Editing Genius The Transgression/Chapter Four:Special Rules and Systems

''"Don't mock me, my friend. It's a condition of mental divergence.''

''I find myself on the planet Ogo, part of an intellectual elite, preparing to subjugate the barbarian hordes on Pluto. But even though this is a totally convincing reality for me in every way, nevertheless Ogo is actually a construct of my psyche. I am mentally divergent, in that I am escaping certain unnamed realities that plague
my life here. When I stop going there, I will be well. Are you also divergent, friend?"'' 

''--L.J. Washington, 12 Monkeys''


== Havoc: ==

Mortals cause wondrous technology to go haywire, endangering lives and property. Geniuses call this unique ability of mortals to ruin their creations "Havoc." A wonder touched, picked up, or interacted with by a mere mortal (an untemplated human) must roll its Havoc dice, which equal the genius' Inspiration - the wonder's rank. The wonder must make this roll every turn that it is handled, carried, or used.

''Dramatic Failure:'' The wonder is lost to the genius. Roll its rank. If the roll is a Success, the wonder permanently turns into an orphan. A failure results in the wonder's destruction.

''Failure:'' The wonder turns into a violent orphan for the duration of the scene. If possible it will attack anywhere nearby, focusing its violence on whoever triggered Havoc in it. If a number of Mania points equal to the wonder's rank are channeled into the wonder, it shuts down. Reactivating the wonder that scene requires the same amount of Mania. (Wonders that are only temporarily orphaned don't roll on the Orphan Mutation Chart. They do, however, gain the ability to move and minimal Attributes for the duration of the scene.)

''Success:'' The wonder acquires a new extra fault.

''Exceptional Success:'' The wonder suffers no ill effects.

''Suggested Modifiers:'' Violent handling (-1), incidental contact (+1), scientific analysis (-3), wonder is in its laboratory (bonus equal to Laboratory Equipment)

This sort of interaction requires physical contact from the mortal to the wonder. A ray gun that shoots a mortal doesn't suffer Havoc, nor does a Wondrous healing device that patches a mortal up. However, if the mortal were to pick up the device, or even try to push it away with his hand, it would suffer Havoc. In combat, normal ranged or weaponry attacks from mortals do not trigger Havoc. Unarmed attacks, including punching, striking, and grappling, do. Mere mortals can walk through the halls or remain in the public rooms of a very large wondrous vehicle or building (such structures often have specialized secure holding cells), but any handling of the equipment or access ports within immediately triggers Havoc.

=== Holding It Together: ===

A genius can spend a Willpower point to receive an automatic Exceptional Success on a Havoc Check, provided that the wonder is in the genius' possession at the time. 

=== Intelligent Wonders and Havoc: ===

Intelligent wonders (Automata 4)+ are slightly more resilient to Havoc. They can, for example, survive most incidental or social handling, such as handshakes and being in a crowd, without significant danger. (Most such creatures prefer to wear gloves and keep their distance, just in case.) It requires something from mere mortals like assault, first aid, or sex to trigger a Havoc check.

Manes or other intelligent wonders with an Inspiration score use that as a dice pool for resisting Havoc; manes without an Inspiration score roll a chance die. A wonder that possesses Willpower can spend a point of Willpower to receive an automatic Exceptional Success on a Havoc Check.

''Dramatic Failure:'' Intelligent manes are permanently, incurably insane. Obligation drops to 0. Unintelligent manes roll their rank. If the roll is a Success, the mane permanently turns into an orphan. If the result is a failure or the mane has no rank, it is destroyed.

''Failure:'' The mane turns violently insane for the duration of the scene. If intelligent, Obligation drops to 0. If unintelligent, treat the result much like a failed Havoc roll for a wonder, except Mania cannot shut the mane down.

''Success:'' Intelligent manes suffer a -1 penalty to all actions. Unintelligent manes that duplicate the effects of
wonders acquire a new extra fault. Other unintelligent manes lose one-quarter of their Structure.

''Exceptional Success:'' The mane suffers no ill effects.

''Suggested Modifiers:'' Hug or pat-down (+2), violent intent (-1), putting on a band aid (-1), treating a wound (-2), surgery (-3 to -5), scientific analysis (-3)

Manes never need make a Havoc check in their native bardo or unmada field.

=== Havoc and Bad Luck: ===

A Havoc Check is a reasonable result for a Dramatic Failure for many attempts to use wonders.

=== Mania Starvation: ===

A mane needs one point of Mania per day to sustain itself outside its home. If it does not have any Mania in its system when this cost must be paid, it makes a Havoc check.

=== Protection and Recovery: ===

A mane can spend a point of Willpower to get an Exceptional Success on a Havoc Check.

A mane's action penalty (accumulated by rolling a Success on a Havoc check) automatically drops by one point per day, and disappears entirely and instantly if the mane returns to the bardo or unmada field that sustains it. Otherwise, a mane can remove action check penalties by spending Mania on a one-for-one basis, though only after the scene that triggered the penalty is over.

== Orphan Wonders: ==

''"I have brought to light a monstrous abnormality, but I did it for the sake of knowledge. Now for the sake of all life and Nature you must help me thrust it back into the dark again."''
''-H.P. Lovecraft, "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward"''

An orphan wonder is a wonder without an owner. There are five ways in which an orphan wonder can come about.

* First, a flaw during the design phase (a Dramatic Failure) can cause a wonder to activate as an orphan. Most geniuses hurriedly destroy such abnormalities before they can escape.

* Second, a genius can abandon a wonder. A genius abandons a wonder automatically after it has not been in contact with the genius for one month. Alternately, a genius can abandon a wonder automatically by touching a wonder, or, if touch is unavailable, by spending a point of Willpower to adjust her thoughts away from the wonder. Permanently abandoning a wonder in this way is an Obligation-7 transgression. When a wonder is abandoned, roll its rank. If it receives any successes, it becomes an orphan. If not, it is destroyed.

* Third, a genius may die. The Inspired are not immortal (well, not normally), and even those in selfregenerating god-bodies made of solid iridium can be laid low by a well-placed death ray. When a genius dies, every one of his wonders rolls its rank. Those that roll at least one success become orphans. Those that fail are destroyed. Killing a genius can trigger a catastrophe of exploding and suddenly liberated wonders.

* Fourth, many manes function like wonders of mad science. Inside their bardo, they are stable, but if withdrawn from their native home―if they survive―they become orphan wonders until returned. Animate manes that leave their bardos automatically become orphans, but they do not mutate (see below). Inanimate manes removed from their environment roll their rank. Those without a rank (regular or slightly peculiar objects that happen to be manes) roll a chance die. Those that succeed become orphans. Those that fail are destroyed.

* Fifth and finally, an automaton may spontaneously become an orphan if severely threatened or abused, or threatened with destruction, if sufficiently intelligent and willful. This is rare, but has been known to occur.

When a wonder becomes an orphan, permanently or temporarily, any wonders integral to it are also orphaned. A wonder is not automatically orphaned if one of its integral wonders becomes orphaned.

=== Orphan Mutations: ===

When a wonder turns permanently into an orphan―not just temporarily―it twists and mutates, its form changing as maniacal energy washes over it, instilling a bestial urge to survive. Orphans become creatures, rather than just extraordinary things, with their own desires and motivations.

An orphan automaton retains its Attributes, Skills, and assorted special abilities.

An orphan of some other Axiom receives Attributes as follows:

Strength: Size÷5 (round down, minimum one dot)
Dexterity and Stamina: 2
Intelligence, Wits, Resolve, Presence, Manipulation, and Composure: 1
Species Movement: 0 (without other ways to move, an orphan can inch slowly along the ground, based on its combined Strength and Dexterity scores)
Limbs: Unless otherwise noted, no manipulators
Senses: Similar to a normal human's

A wonder that is temporarily orphaned by Havoc gains all the above benefits, but does not mutate.

