
  that scene’s outcome, although he must satisfy all 
  of the requirements of the plot and/or sub-plot 
  currently being advanced. 
  Winning a Scene 
  Every time a conflict is won, that side gains a 
  Rosary bead.  If a player wins an individual 
  Action within a Scene, he gains a white Rosary 
  bead.  The first player to gain five white Rosary 
  beads wins the Scene for his side.  (A scene can also be won by driving all players to an Agony 
  of 7 or more on the opposing side.)  Winning a scene earns the following: 
  Perhaps you’re thinking that having 
  plots laid out in so bare a form will 
  produce formulaic and boring play.  If 
  so, you should be let in on a little 
  secret.  Writers and storytellers have 
  known for centuries that there are only 
  a small number of basic plots that 
  cover the entire width and breadth of 
  all literature.  Depending on what 
  expert you consult and what hairs they 
  decide to split, you will get a slightly 
  different answer as to exactly how 
  many plots exist.  But, the sum total of 
  all plots is somewhere in the 
  neighborhood of two dozen.  That’s it.  
  The art of storytelling is not in the 
  invention of new plots, but rather in the 
  novel and interesting ways in which a 
  standard plot is retold.  Gnostigmata 
  does little more than provide a 
  framework on which you can hang your 
  own unique stories. 
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -14- 
   
  1) The right to narrate the outcome of the current scene 
  2) The right to push forward his character’s sub-plot by one step in the next scene. 
  3) The right to be the “dealer” in the Scene Framing stage of the next scene. 
  4) A black Rosary bead. 
  Winning an Act 
  The first side to gain five black Rosary beads wins the Act and earns the following: 
   
  1) The right to narrate the Act’s outcome. 
  2) The right to push forward the overarching plot by one step in his side’s favor, although 
  this does not have to take place immediately. 
  3) A red Rosary bead. 
  Completing a Sub-Plot 
  When a player pushes his character’s sub-plot to its conclusion, meaning he both earns the right 
  to push the sub-plot forward to its conclusion and narrates all scenes in the sub-plot, he gets the 
  following: 
   
  1) The right to push the overarching plot forward by one step in his side’s favor in the next 
  scene. 
  2) A red Rosary bead. 
  Winning the Game 
  The first side to accumulate a number of red Rosary beads equal to the number of steps in the 
  overarching plot wins the right to narrate the entire plot to its conclusion.  Doing so wins game.  
  Note that the game is not actually won until one side both earns the right to do so and narrates 
  the climax.  
  Ties 
  Although it is unusual for ties to occur in this system, it is possible.  If both sides attain 5 Rosary 
  beads simultaneously for either a Scene-level or Act-level contest, then the contest goes into 
  “overtime” and an “instant-death” situation arises.  The next side to earn any rosary bead of the 
  appropriate color wins the contest. 
   
  The same goes for winning the game.  If both sides earn enough red Rosary beads to win the 
  game simultaneously, then the Climax cannot be narrated until one side or the other earns 
  another red Rosary bead.  Remember, each step in the overarching plot must be told in a separate 
  scene.  So, if one side earns enough red Rosary beads to win, but gets behind in their narration of 
  the story, then the other side may have the opportunity to catch up and steal the game. 
  Clearing the Scoreboard 
  Once a Scene, Act, or Climax is won, all Rosary beads pertaining to lower-level contests are lost 
  by all parties.  So, if the losing side of a Scene has four white Rosary beads because they won 
  four Actions in a scene, they lose all of their white Rosary beads.  But, they do not lose any red 
  or black Rosary beads, since those represent victories of Scene and Act level contests. 
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -15- 
  Negotiating Stakes 
  Before a Scene, Act, or Action begins, you have the option to negotiate whatever stakes you 
  desire for the contest.  This can even be done for the whole darned Climax, if desired.  Most of 
  the time, you probably won’t bother.  But, the option is always there.  If you do want to negotiate 
  some special outcome for a contest, you must explicitly state what the winner gets and what the 
  loser gets.  Be sure you write the negotiated stakes down so you don’t forget the details when it 
  comes time to pay the piper.  Note that you should not try to negotiate the stakes of any Act, 
  Scene, or Action until just prior to their beginning.  At the beginning of Act I, for example, it 
  would be impossible to guess at a reasonable set of stakes for Act II since you don’t yet know the 
  outcome of Act I. 
   
  Other than Rosary beads, anything can be negotiated as the win/lose stakes of a conflict.  Of 
  course, the stakes cannot break the rules of Gnostigmata in any way.  For example, the side 
  winning the contest cannot be allowed to set their characters’ Coincidence attributes to seven 
  because that attribute must lie in the range of one to six.  Be very careful what you negotiate, 
  because these stakes can have a big impact on whether you eventually win or lose the 
  overarching conflict. 
   
  The negotiated stakes for Scenes and Acts may include plot stakes and/or mechanical stakes.  
  Mechanical stakes deal with meta-game issues (such as adding points to attribute values).  Plot 
  stakes deal with game-world events.  Does the loser escape or is he captured?  Is he killed?  
  Anything is allowed for plot-stakes, as long as they don’t contradict any of the pre-scribed plot 
  or sub-plot requirements in play at the time. 
   
  If you negotiate stakes for the Climax, keep them fairly vague so that any number of stories 
  could evolve to satisfy them.  You may also want to consider negotiating the stakes to be 
  sufficiently personal to the player characters so that the players are even more motivated to win.  
  For example, it is perfectly reasonable to negotiate that Kathy falls in love with George if their 
  side wins the game.  Stakes of fame, wealth, and other forms of coolness are also encouraged. 
   
  If plot-stakes are negotiated for a scene, they should only deal with elements directly relating to 
  the player characters appearing in the scene.  If you do not follow this advice, problems can arise 
  in narrating the scene’s outcome.  For example, suppose you negotiate that some absent character 
  learns some important bit of knowledge.  How are you going to convey that knowledge in a 
  reasonable fashion to the absent character?  It’s not impossible, of course.  You could have some 
  in-scene character get on a telephone to convey the information, but this tactic will quickly 
  become tiresome and cliché.  The same recommendation does not apply to Act and Climax level 
  stakes, because you simply do not know what characters will be “on stage” when those are won 
  at the time you negotiate the stakes. 
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -16- 
  Plots 
  A Plot represents the game’s overarching storyline.  At present, we have only a single major plot 
  worked up: Chase the MacGuffin.   The term “MacGuffin” was popularized by Alfred 
  Hitchcock.  A MacGuffin is something that the major characters, both protagonist and 
  antagonist, are chasing.  Seemingly, the MacGuffin is what the story is about.  However, it is 
  actually irrelevant to the story, which is really all about character interaction and development.  
  The MacGuffin’s only real purpose is to push the characters into action and competition.  In 
  “Raiders of the Lost Arc”, the MacGuffin is the Arc of the Covenant.  In “The Da Vinci Code”, 
  it is the Sangrail.    In “The Maltese Falcon”, the MacGuffin is the Maltese Falcon.  In “Harry 
  Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”, it is the Sorcerer’s Stone.  In “The Lord of the Rings”, the 
  MacGuffin is the One Ring.  In “Moby Dick”, it is the White Whale. 
   
  Gnostigmata focuses the main plot on “Chase the MacGuffin” because it is perhaps the easiest 
  standard plot to adapt to a game pitting two separate groups against one another.  It is adaptable 
  and simple to understand: 
  Chase the MacGuffin 
  Description: The characters are all involved in obtaining and/or keeping some item (known as a 
  MacGuffin). 
  Requirements: Identify what the MacGuffin is and why everyone wants it. 
  Hints: Introduce a third party consisting purely of NPC's that are also striving to obtain the 
  MacGuffin.  That way, the MacGuffin can be lost by one side without it necessarily being 
  acquired by the other. 
  Introduction:  Introduce the MacGuffin into the storyline and demonstrate that it has value in 
  some way.  (Describing why it has value is unnecessary prior to the end of Act I.) 
   
  For both sides, perform each of the following steps, in order.  Winning a Red Rosary bead wins 
  the right to move the plot forward one step.  You can be fairly leisurely about narrating each 
  step, since there will usually be several scenes in-between.  But, keep in mind that you cannot 
  skip steps and each step must be narrated in separate scenes (although they may be mixed in with 
  sub-plot scenes).  Each side must perform each step one at a time, in order, independently of the 
  other side: 
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -17- 
   
  Step Description 
  Plot Element Appearances 
  1 
  Describe why the MacGuffin is 
  valuable to the characters and 
  narrate that it is their mission to 
  obtain it. 
  All characters controlled by players on the team. 
  2 
  Narrate the characters learning of 
  the current location of the 
  MacGuffin and setting out to obtain 
  it. 
  All characters controlled by players on the team. 
  3 
  Narrate the characters obtaining the 
  MacGuffin. 
  At least one character controlled by players on the 
  team, the MacGuffin.  (The players of the team get 
  to decide who is appearing.) 
  4 
  Narrate the characters losing the 
  MacGuffin (possibly to some third 
  party). 
  At least one character controlled by players on the 
  team (again, the team decides), the MacGuffin, and 
  (possibly) some third party that acquires the 
  MacGuffin. 
  5 
  Narrate the characters re-acquiring 
  the MacGuffin for good (This is the 
  climax that wins the game). 
  All major characters on both sides, the MacGuffin. 
   
