Shadow CorruptionFor the purposes of this campaign setting, we will be using the following rules to handle the corruption of characters by the Lying Darkness. These rules replace those outlined in Enemies of the Empire.
Becoming Corrupted by the Lying DarknessThe Lying Darkness is a merciless opponent and one that transcends the bounds of the merely physical. It can read a samurai's memory and feelings easily, and employs the weaknesses it finds there to claim its victims. The Nothing's preferred method is to slowly break down its victims, devouring their memory and identity a small piece at a time, thereby absorbing them completely.
Any time a character is exposed to the Lying Darkness, whether through contact with one of its agents or simply from seeking to study the Nothing, they must make Void roll to resist becoming corrupted. The TN of this roll depends on the severity of the exposure, as shown in the table below. In situations where multiple conditions apply at the same time, roll once using the highest applicable TN.
Each time a character fails one of these rolls, they immediately gain 1 point of Shadow Corruption. When a character accumulates ten points of Shadow Corruption, their Shadow Corruption Rank increases by one and the ten Shadow Corruption points are lost.
Shadow Taint Exposure RollsCode:
Source of Exposure TN*
Traveling in an area corrupted by the Darkness (each day) 10
Witnessing a shadow spawn in its true form (per encounter) 10
Injured by natural weapons of a shadow spawn 15
Bearing an Shadow Brand (each month) 15
Injured by the Shadow Bolt attack of a shadow spawn 20
* Because knowledge of the Lying Darkness makes it easier for the Nothing to gain a foothold in a character's soul, these TNs are increased by one point for each rank of Lore: The Lying Darkness that the character possesses.
Sins and DisadvantagesFear, Desire, and Regret are the only true emotions ever experienced by the Lying Darkness. Consequently it has a particularly keen understanding of and affinity for these three great sins. If a character possesses at least one point of Shadow Corruption, they automatically gain an additional point of Shadow Corruption whenever one of the following events occurs:
Fear: The character gains a point of Shadow Corruption whenever they fail a Fear check, or whenever their Dark Secret, Doubt, Failure of Bushido (Courage), or Phobia disadvantages come into play. The character may also gain a point of Shadow Corruption whenever they become particularly frightened or cowardly in their roleplaying.
Desire: The character gains a point of Shadow Corruption whenever another character makes a successful opposed Temptation roll against them, or whenever the Compulsion, Fascination, Jealousy, or True Love disadvantages come into play. The character may also gain a point of Shadow Corruption whenever they succumb to their desires (including having intimate relations with others).
Regret: The character gains a point of Shadow Corruption whenever the Bitter Betrothal, Blackmailed, Lost Love, or Soft-Hearted disadvantages come into play. The character also gains a point of Shadow Corruption whenever they spend time regretting their actions or the actions of others.
Effects of Shadow CorruptionCharacters that have been corrupted by the Nothingness gain a Free Raise on any Stealth Rolls they make for each full rank of Shadow Corruption they possess, and may gain further bonuses as their Shadow Corruption Rank increases, as detailed below:
Rank 1: The character gains the ability to see into shadow and darkness almost as easily as into normal light and no longer suffers any penalties to their Perception rolls for darkness. At this rank, the touch of crystal - or exposure to light passing through crystal - will cause the character physical pain.
Rank 2: The character's features become slightly mutable as the Nothing begins to erode their identity, granting them a Free Raise on any Acting Rolls they make for each full rank of Shadow Corruption they possess.
Rank 3: The character may spend a Void Point to disappear into a shadow and reappear somewhere else as a Simple Action, instantly transitioning from one pool of darkness to another, so long as doing so does not require moving through a solid object. Both shadows must be large enough to fully encompass the character's body and within 100 feet of each other, and the character must be at least casually aware of the shadow to which they are moving. Each time this ability is used, the character gains one point of Shadow Corruption.
Rank 4: The character begins to show signs of fading identity and an increasing generalization of facial features, causing them to gain the Bland advantage if they do not already have it. In additionally, the character may move normally while using the Stealth skill to conceal themselves (identical to the Mastery Ability for Stealth Skill Rank 7).
Rank 5: The character's body is now insubstantial enough to allow them to move through solid objects and even living creatures when moving from shadow to shadow. Moving through anything more substantial than wood requires a Stamina Roll against a TN of 15 (stone) or 20 (metal or flesh). Failure means that the attempt fails entirely. They must still spend a Void Point to use this ability as described above, and doing so still causes the character to gain one point of Shadow Corruption.
Consumed by the ShadowIf a character's Shadow Corruption Rank is ever higher than their Void Ring, even by a single point, the character's identity is immediately consumed by the Lying Darkness and they becomes an NPC under the control of the GMs.
The LostCharacters who become Lost lose any Shadow Corruption they possess, as Jigoku is a greedy realm that does not easily share those souls it has claimed. Lost characters are immune to Shadow Corruption and cannot gain Shadow Corruption points by any means.
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