For full orphans, roll a number of dice equal to the new orphan's Rank and consult the chart below to determines its mutations.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
|'''Roll'''
|'''First Roll'''
|'''Each Subsequent Roll'''
|-
|1
|Legs or Wheels. Base Speed = Size
|Wings. Base Speed = Size × Rank. Additional rolls here grant Hovering ability and increase Base Speed for walking and flying by 50%.
|-
|2
|Intelligence increases one step (from zombie to animal to person)
|Once "person-level" intelligence is reached, every roll here adds one dot to Intelligence.
|-
|3
|Melee attack that causes Lethal damage equal to Size÷5 (round down).
| +1 damage
|-
|4
|Grows one pair of fine manipulators (hands).
|Additional pair of manipulators. Extra manipulators do not grant additional regular actions, but they can perform additional reflexive actions (holding things, etc.). Each additional pair also grants a +2 dice bonus to grappling.
|-
|5
|Hardiness. Size increases by 50%. +1 Strength and Stamina.
|Same.
|-
|6
|Swiftness. +1 Dexterity and Wits.
|Same.
|-
|7
|Magnificence. +1 Presence and Manipulation.
|Same.
|-
|8
|Stability. +1 Resolve and Composure.
|Same.
|-
|9
|Splits into two identical creatures. Size halved (round down). -1 Intelligence. (If Intelligence is 1, reduce effective intelligence by one step, from person to animal to zombie.) Look under Elder Orphans for some exceptions.
|Same.
|-
|10
|Roll again twice.
|Same.
|}

=== Orphan Skills ===

Orphans (even temporarily orphaned wonders) possess all Physical Skills of, at minimum, a dot number equal to their rank. Automata and other intelligent orphans may have higher Skills.

=== Orphan Obligation and Motivation: ===

Orphans of Automata-2 or Automata-3, whether they start that way or receive it through their orphan status, lack a Morality or Obligation score and are treated as Illuminated. Orphans not of Automata are similar. They can be negotiated with―possibly―but most are atavistic and concerned only with feeding. If an automaton of rank 4 or 5 turns into an orphan, roll one die. If the result is equal to or lower than the creating genius' current Obligation (or final Obligation, in the event of the genius' death), that is its new Obligation. If the roll is higher than the wonder's Obligation, is loses all Obligation. Temporarily orphaned wonders are always treated as having no Obligation.

Orphans with person-level intelligence possess Willpower points, a Virtue, and a Vice.

=== Orphan Sustenance: ===

An orphan does not retain its bound Mania, which normally supplies it with some kind of machinehomeostasis. This means that regardless of how the orphan comes about, the result is the same: the orphan begins to break down unless it can somehow regain Mania.

Every day that passes, an orphan loses one point of Mania. Every day that goes by without any Mania in the orphan's system triggers a Havoc check.

If an orphan is full of Mania, every additional point of Mania consumed removes one extra fault.

Even if not full of Mania, an orphan can heal itself by spending Mania. Most orphans possess Structure instead of Health. Every point of Mania restores one point of lost Structure. For organic orphans, every point of Mania restores two levels of Bashing damage or one level of Lethal damage. Three points of Mania and a point of Willpower can remove one level of Aggravated damage. 

=== Orphans Spending Mania: ===

Unbound orphans need not spend Mania to activate their natural or integral abilities. An unbound orphan gun, for example, need not spend Mania to charge up and fire, while an orphan dirigible need not spend Mania to fly.

=== Orphans Storing Mania: ===

An orphan wonder can store a maximum amount of Mania equal to five times its rank.

=== Stasis: ===

An orphan wonder that wants to prolong its existence can enter a state of stasis. The wonder spends one point of Mania to enter this state. In this state, the wonder spends one point of Mania per year. It awakens automatically if touched by someone or something that contains Mania or if it suffers damage. Most orphans in ancient techo-ruins spend their time in this state.

=== Elder Orphans: ===

An orphan that survives can grow more dangerous and powerful. First, intelligent orphans often possess a broad selection of Skills and Merits gained over the years. Second, old orphans mutate and gain power. After long centuries, powerful orphans are ancient, alien creatures, covered in the crust and leavings of ages, their bodies laced with centuries of accumulated technology that they have devoured and assimilated.

{|
|+
|'''Age'''
|'''Power'''
|-
|1-10 Years
| As it was created
|-
|11-50 Years
| +1 Rank (maximum rank of 5). Roll three times on the mutation chart.
|-
|50-200 Years
| +1 Rank (maximum rank of 5). Roll three times on the mutation chart.
|-
|200-1,000 Years
| +1 Rank (maximum rank of 5). Roll three times on the mutation chart.
|-
|1,001+ Years
| +1 Rank (maximum rank of 5). Roll three times on the mutation chart.
|}

Old orphans do not split apart with age (if the roll is 9 on the mutation chart). Instead, they breed, producing a copy of themselves identical to their original form. This new creature inherits one mutation from its sire (choose randomly), then rolls a number of times on the mutation chart equal to its rank. A wonder of rank 5 that rolls a 9 on the mutation chart catalyzes instead of siring offspring. The wonder gains one dot of Inspiration, a catalyst, and three dots in Axioms, and can gain more power and knowledge just like any other genius.

Time spent in stasis does not add to a wonder's effective age. Only active existence does that.

=== Adopting an Orphan: ===

Some orphan wonders can be tamed. Though this is no easier or safer than taming any wild beast, skilled geniuses can pacify an orphan with promises of Mania. To adopt an orphan, a genius must first have the creature in a situation where it's fairly calm and not immediately dangerous. Then the genius offers one point of Mania per rank of the wonder and one point of Willpower, and rolls Presence + Animal Ken – the wonder's rank. Fully intelligent wonders substitute Persuasion for Animal Ken.

''Dramatic Failure:'' The orphan becomes hostile the the genius, who cannot attempt to adopt that wonder until
her Inspiration increases.

''Failure:'' The genius is unable to adopt the orphan wonder. The Mania and Willpower are lost, but she may try
again.

''Success:'' The genius can adopt the orphan if she chooses. The spent Mania points are bound into the wonder. If the genius has the Adopted Orphan Merit and enough "space" in that Merit to include the wonder, the orphan's mutations disappear and the effect is permanent. Otherwise the orphan's mutations remain and the effect lasts for one scene, after which time the wonder reverts.

''Exceptional Success'': The genius can specify any other genius nearby. If that genius then spends a point of Willpower and binds the required number of Mania points into the orphan, the orphan is loyal to that genius, not the genius who rolled the dice. As with a regular success, the effect is permanent if the genius has the Adopted Orphan Merit and enough "space" for the new orphan; otherwise the effect lasts for one scene.
("Wonder-Whisperers" who can perform this trick reliably are in high demand in some places, as some geniuses like to gift fledgling mad scientists with a loyal orphan.)

''Suggested Modifiers:'' Orphan has been mistreated by geniuses (-2), orphan is hungry (-1), orphan is sated (+1), quiet location (+1), large crowds (-1)

An adopted orphan does not possess any more Obligation than its masterless counterpart, though its nature means it is somewhat "leashed."

== The Thesis ==

''"The head is a machine. Even though we did not build it, we own it and thus have the right to tinker with it."''
''-William James''

When a genius wishes to increase her Inspiration, she must engage in a thesis, an extensive analysis of everything she has thought and done. This is an exhausting and arduous process, but if the genius is successful, at the end of it both she and her wonders emerge stronger.

=== Approaches: ===

Different theses can vary enormously in scope, style, and approach. Though they are all designed to teach the genius something about Inspiration and her own abilities, they can take many forms. However, a genius' catalyst often guides the sort of theses she undergoes as her knowledge and power grow. Below are some very general guidelines for what the different catalysts focus on during a thesis.