  The side that wins the scene containing the climax earns the right to narrate a brief scene 
  describing some long term consequence of the climax.  The tension of the story has been 
  resolved by the climax, so there is no conflict to this epilogue.  This final scene exists merely to 
  tie up any loose ends of the plot.  There are no requirements for any particular plot elements to 
  this scene.  Some or all characters may be present and the MacGuffin may or may not appear. 
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -18- 
  Sub-Plots 
  In this section are the various sub-plots available to Gnostigmata characters.  You will need to 
  pick one for your character before play begins and whenever one finishes.  In other words, your 
  character must always have a sub-plot.  If you complete one, pick another. 
  Capture and Escape 
  Description: Your character is captured and imprisoned by some antagonist.  His sub-plot 
  focuses on his attempts to escape. 
  Requirements: Identify the antagonist and why he wants to keep your character imprisoned. 
  Hints: Make the antagonist an NPC, so that it is easy for both the character and antagonist to 
  appear in the same scene.  If you decide you use multiple antagonists, feel free to make 
  characters on the opposing side antagonists as well. 
   
  Step Description 
  Plot Element 
  Appearances 
  1 
  Introduce the antagonist capturing your character.  In this step or the 
  next, narrate some compelling reason why the character must escape. 
  Character and 
  antagonist 
  present. 
  2 
  Narrate your character being imprisoned (and possibly interrogated).  
  Introduce elements of a possible escape plan.  If you have not already 
  done so, narrate some compelling reason why the character must 
  escape. 
  Character and 
  antagonist 
  present. 
  3 
  Narrate your character’s preparations for escape and introduce 
  elements for a second, more risky, escape plan. 
  Character 
  present. 
  4 
  Narrate your character attempting the less risky escape plan and 
  failing.  In this step or the next, narrate how the character’s reason for 
  escape now has a very short time-table, so the character must escape 
  very soon or lose something he cares about very deeply. 
  Character and 
  antagonist 
  present. 
  5 
  Narrate your character facing the dire consequences of his failed 
  escape.  If you have not already done so, narrate how the character’s 
  reason for escape now has a very short time-table, so the character 
  must escape very soon or lose something he cares about very deeply. 
  Character and 
  antagonist 
  present. 
  6 
  Narrate your character’s preparations for the more risky escape plan. 
  Character 
  present. 
  7 
  Narrate your character’s attempted escape.  However, narrate the 
  carefully-made preparations falling apart.  The scene ends without a 
  successful escape, but also without the character being re-captured. 
  Character 
  present. 
  8 
  Narrate your character improvising a successful escape from an 
  apparently hopeless situation. 
  Character 
  present. 
   
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -19- 
  Exacting Revenge 
  Description: Your character, the protagonist, is seeking revenge on some antagonist for some 
  grievance made against a victim who is very important to him. 
  Requirements: Identify the antagonist, the victim, and the crime for which revenge is sought 
  (rape, murder, and torture are all good motivators for revenge plots).  Also, decide what 
  authorities your character will seek help from in step 3. 
  Hints: Make the crime heinous.  We must feel the protagonist is justified in seeking revenge. 
   
  Step Description 
  Plot Element Appearances 
  1 
  Narrate some activity in which the character expresses love 
  and/or loyalty to the victim. 
  Character and victim 
  present.   
  2 
  Narrate the heinous crime the antagonist performs on the 
  victim. 
  Antagonist and victim 
  present. 
  3 
  Narrate the character seeking justice through normal 
  channels (police, mercenaries, etc.) 
  Character and authorities 
  present.   
  4 
  Narrate how normal methods fail to bring the antagonist to 
  justice and how your character begins to plot his own 
  revenge. 
  Character, authorities, and 
  antagonist present. 
  5 
  Narrate how your character makes preparations to enact his 
  revenge plans. 
  Character present. 
  6 
  Narrate how your character tries to take his revenge and 
  fails, possibly due to the interference of the authorities 
  from which he sought help in step 3. 
  Character, antagonist, and 
  (possibly) authorities 
  present. 
  7 
  Narrate your character pursuing the now alerted antagonist, 
  possibly skirting the efforts of the authorities to thwart 
  him. 
  Character, antagonist, and 
  (possibly) authorities 
  present. 
  8 
  Narrate your character exacting his revenge. 
  Character, antagonist, and 
  (possibly) authorities 
  present. 
   
   
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -20- 
  Hunted 
  Description: Your character is being hunted by some other character or entity. 
  Requirements: Identify your character's pursuer(s) and why he is being chased.  Is the hunter a 
  serial killer or a cop?  Perhaps he is an assassin or even a demon.  Also identify some thing 
  or person of great importance to your character.  Does he or she have a son or daughter?  
  Perhaps he has a spouse or some other close relative for which he cares. This is your 
  character’s “focus”. 
  Hints: Make the hunter(s) an NPC, so that it is easy for both the character and hunter(s) to 
  appear in the same scene.  (If you have multiple hunters, feel free to allow characters of the 
  opposite side be hunters as well.  Just be sure there is at least one NPC hunter.)  Also, don’t 
  make the mistake of making the character’s “focus” the hunter’s objective rather than the 
  character himself.  The hunter has to be able to threaten the focus in step 7 and be credible 
  when he/she/it does it. 
   
  Step Description 
  Plot Element 
  Appearances 
  1 
  Introduce the hunter and why he is hunting your character. 
  Hunter present.   
  2 
  Introduce your character’s “focus” and build up the relationship 
  between the two so the audience can experience it.  This is not a 
  scene for the pursuit, but more to allow the audience to start caring 
  about the focus. 
  Character and focus 
  present.  Hunter 
  absent. 
  3 
  Establish what the apparent consequences will be if the hunter 
  catches your character.  Will he imprison you?  Will he kill you?  
  Will he rape you? 
  Hunter present.   
  4 
  Narrate the hunter chasing your aggressively. 
  Character and 
  hunter present. 
  5 
  Narrate a reversal.  The hunter is suddenly at the disadvantage and 
  your character chases him. 
  Character and 
  hunter present. 
  6 
  Narrate another reversal.  The hunter regains his original upper-
  hand and is once again chasing your character. 
  Character and 
  hunter present. 
  7 
  Narrate the hunter threatening the “focus” introduced in step 2 and 
  your character giving up to save it. 
  Character, hunter, 
  and focus present. 
  8 
  Narrate the hunter threatening your “focus” once again, but this 
  time make the threat imminent and potentially fatal.  Narrate your 
  character risking all to save his focus in a final reversal.  Feel free 
  to kill the hunter if it is appropriate and he isn’t being used in some 
  other sub-plot. 
  Character, hunter, 
  and focus present. 
   
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -21- 
  Love Interest 
  Description: Your character falls in love with another character and seeks to make that other 
  character reciprocate. 
  Requirements: Identify your character's love interest. 
  Hints: Make the Love Interest an NPC, so that it is easy for both the character and Love Interest 
  to appear in the same scene. 
   
   
  Step Description 
  Plot Element Appearances 
  1 
  Meet Love Interest 
  Love interest and Character present. 
  2 
  Express feelings of affection for Love Interest to 
  someone - not necessarily the Love Interest. 
  Character present. 
  3 
  Narrate something of great emotional 
  importance to your Love Interest, his/her 
  "focus" 
  Love Interest present.  Character 
  absent. 
  4 
  Perform some action to impress the Love 
  Interest that backfires 
  Character and Love Interest present. 
  5 
  Narrate the Love Interest's "focus" being greatly 
  threatened in some way. 
  Character and focus present.  Love 
  Interest may or may not be present. 
  6 
  Narrate the Love Interest rejecting your 
  character. 
  Character and Love Interest present. 
  7 
  Perform some action to save the Love Interest's 
  focus. 
  Character, Love Interest, and focus 
  present. 
  8 
  Narrate the Love Interest expressing his/her love 
  for your character. 
  Character and Love Interest present. 
   
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -22- 
  Sin and Redemption 
  Description: Your character succumbs to temptation in some way, which results in catastrophe.  
  The character’s efforts drive him toward seeking redemption. 
  Requirements: Identify what temptation your character succumbs to and the consequences of 
  that action. 
  Hints: Make sure your character has Vices appropriate for his temptation and sin, so that you 
  can play off of them. 
   
  Step Description 
  Plot Element 
  Appearances 
  1 
  Demonstrate your character’s weakness for some temptation 
  Character and temptation 
  present. 
  2 
  Character resists the temptation, and everyone is happy. 
  Character and temptation 
  present. 
  3 
  Character rationalizes that succumbing to the temptation 
  wouldn’t be harmful or dangerous. 
  Character present. 
  4 
  Character succumbs to the temptation, sins, and disaster 
  ensues. 
  Character and temptation 
  present. 
  5 
  Player character denies his hand in the disaster 
  Character present. 
  6 
  The problems become even worse. 
  Character present. 
  7 
  Demonstrate player character anguish and repentance over 
  the disaster he has brought about. 
  Character present. 
  8 
  Narrate how character’s confession and apology corrects the 
  problem. 
  Character present. 
   