A Grimm's thesis is the most direct. He must overcome a challenge, often a threat that infuriates him personally. This danger is a source of direct, personal anger, something visceral: a sexual predator for Grimms who suffered sexual abuse, an Ubermensch infestation for a Grimm whose first collaborative died in a Lunar Nazi assault. Grimm theses are the least connected to Inspiration and to mad science and the most connected to the genius' mundane personality. In fact, many Grimms' theses stipulate that Mania should not play a major
role in their completion, or force a Grimm to rely on Skills and abilities other than wonders and mad science. In his thesis, a Grimm pushes himself, physically, mentally, and psychologically, to new limits, simmering slowly as he suffers and struggles, hoping to unleash his rage in a titanic blast that will, ideally, destroy his enemies and lead him to enlightenment. The Grimm's thesis works to channel, hone, and shape his rage, from something mindless and atavistic to the clean, precise surgical instrument of a true genius.

The Klagens are the doom-sayers of the Inspired, and their theses focus on warning or protecting people from an upcoming disaster. Cassandras find themselves struggling to stop an onrushing catastrophe. It may be a natural disaster, but often it is a disaster that people (including geniuses) have made for themselves. Klagens find themselves struggling to make people see the doom racing toward them. Some force people to change their ways―through persuasion or threats―while others ignore the voice of those they need to save and rush head-long into protecting them, whether or not they want (or need) the help. Other Klagens merely study the concept of sorrow. This can be the most abstract and least direct of theses, except perhaps those conducted by Staunens, as a Klagen wanders the halls of the sorrowing and ruined, seeks out those whose lives she destroyed―the families of enemy beholden she has killed, for example―and otherwise explores the nature and extent of sorrow, misery, and loss.

A Hoffnung's thesis is perhaps the easiest to conceptualize: every Hoffnung has an image of how the world should be, so a Hoffnung's thesis works to bring that world closer to reality. A Principality who dreams of a worldwide Libertarian paradise may work to bring down government-backed financial institutions or turn a bardo into a microcosm of his political vision. One who wants humanity to move beneath the oceans might find herself in an ideological struggle with another Hoffnung for the ear of a mundane scientific policy director at NASA. Hoffnungs work to promulgate and spread their policies, and their theses are the most likely to connect to the mundane world, though they concern themselves with far-reaching ideas and policy decisions, not individual changes. Anything that moves a Hoffnung's vision closer to reality―even symbolic victories―can serve as a thesis.

A young Neid's thesis is often simple and may resemble that of a particularly unsubtle Grimm: she seeks restitution for the wrongs done to her, either during her Breakthrough or in her Inspired career. While she rarely dwells on the suffering (real or imagined) she experienced in her earlier life, which distinguishes her from a Grimm, Neids may find themselves continually seeking out enemies to enact plans of revenge, justification, or humiliation upon. But not all Neids are so simple, and as a Wyrm grows in experience, her theses can become some of the most sophisticated and philosophical of all mad scientist's, focusing on the nature of exclusion and inclusion, the paths that acceptance and outsider-status can take, and the trajectory of isolation and abandonment. They never forget their feeling of betrayal and banishment, but they learn to study it with more objectivity than many catalysts can analyze their own archetypal natures.

The thesis of a Staunen is based on the Watcher's fascination with the world. It is often a a journey of discovery, a mixed exploration of one's self and one's object of fascination. A Staunen's thesis focuses not just on an engrossing (and perhaps dangerous) aspect of the world that is not entirely understood, but parts of the Staunen's own personality. All geniuses form connections and patterns easier than regular humans, and in his thesis, a Staunen will weave together discoveries of the inside and outside worlds in ways that would
baffle most normal people, leading to a final key discovery that transforms his understanding of the Staunen's object of study, and transforms a Grigori's understanding of himself.

Not every thesis is drawn from a genius' catalyst. Theses are intensely personal and can take many forms. Some draw from the mad scientist's foundation: Artificers build new things, Directors explore interpersonal relationships, Navigators engage in exploration and conflict, Progenitors transform and evolve themselves, and Scholastics study riddles and mysteries. Some theses are drawn from much more personal experiences, unanswered questions or unresolved obsessions in a genius' own life. As a genius' Inspiration climbs, she will find herself darting from one inspiration for a thesis to the next, always finding new directions for selfimprovement.

=== Organizing a Thesis: ===

The first step toward completing a thesis is submitting it. This is not a formal process and requires no roll. Instead, the player and Storyteller must come to an agreement about what sort of activity or experience will qualify as a thesis, and what the "win" conditions are. This may be represented in-game as the genius asking his peers for advice, contacting his foundation and looking for projects in need of completion, or just kicking back and thinking about what he has learned since the last thesis.

Once a thesis goal is decided on, the genius must achieve that goal. Direct and concrete goals ("Stop Prestor John's army from devastating the bardo of True Argentine," "Use my beholden to take over Malthusian Cybernetics from the inside-out and turn it into a puppet for my ideology") are often easy to adjudicate, but more personal or abstract goals may require more consideration on the part of the Storyteller. 

The genius then sets to work. A thesis should normally take no more than a single session. It can be run alone, but that is not necessary; the Peerage encourages collaboratives to cooperate on completing a member's thesis, and geniuses can gain prestige by helping in a particularly well-crafted endeavor.

Once the genius feels satisfied with her work, she rolls Intelligence + Wits.

How thoroughly the genius achieves his goal should modify this roll. A totally botched job means that the genius cannot even roll: she will have to start again with a new thesis. An incomplete or failed job bumps the level of success down by one step. (Success becomes Failure, Failure becomes Dramatic Failure, etc.). A truly spectacular job increases the level of success by one step.

''Dramatic Failure:'' The genius botches the thesis and must start again from the beginning, or with an entirely new goal. The genius does not gain a dot of Inspiration.

''Failure:'' The genius completes the thesis, but her Inspiration is haphazard and confusing. The genius gains a dot of Inspiration. However, all the persistent faults in all of her wonders change.

''Success:'' The genius completes the thesis and does a competent job. The genius gains a dot of Inspiration upon spending experience points.

''Exceptional Success:'' The genius does an extraordinary job on her thesis, producing a work that is clever, sublime, and deeply personal. The genius gains a dot of Inspiration and refreshes her Mania to the maximum. Her wonders remain the same.

''Suggested Modifiers:'' Long and complicated thesis (+1), simple and easy-to-complete thesis (-1), results of experiments confirmed genius' expectations (+1), transformative emotional experience (+2) 

Upon gaining a new dot of Inspiration, many of the genius' wonders improve automatically once he has a few minutes with them. For example, wonders of Skafoi will typically experience an increase in Speed and Handling. No rolls are required for this improvement.

=== Using Larvae in a Thesis: ===

Larva can be added to a thesis. They do not add to the roll. Instead they provide some unique insight for the genius (and by extension, for the player) about how to proceed with the thesis. Every Larva used grants one insight. However, it must be the genius' own Larva, not one found, bought, or traded second-hand.

== Beholden: ==

=== Creating Beholden: ===

Beholden aren't born from axle-grease and stray polymers. They are regular people, except that they have been consumed by the Genius' Inspiration and see the world exactly as she sees it.

A person's worldview can be broken down, gradually or suddenly, by a genius, allowing him to create a new beholden. This requires a demonstration of the genius' wonders (which incurs Havoc like normal if handled) and an expenditure of Mania equal to the subject's Willpower.

Once this is done, the genius rolls Inspiration + Presence vs. the subject's Resolve.

''Dramatic Failure:'' The genius cannot make that person into a beholden until his Inspiration increases.

''Failure:'' The geniuses cannot make that person into a beholden. It is possible to try again.

''Success:'' The subject becomes a beholden unless she spends a point of Willpower to resist.

''Exceptional Success:'' The subject becomes a beholden.

Suggested Modifiers: The subject's interaction with a wonder orphans it, temporarily or permanently (-3), the subject only looks at a wonder (-1), the genius spends only a minute or two talking with the subject (-1), the genius spends over an hour talking to the subject (+1), the subject has gone on some "grand adventure" with the genius (+3)

People also occasionally become beholden on their own accord. Repeated exposure to mad science will eventually drive a person beholden, but geniuses have found this transformation nearly as hard to predict as what exposure to mad science will cause a mere mortal to catalyze.

=== Being Beholden: ===

Beholden are interesting psychological studies. Though as intelligent, creative, and competent as they were before their change, beholden are incapable of engaging in high-level theoretical thinking. They lack metaphysical, philosophical, political, religious, ethical, or scientific thought-structures. (Or perhaps their conscious minds simply can't access them.) A beholden has no preference for political candidates or political parties. She does not subscribe to any religion, nor does she actively reject the tenets of any religion. She cannot formulate an argument for or against any ethical or political stance, such as vegetarianism or welfare. She may still cling to vestigial beliefs out of stubbornness, habit, or cultural identity, but she cannot really understand why she does.

The only exception to this behavior is when a beholden interacts with a genius. Then, the beholden takes on the philosophy and thinking mode of that genius. This ideological parroting is what makes a beholden so useful to the Inspired.

This condition affects beholden surprisingly little. They still retain an instinctive moral system (measured by Morality). Most beholden would feel disgusted and repulsed by cold-blooded murder, but when asked to justify this feeling, they would be unable. Beholden can still engage in planning and form practical models of the world around them: a clatch of beholden sent to kidnap a doctor can prepare, coordinate, and execute a plan as well as their Skills and Attributes would allow. But they would be unable, for example, to offer an ethical or philosophical justification for their actions.

=== Stray Beholden: ===

Some beholden are "strays." They lack a worldview of their own, and thus are certainly beholden, but they also lack a master to tell them what to do and think. This tends to happen in one of four ways. First, a genius might die, leaving her beholden without direction and focus. Second, a regular person, often a scientist, might see something so wondrous that it shatters their ability to formulate a view of the world, while not pushing them quite far enough to catalyze. Third, some bardos create beholden naturally from members of their population. Finally, beholden might forcibly and instinctively reject their master due to extreme moral differences; mad scientists on the fast-track to Illumination often shed all but their most heinous Igors.

To escape the bonds of a repellent master, the genius' Obligation must differ from the beholden's Morality by five or more points (either way, though usually it's a moral beholden and a monstrous mad scientist). Once per month, or once per scene if someone makes a Manipulation + Persuasion roll to convince the beholden of the error of his master's ways, the genius can make a Resolve check vs. his master's Inspiration.

''Dramatic Failure:'' The beholden cannot attempt to free himself again until the genius' Obligation moves even farther from the beholden's Morality.

''Failure:'' The beholden remains a servant of the genius.

''Success:'' The beholden is freed and becomes a stray.

''Exceptional Success:'' The beholden is freed and is no longer a beholden.

''Suggested Modifiers:'' Beholden fears for his life (+3), beholden has been mistreated (+1 to +3), genius has made promises to safeguard the beholden (-1), genius is friends with the beholden (-1) Stray beholden, however they appear, cannot recover Willpower until they have a master again. Worse, they gradually go insane as they lose the ability to make sense of the world. Every month, roll Intelligence + Resolve.

''Dramatic Failure:'' The stray goes completely insane and becomes catatonic, dying shortly thereafter. 

''Failure:'' The stray takes a -1 penalty to all actions as he loses his ability to form connections and build a coherent view of the world. At -5, the stray goes insane as if a Dramatic Failure had been rolled.

''Success:'' The stray remains stable.

''Exceptional Success:'' The stray reestablishes contact with the pattern-generating part of his mind. He is no longer beholden, and all penalties are removed.

''Suggested Modifiers:'' Psychological exercises (+1), difficult and violent month (-1), rejected by another mad scientist (-1), with a group of three or more strays (+1), with a group of ten or more strays (+2) These stray beholden are eager to find a genius to latch onto, even risking abusive and morally dubious relationships in exchange for being given a worldview again. Geniuses looking for Igors often learn about good places to look in their immediate area. It seems that every major metropolitan area has some place―a half-forgotten coffee shop, a tiny bardo inside an apartment block, a neglected basement office at the local community college―where the strays congregate, talking about old times under their masters and trying to remember what it was like to believe something. Most geniuses know how to find this place, which the Lemurians call a catasta, where they know they can find beholden desperate for employment and purpose.

=== Promoted Beholden: ===

Beholden can catalyze, becoming full geniuses. Many geniuses begin their careers as beholden who are set apart for an eventual Breakthrough. Also, sometimes when a genius dies, one of his beholden will catalyze, either suddenly or as a gradual process amidst the wreckage of what the genius left behind.

This transformation is up to the Storyteller; here, like elsewhere, there are no hard and fast rules for how and when a person becomes Inspired.

=== Dirty Work: ===

While many beholden come from scientific fields, others are recruited from the police, the military, or special forces. Some geniuses even train their beholden in these fields in order to guard their laboratories and strike out against their enemies. This is represented by Beholden Prowess, which is purchased as part of the Beholden Merit.

Sometimes a genius does not want to get her hands dirty, or she lacks relevant training for some kind of field work. In this case, she may be able to send her beholden to do her dirty work.

Dirty work can be anything from a meet-and-greet to theft to assassination. If it's not dangerous, there's no need to roll, but most dirty work is dangerous and requires a dirty work check (with a starting number of dice equal to the beholdens' Prowess) to succeed.

Difficult actions or actions against difficult targets incur a penalty set by the Storyteller. The Storyteller should use the following guidelines based on the power and security level of the target.

* Regular citizen: +1
* Armed forces veteran, beat cop, security guard, paranoid or security-minded person: No modifier
* Person with combat and awareness training, such as a detective, soldier, or security specialist, or minor public figure like a local celebrity: -1
* Highly competent person such as special forces or wealthy or moderately influential person such as a selectman: -2
* City- or state-level figure such as a mayor, crime boss, head of a major corporation, or state senator: -3
* A national or international figure such as a senator, billionaire or president: -4
* Opposing Beholden: Equal to Beholden Prowess.
* Orphan wonder: Equal to rank
* Genius: Equal to Inspiration

The differing size of the two groups is also important:
* Beholden outnumber target by 50%: +1
* Beholden outnumber target by 2:1: +2
* Beholden outnumber target by 3:1: +3
* Beholden outnumber target by 4:1: +4
* Beholden outnumbered by target by 50%: -1
* Beholden outnumbered by target by 1:2: -2
* Beholden outnumbered by target by 1:3: -3
* Beholden outnumbered by target by 1:4: -4

The beholden also suffer a penalty based on how complicated or dangerous the activity to perform is.

* Surveillance: 0
* Harrying Attack or "Sending a Message": -1
* Theft: -2
* Destruction or property, demobilizing, or serious inconvenience: -3
* Military-style Strike: -3
* Assassination: -4
* Kidnapping: -5

Add the penalties together. So, if beholden are sent to steal from (-2) the police (-2) that outnumber them by 50% (-1) the total penalty is -5.

A group of beholden can be used for dirty work a number of times per chapter equal to their Number.

The Storyteller can adjust this modifier to any degree based on specific circumstances, or even outright refuse certain attempts at dirty work that would derail the story or avoid dramatic conflict. The Storyteller should usually refuse any attempt to kill or capture a genius with an Inspiration equal to or greater than that of the character assigning the dirty work, or other metanormal creatures of similar power, but any disruptive or disinteresting act is subject to veto. On the other hand, the Storyteller should encourage the use of dirty work to simplify the collaborative's own missions or to support their actions.

Once the penalty is determined (and if the dirty work is not rejected out of hand), the genius can spend Mania to increase the roll. The genius can spend a number of Mania points equal to her maximum per-turn expenditure on outfitting, briefing, and enhancing the beholden. Once that's done, roll the dice.