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -23- 
   
  The Steps of Play 
  Let’s assume you have all agreed on the overall goal of the story (i.e. the MacGuffin), the time-
  period, and any other restrictions you wish to place on game play (i.e. is time-travel allowed?).  
  Also, everyone has picked a sub-plot for his character and has identified the basic elements of 
  that sub-plot (i.e. what characters are playing what roles within the sub-plots).  The next step is 
  to play.  Play is broken up into scenes, and each scene is crafted by following the steps listed 
  below, which are described in more detail later: 
   
  1) Determine what plot and sub-plot elements should be narrated in the scene and what 
  characters appear in it. 
  2) Determine whether the scene is in the “present” or is a flashback. 
  3) Frame the scene by playing a card game with the Tarot Deck. 
  4) Decide on the scene’s major conflict.  For example, is it an argument, a gun fight, a 
  barroom brawl, or what? 
  5) Spend attribute points on traits as desired. 
  6) Jump to the action. 
  7) Narrate the scene, with inter-character conflicts resolved using the Conflict Resolution 
  system. 
  8) Take a 5 minute break. 
  9) Rinse, repeat. 
  Plot Elements and Character Appearance 
  There is a point to every scene in Gnostigmata.  The purpose of most scenes is determined by the 
  sub-plot of the previous scene’s winner.  That is, the winner of the previous scene will be 
  pushing forward his particular sub-plot in the current scene.  The winner of the current scene, 
  then, will push his sub-plot forward in the next scene, etc.  Also, if one side or the other has 
  earned the right to push forward the overarching plot but has not yet done so, they may include 
  any necessary plot elements. 
   
  What this means is that any elements that are mandatory to push a plot or sub-plot forward will 
  appear in the scene, whether they be the MacGuffin, characters, or anything else.  The required 
  elements are listed in the “Plot Element Appearance” column of the tables listing the steps of the 
  plots and sub-plots.  If the table does not list your character as appearing or being absent, he may 
  or may not appear in the scene just like any other character. 
  Determining the Appearance of Other Characters 
  The dealer should deal one Tarot Card to every player whose character’s appearance is not pre-
  scripted by the plot or sub-plot.  If the card is a Cup or a Pentacle, then the character appears in 
  the scene.  If it is a Sword or a Wand, then the character does not appear.  If the card is a Trump, 
  then the character may enter the scene at any time of the player’s choosing while play proceeds 
  (or not at all, if desired). 
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -24- 
  The First Scene and Background Scenes 
  Obviously, the first scene of the game is not pushing forward any plot or sub-plot, simply 
  because there was no previous scene and therefore no previous scene winner.  Similar situations 
  can arise in other scenes as well.  For example, if the previous scene was actually the last scene 
  of the previous gaming session, it is possible that the winner of that scene is simply not in 
  attendance. 
   
  In such cases, the purpose of the current scene is to provide more background information for 
  one or more characters.   The scene is always a flashback to some previous conflict of major 
  importance in the characters’ lives.  Determine what characters appear in the scene by dealing a 
  Tarot Card to each player as described above.  If no characters appear, then re-deal the cards 
  until at least one player character appears.  Keep in mind, these scenes may or may not appear to 
  have anything to do with the overarching plot.  Their purpose is merely to flesh out the 
  backgrounds of one or more characters and to illustrate events that have shaped their lives.  So, 
  the scenes let the players glimpse a little into the psyche of the characters.  It is not uncommon 
  for these background scenes to be completely independent of the overall story.  However, later 
  scenes often have an uncanny way of making these earlier scenes pertinent to the plot.  This does 
  not always happen, of course, but do not be surprised if a flashback scene of your character 
  getting beaten up in the 3rd grade by the playground bully turns out to be highly relevant later in 
  the story when the main antagonists reveals himself to be that same bully, only 30 years older. 
   
  Hint: The first time you play Gnostigmata, it is likely that you will be a little confused as to how 
  to approach your first scene.  This is especially true if your character does not actually appear in 
  the scene.  If this is the case, do your best to bring in an NPC.  You can do this either by 
  introducing facts when playing cards in the scene framing stage, or by spending a Piece of Silver 
  if that fails. By introducing an NPC, you will automatically have control over that NPC’s actions 
  throughout the entire scene.  You thereby have a ready means of influencing events and 
  impacting the story.  If, for some reason, you were unable to introduce an NPC during scene 
  framing and have no Silver with which to purchase facts, ask a teammate to give you one.  
  Barring that, introduce random acts of God using the already available scene elements.  For 
  example, have a ceiling collapse on the characters or have the ground give-way underneath 
  them.  If you end up sustaining Agony in these Coincidence-based contests, you will earn Silver 
  which you can then spend to introduce an NPC, making your job that much easier. 
  Flashback or “Present” Time 
  The player whose sub-plot is being pushed forward decides whether a scene is a flashback or is 
  occurring in the present time-line of the story.  Whether it is a flashback or not, the Agony, 
  attribute, and trait values of all characters remains unaffected.  Thus, all flashbacks illustrate a 
  conflict in which the characters were in a similar state as the “present” time. 
  Scene Framing and the Tarot Deck 
  Once we know what characters are going to be in the scene, it’s time to describe the locale and 
  other setting details.  To do this, the players are going to play a card game with the Tarot Deck.  
  On the first scene, pick someone at random to be the dealer.  (Have everyone roll 1d6.  The 
  highest number wins.  Re-roll ties.)  On every subsequent scene, the dealer is the person who 
  actually ended up winning the previous scene (by accumulating 5 white Rosary Beads).  If that 
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -25- 
  person is unavailable (i.e. he didn’t show up to the next session), pick someone randomly. 
   
  Each player is dealt five cards from the Tarot deck.  A Tarot deck has five suits: Cups, Swords, 
  Wands, Pentacles, and Trumps (also known as the Major Arcana).  Starting with the player to the 
  left of the dealer and proceeding in a clockwise fashion, every player throws down a card into the 
  center of the table.  Each round of cards is known as a “trick”.  The first person to throw a card 
  down determines the suit of the trick.  If any subsequent player holds a card in the suit, he must 
  play it, even if it is of a lower value.  The highest card in suit wins the trick, unless a trump card 
  is played.  A trump supersedes all other cards.  If a trump is played, the highest trump card wins 
  the trick.  If a person cannot play a card that places him in the lead for taking a trick, he must 
  throw some other card instead.  This card is “trash”. 
   
  The winner of each trick earns one Piece of Silver and gets the right to throw the first card of the 
  next trick. 
   
  Now, the important thing about playing cards is simply this:  In order for a card to take the lead 
  in winning a trick, the player must introduce some detail to the scene related to the card he plays.  
  He can add more detail if he likes (a great deal more, if he desires), but he must at least add 
  something to the scene somehow related to the card.  If a player cannot figure something out to 
  add, his card counts as “trash” regardless of its suit and face value.  (Some groups also like 
  having players sketch their additions on a white board or paper pad.)  Figuring out what counts 
  as a legal addition based on the card is relatively easy.  Just look at the pictures on the card and 
  dream something up loosely related to something you see.  The relationship can be very tenuous, 
  as long as some connection can be found.  The point here is for the cards to provide inspiration 
  and general guidance, not to ensure that every game of Gnostigmata be played in the world of 
  Tarot.  For example, suppose someone threw a Knight of Cups in the center of the table.  This 
  card depicts a knight riding a horse, which is a form of transportation.  The player would be 
  perfectly justified in declaring, “The characters are walking beside a railroad track.  The sound of 
  a train whistle is heard off in the distance.”   
   
  The previous paragraph states that a player can add a great deal of detail by playing a single card.  
  This needs further elaboration to explain the intent.  It is not unusual for a player to introduce 
  some minor detail related to the card he played and then to continue by adding NPC’s, buildings, 
  scenery, and many other elements he wants to bring into play that have nothing to do with his 
  card.  The point of the scene-framing phase is to frame the scene.  So, be bold. 
   
  Please note that the only things depicted on a card that do not count as a valid addition are the 
  suit of the card and its number.  Also, new additions to a scene cannot contradict or merely 
  repeat previous additions.  If one player has stated that the scene takes place in a Chinese 
  restaurant, another player cannot merely re-iterate that fact or state that the scene takes place in 
  the middle of an airport runway.  Also, all additions must conform to the original parameters 
  agreed upon by all players prior to game play.  So, if the players decided that the story was to 
  take place in 15th century Italy, no player can thereafter state that the current scene takes place on 
  a space station orbiting Mars.  As always, any disagreements on whether something is allowable 
  should be handled using the player vs. player conflict rules. 
   
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -26- 
  If a player throws trash, then he is not allowed to add anything to the scene at that point (unless 
  he wants to spend a Piece of Silver for narration rights as normal). 
   
  If your character does not appear in a scene, it is highly recommended that you introduce an NPC 
  into the scene as part of your scene framing.  By doing so, you gain control over that NPC until 
  the scene ends, which provides an opportunity to influence the events that transpire without 
  resorting to extreme means such as earthquakes, fires, stampedes, tornadoes, or other such 
  disasters. 
   