''Dramatic Failure:'' The beholden fail spectacularly and gruesomely. The genius permanently loses a dot in either Beholden Number or Beholden Prowess (the genius' choice) as his troops are massacred. Dirty work cannot be attempted for the rest of the chapter.

''Failure:'' The beholden fail to achieve their goals. Casualties and disruptions are light, but incur a cumulative -1 penalty per failure. This penalty resets at the end of the chapter.

''Success:'' The beholden do something right. The goal is accomplished.

''Exceptional Success:'' Not only is the goal accomplished, but it doesn't count toward the maximum number of dirty work uses during the chapter. Further, the morale boost wipes away any cumulative penalties.

''Suggested Modifiers:'' Instructions are unclear or ambiguous (-1), beholden are unfamiliar with task (-1), task is outside beholden's talent suite (-2), beholden are specialized for the operation (+1), more than half of the beholden are equipped with wonders relevant to the operation (bonus equals rank of lowest-ranking wonder), beholden must operate publicly (-2)

==== Summary Execution: ====

Murdering beholden can improve their performance after a failure. This permanently reduces Beholden Number by one, but removes all accumulated penalties in that chapter and prevents new ones from accruing for the rest of the chapter. Further, the genius can roll Presence + Intimidation before all future dirty work checks until the end of the chapter; successes are added to the dirty work dice pool. Summary execution for incompetence is at least an Obligation-4 transgression.

=== Dealing with Big Groups: ===

A collaborative with large numbers of beholden and automata can quickly grow unwieldy. The Storyteller needs to balance players' (fair and understandable) desire to benefit from their Axioms and Merits with a desire to keep the story moving forward. A battle with seven geniuses is hard enough to run; one with seven geniuses, eleven beholden, and 20 killer robots is unmanageable. A Storyteller can invoke a few rules to simplify things.

Beholden do not generally go "on adventures" with geniuses. Storytellers can make case-by-case exceptions, but mostly, even combat beholden focus on guarding the lab and performing dirty work. They don't join their masters during temple lootings, murder investigations, or streets brawls against manes. However, dirty work can be conducted at any time: encourage the collaborative to, for example, have their beholden perform harrying attacks on their enemies while the geniuses themselves slip into their enemies' lab. 

While automata can travel easily with geniuses (assuming they're not conspicuous), coordinating large groups is inconvenient and difficult. As a rule of thumb, the Storyteller can assume that a number of combatcapable servants (beholden or automata) can conveniently follow the group equal to the highest Presence in the collaborative. Beyond that and logistics dictate the group should break down into smaller parties. 

Finally, there are times when all the collaborative's beholden and automata need to be put into action: a massive raid on an enemy airship, for example, doesn't just call for 2-5 robot servants backing up the mad scientists. In this case, despite the beholden and automata working closely with the geniuses, the Storyteller can use rules for massive battles

==== Massive Battles: ====

Sometimes the collaborative will want to bring their full forces to bear. They spot a 50-strong Hollow Earth Nazi patrol in the deep desert. Etherites attack their underwater fortress. It's time for an epic confrontation with their Illuminated former mentor and her spider servants. Only a massive engagement, with dozens of minions (beholden and automata), makes sense. But who wants to roll dice for whole platoons? Even dicefiend players can grow bored, and Genius: The Transgression is not a tactical war game. In that case, a system for massive battles can help move the action along.

This system is not a realistic simulation of mass combat. It is intended to provide some color and running commentary while the PCs fight that is not entirely based on Storyteller fiat. To run this sort of battle, first divide the battle into two groups: the main battle, where the PCs will fight against a powerful group worthy of their abilities (usually from half to double their own number) and a secondary battle, where the collaborative's minions duke it out against enemy minions.

Handle the main battle normally. Every turn, after everyone has acted in the main battle, roll for the results of the secondary battle.

First, figure out the total numbers on each side, as follows:

{|
|+
|'''Number of Minions'''
|'''Number Rank'''
|-
|1
|1
|-
|2 to 5
|2
|-
|6 to 11
|3
|-
|12 to 29
|4
|-
|30-49
|5
|-
|50-99
|6
|-
|100+
|7
|}

Then, note the Prowess. For beholden, Prowess is equal to the Beholden Prowess dots each group has. For combat-capable automata, Prowess is equal to rank. (The Storyteller may need to determine equivalent Prowess for non-combat-oriented automata, but this is normally an all-or-nothing thing: either an automaton can fight well and has Prowess equal to rank, or it can't, and can't contribute anything useful to the fight.)

To conduct the secondary battle, roll a competing Number + Prowess check.

''Failure (equal number of successes):'' Stalemate. Neither side gains the edge in the battle.

''Success (one side gets more successes than the other):'' The tide shifts. The victorious side pushes their enemies back, and some break through the line. A number of minions equal to the winning side's Number or the number of successes (whichever is lower) push through and join the main battle. Roll initiative normally for these minions. (If there are already minions of the same type in the main battle, the Storyteller can instead give the new minion an initiative score equal to his similar allies.) 

''Exceptional Success (one side gets five or more successes over the other):'' Breakthrough/Collapse! The winning side scatters or vanquishes their enemies, forcing a total withdrawal of the losers. The secondary battle is basically over. All of the victorious minions join their genius allies in the main battle, perhaps leading to a total rout.

==== Mixed Prowess Groups: ====

If there are two groups on the same side (for example, some two-dot beholden mixed in with some rank-4
automata), roll the dice for Number, then roll the number of dice for each Prowess rating, but only take the
higher result of the second roll. For example, in a mixed group of 20 minions (Number 4), some with Prowess
1 and some with Prowess 3, first roll four dice for the Number. Note the result. Then roll one die for the
Prowess 1 minion and three dice for the Prowess 3 minions. Of those two rolls, take the higher result, and add
it to the number of successes rolled on the Number dice.

If the tide turns in favor of a mixed-Prowess group, randomly determine which type of minion joins the main battle. Chances for each type to join the main fight are equal.

=== Conclusion and Recovery: ===

At the end of the entire fight, it's time to determine casualties. This isn't precise and requires some eyeballing. An entirely routed side (the other side received an Exceptional Success) loses three dots of Number. A side that suffered more successes than it allowed over the course of the fight loses one from its Number. A side that gained an Exceptional Success or that got more successes than it suffered suffers minimal casualties that do not reduce the group's Number.

Reduced Number isn't permanent―the collaborative doesn't have to purchase more Beholden Merit dots, for example. But casualties will have to be replaced by recruiting more beholden or building more automata, which can take time.

== The Realms of Mad Science: ==

The Community―the society of mundane scientists―occasionally changes its mind. New evidence comes along, a new theory clarifies what was once murky, or something else happens to change how the world's scientific community views a phenomenon. This sort of event, a paradigm shift, releases an enormous amount of otherwise untapped Mania that is normally bottled up in the heads of non-mad, unInspired scientists. While sometimes this burst of Mania can serve as a windfall, it can often be phenomenally dangerous to the Inspired.

When a paradigm changes quickly and thoroughly enough, Mania flies like a thunderstorm in what the Inspired call a Maniac Storm: old scientists are discredited, new researchers are mad with power, and occasionally, scientists are suddenly Inspired and start on the path of the genius. However, all that free Mania has to go somewhere, and it goes to the formation of manes: parasitic creatures, objects, or even places―called bardos―constructed of pure madness that sustain themselves on Mania.

A mane is what happens when a theory is abandoned. Paradoxically, the moment the Community decides that something is not true, that thing immediately comes into existence, held together by the burst of Mania released by the changing winds of scientific orthodoxy. Among geniuses, the best-known (and most devastating) recent example occurred in 1971, when the Viking lander touched down on Mars and at last showed it to be a barren, lifeless world, noticeably lacking intelligent aliens. Within seconds of that revelation, the Martian Empire appeared and launched an attack on Earth.

It could have been worse: the notion of "life on Mars" had been fading in the scientific community for decades, and was supported, mostly, by fervent wishes and hopes, especially among amateur scientists and planetologists, so the Inspired community had time to prepare. But the damage was still extraordinary: hundreds of landing pods crashed to Earth all over the world, and only the sacrifice of dozens of mad scientists stopped the Martian Empire from growing powerful enough to endanger the lives of billions.

There are other examples. Geocentrism collapsed hundreds of years ago, but the angels that guide the planets still lurk in the outer void, bound to their Crystal Spheres. The Hollow Earth was barely a legitimate theory at all, but there it is, stuffed to the gills with dinosaurs and phosphorescent fungi, for those who can find it.

No one has figured out what happens if the scientific community decides that a true thing is true, ''then'' decides that that true thing is false. Probably something very bad.

=== Manes: ===

''"Observation: I can't see a thing. Conclusion: Dinosaurs."''
''-Carl Sagan''

Manes, whether creatures, objects, or places, need Mania in order to survive. Even the most beautiful, hopeful mane or bardo is ultimately a parasite on the thoughts of the world, draining it in order to sustain itself. 

A bardo requires Mania depending on its size. This rarely comes up, since most bardos that have lasted for more than a few years have found ways of sustaining themselves, but the inhabitants of a bardo are deadly serious about making sure that their homes stay supplied with intellectual energy. A bardo that goes "hungry" will shrink, casting any creatures within the abandoned area out into the real world. Generally a bardo needs a certain amount of Mania per month; if it does not receive that amount, it will shrink until it stabilizes at its new Mania supply level.

{|
|+
|'''Bardo Size'''
|'''Mania Required'''
|-
|House
|10 per month
|-
|Village or Castle
|20 per month
|-
|Town
|50 per month
|-
|City or Realm
|100 per month
|-
|World
|300 per month
|}

Bardos sustain themselves by sending out emissaries to gather Mania. Manes within a bardo do not require a separate Mania supply (the ideological consistency found in a bardo sustains them), but outside their homes they require Mania to survive and can suffer Havoc.

All animate manes possess the Calculus Vampire Merit, and those that dwell outside of a bardo use that ability to provide themselves with sustenance. A mane away from its home burns one point of Mania per day; if it cannot pay, it must make a Havoc check.

=== Bardos: ===

While there are countless―maybe infinite―bardos in existence, a few are particularly well known and worth exploring. Each bardo is unique, and must be accessed in a unique way; it's not possible for ordinary people simply to walk into a bardo, and they are invisible from outside.

Every bardo contains one or more entrances that permit access, but bardos are not part of normal geography: they are only accessible through these two-way entryways; trying to enter from some other direction will result in passing through regular Earthly terrain. Further, a particular mode of thought is necessary to see and thus enter the bardo. For example, to reach the Martian Empire, a person must descend toward Mars while in geosynchronous orbit over an area just southwest of Olympus Mons, between 50 and 150 miles above the Red Planet, while focused on the dunes that most look like spires of brass and alien metal. Approaching from any other direction, or not focusing on those dunes, will get a person to regular Mars, but the Martian Empire will not appear. Similarly, the Hollow Earth is accessible through special entrances near the North and South Poles and from a few other select points, after which one must follow well-hidden diagrams left by previous explorers; just "digging down" won't get someone there.

In game terms, entrances to a bardo are located "near" it in physical space; a bardo located on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean can only be accessed when at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Entrances range in size from just large enough for a human to slip through to big enough to pass a planet. People and creatures within a bardo can leave through these entrances without difficulty, but one must spend a point of Mania to activate an entrance and get into a bardo. Once opened, a bardo is revealed, even to mere mortals: one can glimpse alien cityscapes, distant prehistorical animals, or strange mechanical walkways, rather than what's on the other side of the entrance in normal space. Once activated, an entrance remains active for a number of turns equal to a genius' Inspiration, and people and objects can pass in and out freely during that time. When the time is up, the entrance once again only shows (and allows access to) normal space, and the bardo is closed.

Many bardos are extraordinary places, but they are all failed dreams, and they're all frayed and tattered around the edges. Even the bardos that are conceived as places of beauty and tranquility quickly decay into pallid memories of that original fancy, as all bardos are ultimately parasitic on memory and thought. They need Mania to survive, and that need means that the most magnificent bardo, conceived in the highest and most noble dreams of humanity, either parasitizes the fully-real world or perishes.

Many bardos contain manes that function like wonders. Police officers in the Gray Plateau of Tsoska carry Apokalypsi-based spying tools, while Space Station Colossus contains plasma guns, holo-screens, and hoverbikes. Within the bardo, these wonders are self-sustaining and do not require anyone to bind Mania into them; they can simply be manufactured. A person within a bardo can spend a point of Willpower instead of any number of Mania points to activate and use native wonder-like manes, and can use them without penalty. Other manes in a Bardo are not full wonders, but instead replicate more mundane technology: the clever and ruthless Ape Empire of the Hollow Earth employs ingenious crossbows that, while not Katastrofi wonders, are nonetheless deadly, while many Martians employ "lesser" radium guns that are about as dangerous as a 19th century revolver. If taken outside a bardo, most inanimate manes simply disappear. Those that survive the transition become orphans.

Many geniuses make use of orphaned manes, using them to supplement their own abilities, and there is a brisk trade in plundered super-science from different bardos.

==== The Crystal Spheres: ====

It's obvious that the Earth can't orbit the Sun, because we would all fall off, but the universe insists on not being obvious, and almost before the Inspired existed in their recognizable modern form, geocentrism gave way to a new model of the universe where the Sun stood immobile, encircled by planets, moons, and various bits of cosmic detritus.

But don't tell that to the Christian and pagan "angels" that push the seven planets around the Earth. They have a difficult enough job, guiding the clockwork of the Crystal Spheres through its regular motions. Here, great planes of shimmering translucent glass stretch on seemingly forever, guided by strange but intelligent manes that take the form of winged beings of light. The worlds themselves aren't more than a few miles across, but they too often team with life, including intelligent manes called Micros (especially Crystal Mars, which is rarely more than a brief journey from the Martian Empire's naval base on Deimos). Dragonfly-riding Selenites and beings of living fire on the surface of the Sun crisscross the Crystal Spheres, but most of this realm is empty, bleak, and starkly beautiful.

The angels, or the "Megas" as less theologically-minded geniuses are prone to calling them, hint obliquely at realms greater than their own, beyond the farthest Crystal Sphere. Geniuses have journeyed in vain, looking to find if anything still remains of Dante's system of the Cosmos, whether there is an icy Hell somewhere near the Hollow Earth, Purgatory's mountain in the Southern oceans, or some kind of Maniacal paradise still offering bliss and salvation beyond the Circles of the World.

==== The Gray Plateau of Tsoska: ====

Utopian bardos are everywhere: little Shangri-Las and workers' paradises and anarchocapitalist Utopias are tucked away in the world's hidden corners, hard to find and, once found, difficult for many people to leave. Some decay as Mania leaves them, some grow corrupt; a scant handful find a way to remain pure. But one thing is clear: Utopias are as numerous as the dreams that birthed them. But all the fascist dystopian shitholes humanity feared during the age of the Communist peril seem to run together and form one place: Tsoska.

Somewhere in the bleak plains of central Asia stretches a dreary empire of fear, dirt, lies, and endless surveillance. Tsoska is where Utopian dreams go to die. It first appeared as the dreams of early 20th century socialists were replaced by the brutal realities of Communist totalitarianism, and ever since the Soviet Union's collapse, it has been one of the more influential bardos, even more powerful, now, than its capitalist counterpart, Voltt City.