  The scene is completely framed when the last trick is taken.
  The Tarot Deck 
  If a card does not inspire you on its own accord, feel free to consult the following lists.  
  However, do not feel constrained by them: 
   
  Cups 
   
  Ace Bird, Cloud, Cross, Dove, Fountain, Illumination, Lily Pad, Rain, Shore, Steam, 
  Water 
   
  II Doctor, Caduceus, Flying, Gorgon, Hill, House, Medicine, Tree, Wedding, Wings 
   
  III Autumn, Celebration, Fruit, Harvest, Plenty, Pumpkin, Toast 
   
  IV Gift, Grass, Resting, Shade, Sitting, Tree 
   
  V Building, Bridge, Drink, Liquid, River, Spill, Wine 
   
  VI Children, Flower, Guard, Mansion, Perfume, Smell 
   
  VII Castle, Bust, Demon, Laurel, Skull, Snake, Treasure, Veil 
   
  VIII Climbing, Face, Moon, Night, Slope 
   
  IX Bench, Hat, Merchant, Smile, Tablecloth 
   
  X Children, Creek, Dancing, Singing, Joy, Rainbow, Villa 
   
  Page Fish, Ocean, Turban, Waves 
   
  Knight Armor, Beach, Cliff, Fish, Flying, Helmet, Prancing, Transportation, Wings 
   
  Queen Angel, Cherub, Cliff, Pebbles 
   
  King Pillar, Scepter, Water 
   
   
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -27- 
  Pentacles 
   
  Ace Grass, Gray, Hedge, Illumination, Mountain, Overcast, Path, Star 
   
  II Juggler, Ocean, Ship, Tsunami, Waves 
   
  III Alcove, Apron, Arch, Bald Head, Bench, Blueprints, Chapel, Church, Chisel, 
  Craftsman, Industry, Mallet, Monk, Pillar, Polka Dots, Stone 
   
  IV Gray, Greed, Protectiveness, Seat, Town 
   
  V Church, Cold, Cripple, Destitute, Rags, Stained Glass, Snow 
   
  VI Balance, Beggar, Justice, Lawyer, Money, Pavement, Rags, Scale, Wealth 
   
  VII Gardener, Leaves, Rest, Scythe, Vines 
   
  VIII Apron, Artist, Block, Craftsman, Hammer, Laborer, Tools, Wood, Workbench 
   
  IX Dress, Falcon, Grapes, Headdress, Snail, Tree, Vines, Vineyard, Warmth 
   
  X Archway, Beard, Child, Decoration, Dog, Gray Hair, Spear, Tapestry, Tower, 
  Windows 
   
  Page Clover, Curiosity, Farmland, Grove, Hill, Warmth, Yellow 
   
  Knight Armor, Black, Farm, Helmet, Horse, Plume, Transportation, Tunic, Yellow 
   
  Queen Flower, Fruit, Garden, Rabbit, Ram 
   
  King Bull, Castle, Fruit, Grapes, Rattle, Scepter, Sculpture, Statue 
   
  Swords 
   
  Ace Cloud, Crown, Fire, Greenery, Gold, Hand, Hills, Light, Steam 
   
  II Blindfold, Blindness, Darkness, Night, Island, Moon, Pavement, Stone, Water 
   
  III Betrayal, Clouds, Gray, Heart, Rain, Red 
   
  IV Church, Death, Funeral, Glass, Peace, Prayer, Resting 
   
  V Crying, Shame, Sky, Smile, Tears, Water, Wispy 
   
  VI Boat, Boatman, Child, Cloak, Labor, Mother, River, Ship 
   
  VII Fez, Flag, Sneak, Summer, Tent, Thief, Yellow 
   
  VIII Blindfold, Bondage, Castle, Fortress, Hill, Mud, Plains, Puddle, Stronghold 
   
  IX Bed, Bedclothes, Black, Crying, Darkness, Grief, Insomnia, Quilt, Relief, 
  Restlessness 
   
  X Assassin, Blood, Body, Calm, Death, Martyr, Twilight 
   
  Page Bird, Cloud, Dreamer, Flock, Youth, Wind 
   
  Knight Action, Anger, Armor, Bridle, Gloves, Helmet, Horse, Movement, Speed, 
  Transportation, Tree 
   
  Queen Bird, Butterfly, Chair, Cherub, Commandment, Finery, Gown, Woman 
   
  King Birds, Butterfly, Purple, Ring, Robe, Tapestry, Tree 
   
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -28- 
  Wands 
   
  Ace Castle, Grove, Fortress, Leaves, Smoke, Staff, Stream, Wood 
   
  II Cloak, Forest, Globe, Height, Lake, Overlook, Painting, Parapet, Town 
   
  III Boat, Checkered, Fleet, Headband, Land, Reflection, Sunset 
   
  IV Bridge, Castle, Crowd, Festival, Flower, Fortress, Laurel, Virgins, Window 
   
  V Anger, Brawl, Cap, Mud, Plaid, Polka Dots, Riot, Sparring 
   
  VI Horse, March, Ribbon, Riding, Parade, Wreath 
   
  VII Bravery, Bully, Fence, Grass, Uneven Odds 
   
  VIII Brook, Clear Sky, Hill, Parallel, Stream, Uneven 
   
  IX Fence, Horizon, Pavement, Suspicion, Wound 
   
  X Carrying, Farmland, Heavy Load, Pavement, Town, Walking, Woods 
   
  Page Admiration, Cap, Dunes, Feather, Salamander, Sand 
   
  Knight Armor, Bridle, Dunes, Gloves, Helmet, Hoof, Horse, Horseshoe, Plume, 
  Salamander, Sand, Transportation 
   
  Queen Cat, Clasp, Flower, Lion, Tapestry, Throne 
   
  King Gold, Lion, Lizard, Medallion, Necklace, Profile, Robe, Salamander 
   
   
  Trumps 
   
  0 (The Fool) Bag, Cliff, Daydream, Dog, Feather, Flower, Heights, Mountain, Pole, 
  Purse, Sun 
   
  I (The Magician) Cup, Engravings, Flowers, Halo, Infinity, Pentacle, Pointing, 
  Scroll, Sword, Staff, Table, Wand, Weapon 
   
  II (The High Priestess) Crescent, Cross, Habit, Initials, Palms, Pillars, Moon, Nun, 
  Temple, Torah 
   
  III (The Empress) Female, Forest, Grain, Gown, Heart, Necklace, Pillows, Scepter, 
  Stars, Waterfall, Wheat 
   
  IV (The Emperor) Ankh, Beard, Orb, Ram, Stone, Throne 
   
  V (The Hierophant) Cross, Bald, Cardinal, Key, Monk, Pillars, Stone 
   
  VI (The Lovers) Adam & Eve, Angel, Apple, Eden, Naked, Satan, Serpent, Sex, Sun, 
  Tree 
   
  VII (The Chariot) Belt, Black & White, Canopy, City, Hieroglyphs, Isis, River, Shield, 
  Sphinx, Stars, Wheel 
   
  VIII (Strength) Halo, Infinity, Lion, Mountain, Woods 
   
  IX (The Hermit) Darkness, Hood, Illumination, Lamp, Robe, Staff 
   
  X (Wheel of Fortune) Air, Angel, Bird, Book, Bull, Cloud, Devil, Earth, Fire, Flying, 
  Gambling, Glyphs, Lion, Snake, Sphinx, Water, Wings 
   
  XI (Justice) Columns, Drapery, Judge, Scales, Sword 
   
  XII (The Hanged Man) Cross, Execution, Halo, Rope, Wood 
   
  XIII (Death) Bishop, Boat, Child, Cliff, Crossbones, Crown, Flower, Horse, King, 
  Kneeling, River, Skeleton, Skull, Sunset 
   
  XIV (Temperance) Angel, Chalices, Cups, Dipping, Flying, Halo, Pouring, Mountains, 
  Reeds, Road, Rocks, Square, Sun, Triangle, Water, Wings 
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -29- 
   
  XV (The Devil) Chain, Claws, Fire, Fruit, Fur, Horns, Naked, Pentacle, Satan, Shackles, 
  Tail, Torch 
   
  XVI (The Tower) Black, Cliffs, Darkness, Falling, Fear, Fire, Height, Lightning, Night, 
  Smoke, Windows 
   
  XVII (The Star) Bird, Breasts, Hill, Nude, Pond, Pouring, Starlight, Tree, Trickle, Water 
   
  XVIII (The Moon) Crustacean, Lobster, Moonlight, Path, Stones, Towers, Water, Wolves 
   
  XIX (The Sun) Child, Feather, Flag, Flowers, Happiness, Horse, Stone, Wall 
   
  XX (Judgement) Angel, Coffin, Cross, Grave, Praise, Resurrection, Sound, Trumpet 
   
  XXI (The World) Beak, Bull, Drapery, Eagle, Human, Lion, Ribbon, Scrolls, Wreath 
  Working up Non-Player Characters 
  Non-Player Characters (NPC’s) are essentially window-dressing in Gnostigmata.  Anyone can 
  create an NPC during scene framing or by buying the narration rights to describe it (detailed 
  later).  Whoever first establishes an NPC assumes the responsibility of writing down any 
  important facts associated with it.  The act of introducing an NPC into a scene gives a player 
  control over that NPC for the duration of the scene if his own character does not appear in the 
  scene.  (He will control the NPC through his Coincidence attribute.)  Please note, though, that the 
  act of working up or introducing an NPC gives a player no permanent “ownership” or control 
  over that NPC beyond the current scene.  All NPC’s are effectively public property. 
   