Tsoska is an amalgamation of every badly-run empire in human history, magnified tenfold, the result of bitterness and failed visions of brotherhood and harmony. Few buildings are over three stories in Tsoska. The cities are gray and uninspiring; the government facilities squat and brutal. The people, who generally appear to be of mixed European and Asian descent, have lined faces and cold, slow hands built for tedious manual labor. A third, or a tenth, of 1%―it's impossible to tell―are part of Oversight, the counterespionage branch of The Party, which controls all economic, social, and political activity in Tsoska. Fear is constant, and paranoia is institutionalized.

But there are bright spots in Tsoska, and that is why the geniuses come. (Mostly the geniuses come because the place is full of Igors looking for work, but the bright spots, they also help.) In Tsoska, a genius can find hidden musical subcultures that move from one almost-empty state supermarket to the next after hours, gifted scientists who never share their best work with The Party, and occult philosophical periodicals on the afterlife and psychic powers, masquerading as science to avoid State suppression, all perfect for a mad scientist's needs. And Tsoska isn't as dangerous as many other bardos: so long as a genius' paperwork is in order and he can recreate the patina of gray weariness that coats everyone who comes to Tsoska, The Party seems almost eager to show off its "accomplishments" to visiting foreigners, and a genius can learn much just by being quiet and looking as if he expects to be impressed.

==== The Grid: ====

A two-dimensional holographic grid-plane stretching out to infinity, dotted with seas of deleted and undifferentiated liquid data, roads of shimmering information, and glowing rectangular cities inhabited by humanoid programs, the Grid is one of the newest and most fascinating of the bardos, the dim echoes of science fiction's vision of the Internet, before the Internet became just another fact of life. The Grid contains physical "metaphors" for every computer connected to the Internet wirelessly or through a land line; generally, computers connected through a land line reside on the ground, while wireless contacts hover unmoving in the sky, occasionally turning transparent or evaporating as contact is lost. This makes The Grid a wonderland for computer hackers, who can visit target computers physically and rummage their secrets in the same way. Of course, this is much more dangerous than regular hacking, as secure computers manifest snarling defensive programs that can rip an intruder to shreds.

But the Grid isn't all business: here, geniuses mingle with a dizzying variety of net-life and localized programs in an atmosphere of digital chrome and gleaming neon, where the needs of the flesh fade away and different beings can meet mind-to-mind. These server-cities provide havens for data smuggling, rumor-mongering, and simple camaraderie, while outside some of them lurk deadly viral swarms and forgotten treasures from an earlier age of digital imagination.

''Rules for the Grid:

Entering the Grid requires a computer with access to the Internet, a point of Mania, and (unlike with accessing most other bardos) an Intelligence + Computer check. Leaving The Grid can be accomplished by touching an "egress terminal," which are common in any inhabited area. A person can also leave instantly by spending a dot of Willpower. While in the Grid, anyone with a physical body leaves his physical body behind, comatose and clinging to the computer. Disconnecting a person from the computer snaps him back to his body and drains a dot of Willpower.

Duplicates of anything in the character's possession appear with the character in the Grid, including mundane items and wonders that can be carried or worn. However, it's a one-way process: nothing in a character's possession when she leaves the Grid transfers into the real world. A genius can create wonders while in the Grid, though these wonders cannot be taken out of the Grid. 

Damage is handled normally in The Grid, which generally conforms to the normal laws of physics. A person killed in the Grid dies in reality. Once a person leaves the Grid, all damage received in the Grid is converted to Bashing damage, which heals normally.

The Computer Skill gives anyone in the Grid an unusual advantage. A character can substitute her dots in the Computer Skill for any Physical or Social Attribute while in the Grid.''

The Hollow Earth:
The Hollow Earth can be found about ten miles below the Earth's crust, and is best accessed via the North or South Poles. Within the Hollow Earth, gravity attracts objects to the concave surface, while a strange false sun hangs in the Earth's center, providing eternal daylight. Enormous mountains, far larger than anything possible on the surface, rise up (or "inwardly") toward the inner sun, producing vast three-dimensional mazes of twisting, utterly dark rocky passages inhabited by strange albino creatures and enormous vermin.

Those lands of the Hollow Earth drenched in pseudosunlight are drawn from every age of the Earth above. Here, dinosaurs stride side-by-side with the earliest lungfish, while primitive humans live savage lives of violence and passion, never rising far above barbarism. Thick jungles, jagged mountains, and sun-bleached deserts offer an environment far harsher than anything found on the surface. 

Many geniuses have wondered how the Hollow Earth, which is the largest bardo apart from the comparatively barren Crystal Spheres, maintains its existence: the idea was never seriously considered by science, and it does not attract the attention of pseudoscientists and science fiction writers like the Red Planet does. The answer, many Inspired think, is found in the peculiar "errors" found in many flora and fauna of the Hollow Earth: a genius might pass a "brontosaurus" with the wrong head, or meet a group of primitive humans menaced by Piltdown Man. The Hollow Earth, say these geniuses, is a kind of clearinghouse for every archaeological and paleontological misstep ever made by human science.

==== Lemuria: ====

Once upon a time, no one thought that the continents could move. This posed the world's scientists with a serious quandary: how did animals scatter all over the globe in the patterns that are seen today? For example, how did the lemur (the little monkey-like animal) get to Madagascar? The answer seemed clear: land bridges had helped them across, then fallen back beneath the sea. These land bridges could rise up over the ages and disappear again, all the time. The land bridge that got lemurs to Madagascar was called Lemuria. 

By the time evidence appeared to support continental drift and then plate tectonics, Lemuria had moved from a convenient explanation to an ancient wonderland full of psychics and spiritual techno-beings, similar to the stories of Atlantis and Mu, due to the imagination of Theosophists and other 19th century mystics and spiritualists. And when it turned out that there had been no Lemuria, the manes there disagreed...violently. Their time-traveling hijinks are recounted in further detail elsewhere; basically, if they are to be believed, their work created our current timeline.

After the Last Invisible War, Lemuria was reduced to a smoldering wasteland: nothing remains today but a few scorched fingers of land rising out of the waters of the Pacific Ocean, and whatever remains beneath the waves. The intelligent inhabitants, a mix of serpent-people and apparently normal humans, are mostly dead or scattered, though the remains of Lemuria are dangerous even without their xenophobic and devious natives. Strange monsters dwell beneath the surface, emerging at night, while the remnants of ancient Lemurian war-machines and cogitators still possess flickers of life and can awaken at any time to destroy an unwary traveler. Only recently have geniuses (often mixed groups from the Peerage and Lemuria) begun to return to Lemuria to explore it in numbers.

==== The Martian Empire: ====
Sometimes called Cydonia or Barsoom, the Martian Empire is located, naturally, on Mars, but not the frozen, almost airless wasteland that we know. Supported by a sea of ever-shifting Mania, the Martian Empire's air is breathable, if thin, and there walk the strange beings called Martians. Divided into three known castes (the brain-on-a-stalk Overlords, the spindly Technikers, and the brutal but humanoid egg-laying Throgs), the Martians threatened to conquer Earth less than half a century ago, and they still eye our world with cold avarice.

This avarice is tempered, now, with the knowledge that Earth stomped them in the last war: even were it not for Inspired super-science, Earth science has advanced far since Percival Lowell read of Martian canali and decided that the canals channeled water from the icy poles to a dying civilization. Mars is not exactly safe, but the Martians are more interested, now, in what a genius knows and what knowledge she is willing to trade, than in destroying her as a threat to their plans.

And Mars is an extraordinary place, its dusty streets full of haggling merchants and exotic alien spices, its people enlightened masters of sciences humans have never imagined, and its libraries possessed of arcane and super-scientific wisdom. Even if the genius does not wish simply to grow rich on Martian sapphires by filling her rocketship with fresh water (worth more than gold to the dry world), a lifetime can be spent wandering the million-year-old universities and speaking with the incredible beings there.