  One helpful bit of advice concerning the introduction of NPC’s is this: Re-use NPC’s whenever 
  possible.  If you need to introduce an NPC into a scene, and it makes sense that an NPC that 
  appeared in a previous scene can fill that role, then re-use the old NPC rather than create a whole 
  new one.  It doesn’t matter if the previous NPC had a name or was described in any detail.  And, 
  you needn’t feel obligated to flesh him out any more than absolutely necessary for your current 
  purposes.  The simple act of re-introducing an NPC starts establishing a shared history with the 
  characters.  Over time, that NPC will gel into a real person, with opinions and relationships of his 
  own.  For example, “You know the guy that was sitting in the chair next to your character in the 
  barber shop two scenes ago that nobody paid any attention to?  Well, he walks through the door.  
  He’s pointing a pistol at you.” 
  Jumping to the Action 
  Gnostigmata is very much action-oriented.  The only thing that ultimately matters is 
  accumulating enough Rosary Beads to win the game.  As such, it is the conflicts that players care 
  about.  So, Gnostigmata ensures they are always at the forefront.  There is to be no sitting around 
  at tea parties waiting for characters to figure out ways to meet and no social pleasantries 
  associated with becoming acquainted.  We will accept none of the mindless small-talk that 
  permeates most conversations.  Screw that.  We want to get to the good stuff. 
   
  All scenes must start 5 to 30 seconds after the scene’s main conflict began.  We don’t really care 
  how long the conflict has been going on.  All we care about is that we start out in the middle of 
  it.  So, all scenes start while characters are engaged in picking a lock, arguing, screeching down 
  the road in a car chase, blazing away at each other with guns, blasting open a vault door, 
  throwing punches in a  barroom brawl, thwarting a bank robbery, or some other contest.  We’re 
  skipping all of the nonsense leading up to the battle and jumping right to the meat of it. If 
  characters accumulated Agony due to their players’ using Coincidence in prior scenes, then 
  include that Agony as part of the scene’s initial narration.  Characters may have suffered wounds 
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -30- 
  just before the current scene started through stigmata, demonic attack, plain old punches to the 
  face, or otherwise.  They may already be suffering emotional distress due to vicious threats made 
  against family members.  They may be experiencing a drug-induced incapacity.  Whatever. 
   
  Before you start to play out a scene, discuss what the scene’s main conflict is about and place 
  your characters appropriately.  If your characters are in an argument, they need to be within 
  shouting distance of one another and already engaged in heated debate.  If they are dueling with 
  swords, they must be close together and physically attacking one another. 
   
   
  While you discuss the conflict, review the stakes you negotiated for the scene so that the conflict 
  you choose lends itself to narrating the final outcome. 
  Playing Out a Scene 
  The last person to take a trick in the Scene Framing phase has the responsibility of starting the 
  narration for a scene.  So, he has his character insult, punch, shove, yell at, shoot, or otherwise 
  attack some opposing character.  From there, the narration should bounce naturally from player 
  to player as the need arises.  We encourage players to narrate facts describing why the characters 
  are in conflict.  So, jump to the action first and justify it later.   
  Interrupt the Routine 
  If the players get stuck and a period of approximately 4.723 seconds elapses where nobody is 
  talking while playing out a scene, then anyone can add a free fact to the scene to break the 
  silence.  Yes, the 4.723 seconds is a joke pointing out the ridiculousness of actually trying to 
  measure the length of the pause.  All that is required is that a reasonably long pause occurs.  Any 
  fact introduced in this manner must obey the laws of physics, although it may be far-fetched.  It 
  should have nothing to do with what has transpired in the scene so far and must somehow 
  interrupt what the characters are currently doing.  For example: 
   
  Player 1: Okay, so you convince Clarence to go buy a gun.  He leaves you all sitting there at 
  the dining room table.  
   
  (Long pause) 
   
  Player 2:  A baseball comes crashing through the window, scattering shards of glass all over 
  the turkey dinner. 
  Fade to Black 
  The formal ending of a scene occurs after the Scene’s conflict is resolved and no player has 
  anything more to add to the current Scene.  This is known as a “Fade to Black”.  At this point, 
  the stakes of the next Scene’s conflict are negotiated, cards are dealt, and the framing of the next 
  scene begins. 
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -31- 
   
  Character Conflict Resolution 
  When someone specifies a character action that some other player opposes, a Character Conflict 
  arises.  If an introduced action is not controversial, then there is no real conflict and the stated 
  goal simply happens without being “won”.  So, a character trying to open a Vault door 
  automatically succeeds unless some other player argues the point.  In this case, the only 
  characters that could argue the point are the ones with no characters in the scene, since the 
  opposition would most likely involve an opposing Coincidence roll.  (Well, I suppose another 
  character could be on the other side of the door actively pulling the door to keep it shut, in which 
  case Physicality or Magic could be involved.) Introducing actions that are controversial enough 
  for players to care about is crucial in driving both the story and game forward.  If nobody has 
  their character do anything that anyone else cares enough about to oppose, then no conflicts 
  arise, nobody earns Rosary beads, and nobody wins the game.  To win a conflict, a player must 
  have opposition (or, at least, a character to target).  So, there is ample reason to insert 
  controversial facts into the story.  (Note that players oppose other kinds of facts through Player-
  vs.-Player conflict resolution, not Character Conflict Resolution.) 
   
  When some player opposes a character action, any interested player may make a conflict roll 
  against either the characters or the entities (such as NPC’s and barriers) controlled by other 
  players.  If his character appears in a scene, he must oppose the fact through his character’s 
  Physicality or Magic attributes.  If a player’s character does not appear in a scene and he wants 
  to contest some fact, he must do so by manipulating some element in the scene (such as an NPC) 
  through his Coincidence attribute.  If no appropriate element already exists in the scene, he can 
  introduce it at the cost of one Piece of Silver.  So, introducing facts during the Scene Framing 
  phase earns players Pieces of Silver.  Doing so afterwards costs them.  Similarly, a player can 
  take control of an already existing NPC by spending one Piece of Silver.  The control lasts until 
  the end of the scene. 
   
  These lowest-level conflicts, known as Action Contests, are resolved by die rolls as described 
  below.  Each successful action wins a player a white Rosary bead (as stated in the Contest Tree 
  rules above).  A player may win the right to narrate a Scene’s final outcome (within the 
  constraints of the Scene’s negotiated stakes) by being the first to win five white Rosary beads. 
   
  Rounds 
  Scenes involving conflict are broken up into “rounds” of indeterminate length.  In the opening 
  phase of all rounds, all parties discuss the actions they intend to perform in a very general sense, 
  freely able to alter their declarations based on the statements of others until all parties are 
  satisfied.  At this point, all that a player must state are: 
   
  1) The type of attribute he intends to use (Magic, Physicality, or Coincidence) 
  2) The trait pair he is applying to the exchange, if any. 
  3) The number of dice he is going to use in the conflict (or on each roll if he chooses to split 
  his dice pool). 
  4) The target of each dice pool. 
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -32- 
   
  Note that all conflicts are broken down into one-on-one contests where a given number of dice of 
  one character are pitted against a given number of dice of another character.  That does not mean 
  that conflicts cannot involve multiple characters acting essentially simultaneously, though.  
  Suppose a Gnostic wishes to assist his brethren in competing against a demon.  The Gnostics will 
  each contribute dice to contests against the demon, forcing the demon to either split its dice pool 
  between the two assailants or leave itself open to the assaults of one or the other. 
   
  At this point, the dice are rolled.  If there is more than one contest on a given round, the rolls are 
  handled in an order depending on the total number of dice applied to each one.  (Include the dice 
  of both sides in determining this.)  The conflict incorporating the smallest number of dice goes 
  first, and contests progress in order from smallest to largest numbers of dice.  In the case of ties, 
  actions are assumed to be simultaneous.  Each roll is handled in the following fashion: 
   
  1) The winner of the roll states how many of the margin’s successes he is applying toward 
  the Agony of his opponent and whether he will be using an Intellectual or Physical attack.  
  As stated above, winning the roll earns him a white Rosary bead. 
  2) The winner narrates his successes, taking into account all known facts.  Most especially, 
  he is responsible for incorporating into the narration the components of the trait pair he 
  declared in the conflict’s initial phase.  
  3) The loser narrates his reaction to any Agony sustained, if any.  His narration cannot 
  contradict the winner’s narration in any way.  Of course, if he feels that the winner’s 
  narration is inappropriate, he may always resort to player vs. player conflict resolution.  
  Note that the loser is relieved of all responsibility to find a way to incorporate his 
  declared trait pair into his narration. 
  Action Contest Rolls 
  All Action Contest Rolls in Gnostigmata have one supporting attribute and two conflicting 
  attributes.  Magic conflicts with Physicality and Agony.  Physicality conflicts with Coincidence 
  and Agony, and Coincidence conflicts with Magic and Agony.  Thus, Agony conflicts with all 
  actions.  The following diagram illustrates the conflicting relationships between these various 
  forces: 
   
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -33- 
   
  Determining the Threshold 
  The maximum of all conflicting attributes sets a threshold that all dice must meet or exceed.  
  Suppose a character wanted to punch his opponent in the gut.  To do so, he must use his 
  Physicality attribute since it is a physical action.  Physical attacks are always opposed by 
  Coincidence and Agony.  The higher of these two values sets the threshold.  If this is a 4, then 
  the dice used in the contest must meet or exceed 4 to count as successes. 
  Enhancing Rolls with Trait Pairs 
  All actions, whether they are based on Magic, Physicality, or Coincidence, may be aided by 
  traits.  If this is done, the traits must be used in pairs.  All Traits have ranks.  So do Trait Pairs.  
  The rank of most Trait Pairs equals the lower rank of either element in the Pair.  However, if the 
  Trait Pair represents an “Exemplar” relationship, the rank of the trait pair equals the greater rank 
  of either element in the Pair.  A given trait pair may be used only once in any given scene. 
   
  A given attribute can only be used with certain kinds of trait pairs.  Which are allowed also 
  depends on whether a character is a Gnostic or a Catholic according to the following table: 
  Coincidence 
  Physicality 
  Magic 
  Agony 
  Arrows Point to Conflicting Attributes and Traits 
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -34- 
   
   
  Trait Pair 
  Associated Catholic 
  Attribute 
  Associated Gnostic 
  Attribute 
  Persona & Possessions/Vice 
  Infernal Favor 
  Delusion 
  Vice/Material Desires & Fears 
  Infernal Favor 
  Delusion 
  Material Desires & Fears/Relationship 
  Divine Favor 
  Fate 
  Relationship/Virtue 
  Self-Reliance 
  Gnosis 
  Virtue/Interests & Hobbies 
  Self-Reliance 
  Gnosis 
   
  The curly brackets on the character sheets at the end of this document graphically illustrate what 
  trait pair combinations can be used with which attributes. 
   
  To use a Trait Pair, both elements of the Pair must appear in the final narration of the action or 
  event.  It doesn’t matter how the elements are involved, only that they are.  For example, a 
  character with a rank of 3 in the Vice of Steal and a rank of 4 in the Material Desires & Fears 
  trait of Cars would have a rank 3 in the Steal/Cars Trait Pair (unless “Cars” was the character’s 
  Examplar for the “Steal” trait, in which case the rank of Steal/Cars would be 4).  If the need 
  arose, the character could use this Vice/Material Desires & Fears Pair to hotwire a car.  
  Steal/Cars would also apply to making a rapid getaway in the stolen vehicle.  Note that hotwiring 
  a car could just as easily be done with a Steal/Electronics Trait Pair, since the action directly 
  involves both stealing and electronics.  Or, if the vehicle in question were a Lamborghini well 
  out of the reach of the character’s pocketbook, the Trait Pair of Envy/Electronics could apply. 
   
  In general, the narrator’s fellow gamers judge whether his description meets their level of 
  acceptable quality.  In general, the narration is deemed fine unless someone complains.  In that 
  case, the narrator can either restate his description or resort to the player vs. player conflict 
  resolution rules.  If, in the group’s final judgment the narration is deemed unacceptable, then the 
  narrating player’s dice are all counted as failures and his opponent narrates his successes as 
  appropriate. 
  Determining the Dice Count 
  The sum of the supporting attribute plus the rank of the applied trait pair determines the number 
  of d6 that will be rolled in the conflict’s dice pool. 
  Action Contests are Always Opposed 
  All Action Contests target a single opposing character.  That is, there are always two sides 
  rolling against one another.  Note that players can add dice to either side of any roll through the 
  expenditure of Pieces of Silver at the rate of 1 Silver = 1 die. 
   
  All contests must target a character, even if it is a character that does not appear in a scene (in 
  which case, the character can only defend himself via his Coincidence attribute). 
   
  Now, it is possible that an opponent simply does not have enough dice to go around and 
  therefore can devote no dice to a particular contest targeting him.  In that case, the targeted 
  character is assumed to have zero successes in that contest. 
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -35- 
  Rolling the Dice 
  As stated above, all dice are rolled simultaneously in a given round.  This occurs before actually 
  describing the actions in detail.  (You must state the attribute and trait pair that will be applied 
  before rolling, if any, but not the actual events involving them.)  On both sides of each contest, 
  disregard any dice resulting with a number less than the character’s conflicting attributes.  Each 
  die that rolls a number greater than or equal to its associated threshold is counted as a success.  
  The side with the greatest number of successes wins.  The difference between the number of 
  successes is called the Margin. 
  Tied Rolls 
  If a roll results in a tie, a special situation arises.  If either or both of the two characters involved 
  in the contest has an Agony value less than the total number of successes rolled on each side, that 
  character sustains 1 point of Agony and gains the requisite Pieces of Silver associated with it. 
  (The players should narrate appropriate reasons for the inflicted Agony as normal).  At this point, 
  if all participants agree, they may break off the conflict with neither side the victor.  Otherwise, 
  roll again and double the Margin of the eventual winner.  (In the event of a string of ties, keep 
  doubling the Margin.)  In these extended conflicts, either side may spend Pieces of Silver prior to 
  each roll to enhance their chances.  When they do, those Pieces of Silver apply to all subsequent 
  rolls until the tie is broken. 
  Splitting Dice Pools 
  If a player wishes to perform more than one action on a given round, he may do so by splitting 
  his dice pool in any way he desires.  Note that, if he does so, the totality of his actions must 
  incorporate the elements of any Trait Pair he uses.  However, he is not required to use both 
  elements of the Trait Pair in all actions as long as each element appears somewhere.  Thus, if a 
  character uses the Trait Pair of Steal/Cars, he could split his pool by snatching a purse from the 
  hands of an unwary window-shopper while jumping onto the hood of a slowly passing car to get 
  away.  The same logic applies to exchanges in which a character wants to divide his attention 
  between two or more opponents.  So, the character gets a total number of “action dice” which his 
  player can distribute in whatever way desired.  Thus, the character’s dice pool represents the 
  total effort a character can present to all opposing forces in a given round of conflict.  Ultimately, 
  his dice total is still Magic, Coincidence, or Physicality plus a single Trait Pair. 
   
  Note that a pool can only be split to attack or defend from two or more opponents.  A character 
  cannot split his dice pool against a single opponent.  If a player wishes to perform two actions 
  against a single character, there is nothing preventing the narration of his action to include two 
  (or more) actions.  But, the totality of the action is mechanically resolved through a single die 
  pool 
   
  If a character does not devote dice from his dice pool in defending against the attack of another, 
  or has an insufficient number of dice in his pool to apply to the attempt, then he simply has no 
  dice defending against the attack and is considered to have zero successes in that contest. 
  Physical vs. Intellectual Attacks 
  Note that both physical and intellectual attacks can be caused by Physicality, Magic, and 
  Coincidence.  Physical attacks are those directed against another character’s body:  “I punch him 
  in the gut”; “A crackling bolt of electrical energy surges from my fingertips and strikes his 
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -36- 
  midsection”; “He trips over a skateboard lying on the floor and hits his head on the mantle”. 
   
  Intellectual attacks are often characterized by dialogue:  “Why do you always have to be so 
  different?”  Most such attacks use Physicality, because speaking in itself is an action that does 
  not break any physical laws.  However, if supernatural evidence is summoned to support an 
  argument, then Magic can be used in an intellectual attack.  For example, a Gnostic character 
  hidden in shadows might begin to radiate a soft halo around his head as he says to the priest he 
  has been pursuing: “Your enemy I might be, but we could be allies.  Surely by now you must see 
  the path of truth cannot be found by following the dictates of your superiors.  Give me the 
  parchments and help me spread Christ’s true message.”  Speech itself is not mandatory in an 
  intellectual attack: “Looking him in the eye, I put the barrel of my gun to his daughter’s temple 
  and draw back the hammer.” 
   
  It is possible that an intellectual attack could be caused by a physical event.  For example, the 
  statement, "A red striped ball falls off the shelf and bounces across the floor" could be an 
  intellectual attack to a character that previously hit and killed a child who was chasing after a 
  similar ball into the street.  In such cases, the attacked character must find some deeper 
  underlying meaning to the physical event for it to be considered an intellectual attack. 
  The Currency of Successes 
  The number of successes on any Action Contest determines the winner’s and loser’s degrees of 
  control over the conflict.  The successes can be applied directly to the Agony of the opponent.  In 
  addition, successes can be used to purchase facts in the game world. 
  Inflicting Agony with Successes 
  If one character attacks another character, either physically or intellectually, some or all of the 
  resulting successes of that attack can be applied to the targeted character’s Agony. 
   
  For every point of Agony a character sustains, his player adds one Silver Piece into that 
  character’s Purse equal to the new Agony value.  Thus, if a character has his Agony raised from 
  a 4 to a 5, he adds 5 Pieces of Silver to his purse.  A character that suffers defeat after defeat will 
  slowly build up a Purse that can help him overcome his opposition.  So, even an extreme 
  underdog can win conflicts at crucial times.  Agony is the stuff from which stories are made! 
  Buying Narration Rights with Successes 
  Successes can be used to buy facts in the game world that give detail to the current conflict’s 
  outcome.  The cost is the same as for obtaining narration rights at any other point in the game 
  (see Narration) on a 1 success = 1 Silver basis.  So, successes are essentially converted to Pieces 
  of Silver, but they must be spent immediately.  They cannot be added to the winning character’s 
  Purse. The first fact of any successful roll is free if used to explain how Agony is inflicted on an 
  opponent.  So, a Physicality roll with one success can get a free fact such as, "I punch him in the 
  face" and then use the single success to inflict one point of Agony.  However, there are some 
  notable limitations on the narration of conflicts (listed below). 
   
  The kinds of facts that can be introduced in this way are determined by whether the contest 
  generating the successes was based on Physicality, Coincidence, or Magic.  Actions involving 
  Physicality can only buy facts in the game world that do not contradict the game world’s 
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -37- 
  physical laws and which have a direct cause and effect relationship between a character’s action 
  and the event.  Coincidence based conflicts involve elements that have no direct correlation to 
  the character’s actions but which obey the game world’s physical laws.  In other words, 
  Coincidence buys facts of happenstance.  Magic actions, on the other hand, can alter the game 
  world in ways that break its physical laws.   
   
  A character with a high Magic and low Physicality can appear to be a potent magician, wizard, 
  or prophet.  A character with a high Coincidence and low Magic appears as any ordinary mortal, 
  but seems to lead an extremely charmed life.  A character with a high Physicality and low 
  Coincidence is among the best at swinging swords, shooting guns, and/or performing acrobatic 
  feats.  
  Limitations on Narrating Conflict Outcomes 
  The narration of a conflict’s outcome has some important limitations: 
   
  1) The narrator can only describe the game world as experienced by the characters.  
  Including abstract facts, such as “Joe is Mary’s brother”, are disallowed.  The 
  introduction of any such fact must be stated as a direct observation: “Mary tells me that 
  Joe is her brother” or “Mary and Joe look like brother and sister”.  These statements 
  allow the possibility that the underlying assumption that “Joe is Mary’s brother” is 
  somehow flawed and might be contradicted at a later date.  
  2) The facts introduced cannot inflict more Agony points on the targeted individuals greater 
  than the remaining successes allow.  Thus, a single success may cause a chandelier 
  hanging above an opponent’s head to fall from the ceiling.  With only one success 
  available to inflict Agony, though, the narration of the event would have to include the 
  target jumping to the side in the nick of time with minimal harm.  A corollary to this rule 
  is that any introduced fact must be in line with the Agony inflicted.  For example, unless 
  a roll actually kills or seriously maims a target, it should not be accompanied by a fact 
  such as: “I empty the clip of my Smith & Wesson into his forehead.” 
  3) Facts cannot be introduced through the expenditure of successes that directly specify 
  wounds without consulting (or negotiating with) the target’s player first. 
  4) Introducing a fact that affects some item under an opponent’s direct control costs a 
  number of successes equal to the opponent’s highest trait pertaining to that item.  If no 
  trait applies, the usual minimum cost of 1 success must be expended.  For example, 
  suppose a swordsman tries to use some fancy maneuvers to separate his opponent from 
  his weapon.  Further, suppose the defender’s highest ranked pertinent trait is a Material 
  Desires & Fears Trait in Katana having a rank of 3.  That means it will cost the 
  swordsman 3 successes on a single roll to wrest the sword from its wielder’s grip. 
  The Duration of Narrated Facts 
  In general, those facts that are narrated through Physicality or Coincidence-based conflict rolls 
  last as long as the physical laws of the game world state they should.  If there is a question as to 
  whether the duration of a fact would continue, the first person to obtain narration rights that 
  actually specifies whether the previously established fact remains in effect may do so.  If he 
  leaves the question open, then the next person to obtain narration rights may do so, etc. 
   
  Facts narrated through Magical actions, which defy the laws of logic and physics, last only until 
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -38- 
  the end of the scene in which they were introduced.  The duration may be even shorter for 
  Magic-based facts, though, if someone eradicates the original fact through his own Magical 
  action.  Doing so requires a negotiation between the two parties involved.  All of this effectively 
  means that common technological items can be permanently created by purchasing facts, but 
  magical items or items that defy the known laws of physics cannot. 
   
  However, the consequences of magical actions last as long as the physical laws of the game 
  world allow.  So, if magic is used to bend the bars of a jail cell, then those bars will remain bent 
  even after the current Scene ends. 
  Say “Yes” or Roll the Dice 
  Gnostigmata lacks a Game Master.  As such, the story you collectively create with it is 
  improvised.  Improvisation works best when everything a player (or actor) says is accepted, no 
  matter what.  Contradicting, criticizing, or questioning what another player says is called 
  “blocking”, and is extremely destructive to the creative process.  For example: 
   
  Player 1: “Charlie picks up the car.” 
  Player 2: “A car’s way too heavy.  He can’t do that!” (Block) 
   
  Player 1 and the action of the scene have just stopped dead in their tracks due to Player 2’s 
  comment.  Similarly: 
   
  Player 1: “Charlie picks up the car.” 
  Player 2: “Can’t you be any more imaginative than that?” (Block) 
   
  In this case, Player 2 rudely belittled Player 1.  Player 2 is probably embarrassed, along with the 
  other players sitting at the table.  It is unreasonable to expect someone to be creative when they 
  have been made to feel unworthy.  Some players completely shut down after suffering from this 
  kind of attack.  Nobody should expect anyone to be a creative genius all the time.  
  Straightforward, simple statements are perfectly acceptable (as are poorly worded moronic 
  statements).  Even professional novelists and screen writers use editors to polish their work, and 
  even then editing doesn’t start until the rough draft is complete.  So, lighten up. 
   
  Another no-no in improvising scenes is asking another player for additional information about 
  something he has said: 
   
  Player 1: “Charlie picks up the car.” 
  Player 2: “What kind of car is it?” (Block) 
   
  The reason that this is considered blocking is that you are trying to force information out of 
  another player rather than allow the details to flow naturally from the group as ideas occur to the 
  players.  Your question puts the other player on the spot and makes him look stupid.   If a player 
  hasn’t offered a piece of information and you want more, then add the additional information 
  yourself: 
   
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -39- 
  Player 1: “Charlie picks up the car.” 
  Player 2: “Yes, and that’s impressive.  Not everyone can pick up a ’58 Impala.” 
   
  There are only two situations where it is acceptable to block the introduction of a new fact: 
   
  1) The narration breaks the game rules.  This could happen, for example, if a player states 
  that his character performs an action that contradicts the laws of physics but he did not 
  use his character’s Magic attribute to perform that action in an Action Contest.  Anyone 
  stopping that narration is merely pointing out the game rules.  In such a case, the 
  narrating player must either restate the action to fit within the game rules or re-roll the 
  dice using the proper attribute. 
  2) The narration flatly contradicts previously narrated facts.  For example, if it has already 
  been established that a scene is taking place in a park in London, a later statement cannot 
  state that the park is actually in Paris (unless the park has somehow been magically 
  moved there). 
   
  A player that points out a block made by the opposing side earns one Piece of Silver.  The block 
  is voided and the original statement stands.  Remember, magic exists and it has very few 
  limitations.  So, there are few actions that a character absolutely cannot make.  If some 
  introduced fact feels out-of-place to you, add more details to the scene to provide a reasonable 
  explanation for the bothersome narration.  In fact, you should consider that one of your main 
  responsibilities as a Gnostigmata player: justifying the actions and statements of your fellow 
  players.  Doing so doesn’t increase your chances of winning or losing.  But, it dramatically 
  increases your chances of telling an entertaining story. 
   
  Players can still affect other characters’ actions, though.  It’s just that all statements by all 
  players are automatically accepted as facts in the game world unless someone contests something 
  by backing it up with dice.  If you want to prevent something from happening in the game world, 
  you must resist that action in some way through your character’s own actions or through 
  Coincidence.  For example: 
   
  Player 1: “Charlie picks up the car.” 
  Player 2: “Hold on.  You’re going to have to roll for that.  I’m using Coincidence with a trait 
  pair of Charlie and Automobile…” (Perfectly acceptable) 
   
  In other words, say “yes” or roll the dice. 
  Failure Rewards 
  If your character fails a contest in which he devoted at least two dice, the attribute used in that 
  contest rises by one point provided doing so does not raise it above a value of six.  (In this case, 
  “failure” is defined as having fewer successes than your opponent.)  Yep, that’s right.  You get 
  rewarded for failing.  The winner gets closer to winning the whole she-bang by earning a Rosary 
  bead; the loser gets a consolation prize to help him improve his performance in the future. 
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -40- 
  Narrating Magical Effects 
  Players can introduce magical effects through Action contests involving the Magic attribute.  
  But, this can only happen when their characters appear in Scenes.  The only attribute that can be 
  used in an Action contest when a character does not appear in a scene is Coincidence, and 
  Coincidence is incapable of generating magical effects.  This is on purpose.  Magic exists.  
  Magic is cool.  Making the player characters the primary source of magic in the story helps 
  emphasize how cool they are.  However, weird and bizarre facts that do not in themselves 
  contradict the game world’s physical laws but whose mere existence can best be explained as the 
  consequence of magic can be introduced during Scene Framing, through spending Pieces of 
  Silver, or through Coincidence-based contests.  For example, the player characters might 
  encounter a man with a rhinoceros horn protruding from his forehead.  There is nothing in the 
  laws of physics stating that a man cannot have a rhinoceros horn growing out of his forehead.  
  But, the fact that it is not impossible does not explain how it happened.  It is possible that the 
  man’s DNA was manipulated so that he would grow the horn.  Or, it is possible that magic 
  produced it.  What cannot be done with Scene Framing, Pieces of Silver, or Coincidence is the 
  actual growing of the horn in the scene.  So, evidence of magic should be fairly common in the 
  game, but witnessing non-player character magic as it transpires should be much rarer. 
   
  It is possible to introduce non-player character magical effects into the game if the story 
  demands it, though.  This can only be done as the result of negotiating the stakes in the conflicts 
  of Scenes, Acts, or the overall Story.  If it is decided that the winner of a Scene can introduce a 
  magical effect, then the winner of the Scene’s conflict is free to narrate the magical effect he 
  desires within the parameters of the negotiated stakes. 
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -41- 
   
  Healing 
  First-Aid 
  Agony ranks hinder a character in conflict resolutions and so are never desirable.  Agony heals 
  through the passage of time (natural healing), through the actions of physical or magical actions 
  of characters, and through Coincidence (Fate or Divine Grace).  Any healing attempt (other than 
  natural healing) is performed like any other conflict in the game.  The only difference is that a 
  successful action does not deliver Agony to an opponent.  Instead, it delivers relief from Agony 
  to an ally.  Physical actions involve first-aid or other medical intervention.  Magical acts, as 
  normal, involve supernatural means to heal.  Coincidence-based healing makes it seem that 
  wounds simply weren’t as severe as they originally appeared.  The pain goes away and the 
  character proceeds. 
   
  However the healing is performed, the extent of its effects are based on the standard game 
  currency of 1 success = 1 currency point.  Thus, the number of successes must meet or exceed 
  the cost expended to gain the trait rank.  Thus, if a character’s Agony attribute is a rank of 4, the 
  person attempting to heal his wound must obtain 4 successes on a single roll to lower the rank to 
  a 3.  Agony can only be lowered by full increments.  Needless to say, a heavily wounded 
  character has difficulty healing himself because the wounds inhibit his own abilities.  It is also 
  risky to do so.  Failure implies the character may sustain even more Agony. 
  Healing as an act of Desperation 
  Note that no level of Agony can force your character to die.  The only way death can occur is for 
  you to agree to it (possibly as the stakes of a conflict).  Even so, high Agony values are quite 
  undesirable.  If your character is in a truly desperate state, you can “buy down” Agony.  This 
  represents the character pulling out a last bit of strength from some deep down reserve in his 
  psyche.  Essentially, you “spend” your trait ranks (in any traits except Vice traits).  Again, the 
  cost is the same as it was to raise the Agony value in the first place.  So, an Agony of 5 can be 
  reduced to a value of 4 by spending 5 “character points” taken in any combination from your 
  character traits.  Character points are, likewise, harvested at the same rate at which they were 
  spent.  Thus, lowering one rank 5 trait to a rank of 4 would suffice.  Lowering one rank 4 trait to 
  a 3 and one rank 1 trait to a zero would also do the trick.  Agony can only be lowered in whole 
  increments.  No fractional Agony value is allowed. 
  Miraculous Healing 
  Any character whose Agony is greater than 5 at the end of a scene has his Agony miraculously 
  lowered to 5 at the beginning of the next scene.  This is a safety valve ensuring that every player 
  can meaningfully participate in the game, albeit in a somewhat crippled capacity. 
  Natural Healing 
  At the end of every scene, each side gets to remove Agony points from the characters on their 
  side.  The total number of points each side is allowed to “heal” equals the number of players on 
  the opposing team.  So, if there are two Gnostic players and three Stigmatic players, the Gnostics 
  get to distribute 3 points of healing between their two characters while the Stigmatics only get 2 
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -42- 
  points to distribute amongst their three characters.  The points can be distributed in any fashion 
  to which the players on that side agree.  Agony can be lowered to a minimum of 0.  Any unused 
  healing points are lost. 
   
  Note that Miraculous Healing and Natural Healing are an either/or proposition for a character.  
  One cannot have Agony be miraculously healed down to 5 and then naturally healed down to 4.  
  The player of the character being healed decides which option to use. 
   
  Ascension & Martyrdom 
  Gnostic Ascension 
  The usual goal of a Gnostic is to attain perfect “Gnosis”.  When he does so, he escapes the bonds 
  of the Delusion and ascends into “Reality”, which effectively retires the character from the game.  
  A Gnostic may do so when attaining a 6 in Gnosis, a 1 in Delusion, rank 5 in at least one Virtue, 
  and possessing no rank in any Vices.  Ascension is never required, though.  A character ready for 
  ascension may opt to delay his departure indefinitely (or until he feels the moment is “right”).  
  Ascension can only happen immediately after a contest in which Gnosis is used (winning the 
  contest is not required).  Any Gnostic character that ascends in this way immediately earns his 
  side one red Rosary bead. 
  The Catholic’s View of Gnostic Ascension 
  Traditionally, Catholics view Gnostics as Satan worshippers.  The magic they wield comes 
  directly from Hell, so the historical view is that a Gnostic is a witch that deserves to be burned at 
  the stake.  Catholics interpret Gnostic ascension merely as Satan coming to claim his due.  The 
  witch finally earns his comeuppance when the devil devours his soul. 
  Catholic Martyrdom 
  Although not an actual goal of a Catholic, martyring oneself for the cause is sometimes viewed 
  favorably.  Martyrdom is pointless and wasteful, though, if the martyr’s soul is not ready to enter 
  God’s kingdom.  A Catholic may martyr himself after attaining a 6 in Divine Favor, a 1 in 
  Infernal Favor, rank 5 in at least one Virtue, and possessing no rank in any Vices.  Martyrdom is 
  never required, though.  Any character ready for martyrdom may simply opt to forego the 
  ultimate sacrifice.  Martyrdom can only happen immediately after a contest in which Self-
  Reliance is used (losing the contest is not required).  Any Catholic character that martyrs himself 
  in this way earns his side one red Rosary bead. 
  
  GnostigmataTM 
   
  -43- 
   
  Player vs. Player Conflict Resolution 
  Whenever a dispute between players arises, the first level of recourse is to try and negotiate a 
  solution.  All players are encouraged to participate in the discussion in order to amicably craft a 
  mutually pleasing compromise.  If this fails, the matter can be settled through dice rolls. 
   
  Conflicts between players that cannot be resolved through discourse are resolved in a fashion 
  similar to that of character conflict resolutions.  However, no character attributes or traits are 
  involved.  Players draw exclusively from their Purses to purchase dice.  One Piece of Silver = 1 
  die.  Any player can add however many dice they want to any side of a conflict, as their Purse 
  allows.  Players having zero Pieces of Silver in their Purse are granted one die to place however 
  they choose for the purposes of the conflict.  Any player may, of course, simply opt out.  Players 
  may add or remove dice as they see fit until all sides are satisfied with the final dice count.  
  Before any dice are rolled, however, all sides must come to mutual agreement as to what it 
  means for the winner and what it means for the loser.  In other words, you shouldn’t roll until 
  you know precisely what it is that you are rolling for.  This is in stark contrast to action contests, 
  where the mechanical influences are known prior to the roll but the facts generated by the roll are 
  unknown until the winner and loser both narrate the results. 
   
  If only one side of a player versus player conflict ends up with contributions, then the side with 
  player support automatically wins and all Pieces of Silver are returned to the contributors’ dice 
  pools.  If more than one side has support, the dice are rolled.  Any die result of 4 or more is 
  counted as a success.  The side with the greatest number of successes wins the contest.  Ties are 
  re-rolled until the tie is broken.  All expended Pieces of Silver are lost in player vs. player 
  conflicts.  No Agony is inflicted in these contests and no Pieces of Silver are generated. 
   
  Character Sheets 
  The following pages contain character sheets for both Gnostic and Catholic characters. 
   
  
   
   
   
  Fate 
   (Coincidence) 
  Agony 
  Arrows Point to Conflicting Attributes 
  Gnosis 
  (Magic) 
  Delusion 
  (Physicality) 
  Gnostigmata™ (Gnostic) 
  Fate 
  Pieces of Silver 
  Name 
  Player 
  Red 
  Black 
  White 
  Rosary Beads: 
  Vices 
  Material 
  Desires & Fears 
  Relationships 
  Virtues 
  Interests & 
  Hobbies 
  Persona & 
  Possessions  
  Plot 
  Earned 
  Narrated 
  Sub-Plot 
  Earned 
  Narrated 
   
  
   
   
   
  Gnostigmata™ (Stigmatic) 
  Vices 
  Material 
  Desires & Fears 
  Relationships 
  Virtues 
  Interests & 
  Hobbies 
  Persona & 
  Possessions  
  Self-
  Reliance 
  (Physicality) 
  Infernal 
  Favor 
  (Magic) 
  Pieces of Silver 
  Red 
  Black 
  White 
  Rosary Beads: 
  Divine Grace 
  Arrows Point to Conflicting Attributes 
  Agony 
  Divine Grace 
   (Coincidence) 
  Plot 
  Earned 
  Narrated 
  Sub-Plot 
  Earned 
  Narrated 
  Name 
  Player 
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Gnostigmata Corebook.pdf