Mad scientists who reach Mars are encouraged not to wander too far from the city, where the Mania can sustain humanoid life, and are advised to have an escape plan ready at all times in case the warlike factions of the Martian government take over and once again launch an all-out assault on the Blue Planet.

==== Space Station Colossus: ====

The last of the great Space Age dreams, a vision drawn from Clarke, Heinlein, and thousands of other writers during the Golden Age of science fiction, Space Station Colossus is an enormous O'Neill cylinder floating between the Earth and the Moon near the L4 point. It flickered to life in 1984, when science fiction had largely abandoned its starfaring dreams. When it first appeared, Space Station Colossus was a glittering jewel in the heavens, ten miles long and containing fifteen separate counter-rotating sections. Today it is a run-down hole in the sky full of unemployed mane dock workers, bitter Atomists trying to create one Utopia or another, and failing mechanical systems. The air is stale, the lights flicker, and the "futuristic inventions" that litter its interior―vid phones, hover bikes, charming robotic assistants―never work right.

Despite its many faults, and despite its control by Lemurians with rather strange plans, Space Station Colossus is a sight to behold. Not only is it one of the best recruiting-grounds for beholden in the known universe, Colossus is a trading-post where Larvae, manes, and stranger things from the distant corners of reality can be found. The "aboveground" markets are bustling and well-run, and if a genius cannot find what she needs there, the deeper levels, close to the station's outer hull, are hives of criminality where anything can
be found for the right price.

==== Autocthon, Vulcan, Planet X, and Nemesis: ====

These elusive worlds did not last long enough in the scientific eye to generate enough Mania to exist fully, but occasionally they flicker into existence. Little is known about them, as every time they appear, they seem subtly or completely different. Autocthon (the alternate Earth on the far side of the Sun), Vulcan (the world closer to the Sun than Mercury), Planet X (a possibly rogue planet beyond the asteroid belt), and Nemesis (a world―sometimes a brown dwarf or black hole―at the edge of the solar system trailed by deadly comets) flicker into existence just long enough, usually, to capture a passing rocketship and seek to drain it of its Mania. Should one of these worlds succeed, it might become fully solid. 

== Madness: ==

A genius who believes that his worldview is the only correct one and that all others are mistaken, deluded, lying, or conspiring against him is an unmada.

This attitude is, in theory, opposed to the notion in the Peerage that Mania is something outside regular reality that impinges upon it. Nonetheless, some members of the Peerage are unmada. Other unmada are rogues, typically lonesomes who barely understand who they are or what they're doing. (Not all lonesomes are unmada, though: many realize that their wonder-working is not entirely "sane," even if they lack the language to explain what's wrong with them.)

All Lemurians are unmada. The principle behind Lemuria is that one's worldview as a genius is correct and that anyone who opposes it opposes you. To connect the many different contradictory philosophies of individual Lemurians, Lemuria postulates an "Archweltanschaaung," a Unified Theory of Genius in which every Lemurian's worldview is simultaneously valid.

Illuminated are also all unmada. Though they may seem perfectly cognizant of their nature, they nonetheless twist reality merely by their existence as Inspiration spills from them into the mundane world.

An unmada experiences the following modifiers and special conditions:

* Attempts to argue against them (usually Persuasion checks) based on external facts about the world, or to change their mind with regard to facts about the world―but not about moral or Obligation-based considerations―suffer a penalty equal to half their Inspiration.
* An unmada suffers double the normal Jabir penalty.
* An unmada loses one point of Mania per day instead of regaining one like other geniuses. The genius cannot refuse to spend this point of Mania.
* An unmada generates a field around herself, called an unmada field, its extent based on her Inspiration. An unmada who cannot spend a point of Mania (see above) cannot sustain her field, which collapses until she gets a point of Mania. (Once she has Mania, she immediately spends one point to restore the field.)

=== The Unmada Field: ===

An unmada field extends around an unmada, covering an area based on her Inspiration. A mad scientist's unmada field reflects the unmada's own beliefs, echoing her philosophy back at her and twisting reality and perception so the unmada's worldview and aesthetic sensibilities are repeatedly validated.

This unmada field offers a rich environment for manes, who can remain stable (not orphans) if ideologically compatible with the unmada's madness. Manes spawned by the genius' madness or drawn by compatible nonsense inhabit the unmada field. They have no fixed number, but geniuses usually estimate a total number of Size units of manes in an unmada field equal to genius' maximum Mania.

{|
|+
|'''Inspiration'''
|'''Area'''
|'''Nature of Local Manes
|-
|1
|Same building
|Small regular objects and plants
|-
|2
|City block
|Small animals, hand-held objects
|-
|3
|Several city blocks
|A few clever person-sized animals, many smaller creatures
|-
|4
|City neighborhood
|A few intelligent creatures, several animals, many smaller creatures
|-
|5
|City directional location
|Thriving ecosystem and small communities
|-
|6
|Half of city
|Thriving intelligent culture
|-
|7+
|Entire city
|A few Inspired manes
|}

The manes inhabiting an unmada field view their sustainer as a sort of liege. Maniacal animals treat him not quite as a master, but as a source of safety and authority. An unmada automatically receives Allies (Unmada Manes) with a dot rating equal to half his Inspiration. Manes can guard areas, report suspicious activity, pass along information, or offer super-scientific advice (if intelligent). They will not be used as a personal army or security force. A genius needs automata or beholden for lab work or muscle; unmada manes don't serve in that capacity. These manes, of course, also have a vested interest in keeping a mad scientist crazy.

An unmada field follows a genius, though it may take time to re-establish the field if the genius moves a lot. If a genius moves outside of his field, his effective Inspiration (for determining area of control and the richness of the maniacal life there) begins at zero and increases at a rate of one dot per week until it reaches its maximum.

An unmada field is noticeable to geniuses. (See [[[[<tvar|detecting-wondrous-things>Chapter_Four:Special_Rules_and_Systems#detecting-wondrous-things</>|Detecting Wondrous Things]]#Detecting Wondrous Things]], below) Even at low levels, ripples of insanity swirl through a genius' home. Evidence against his world view seems to disappear. Arguments falter, growing confused and unconvincing. As an unmada's power grows, small objects appear that satisfy the unmada's philosophical or aesthetic sense: one might find that the store next to an Etherite's house sells tiny but functional toy electro-guns or more cars with fins tend to drive by, while traditional Oracles find unsavory technology disappearing around them, replaced by simple, well-made machinery. A powerful unmada is basically sovereign inside his own mind, immune to contradictory evidence―which vanishes―and surrounded by eager, fawning servants, happy to feed the echo doctor's delusions back to him. Manes that match the genius' ideas appear constantly, reshaping the unmada field like fairy-tale brownies until it resembles the unmada's ideal environment.

=== Going Crazy and Getting Better Again: ===
A genius becomes an unmada by failing an unmada check. Several types of frantic Maniacal work can trigger an unmada check. (See [#Unmada, Brilliant Madness]], Page 80.) Some geniuses deliberately cultivate madness, repeatedly performing [[#Deep Inspiration]] (see Page 83) without spending the Mania gained until they lose their minds.

Snapping out of being an unmada is not easy. If the genius is a Lemurian, she must leave her baramin behind, either becoming a rogue or joining the Peerage. This takes a full month for the subscription to run out. Next, she must focus on "stoppering" the flow of Mania. This requires one point of Willpower per day for a number of days equal to the genius' Inspiration. These points must be spent every day, in order, or the genius must start again. During this time, an unmada's resident manes will grow increasingly frantic, attempting to stop her from abandoning her psychological state.

Once the work is done, the genius must spend all her current Mania and make an Inspiration + Resolve check. (A genius can spend her Mania on "nothing" at her normal expenditure rate.)

''Dramatic Failure:'' The genius' maniacal resolve hardens. She must make an unmada Check, which threatens Illumination.

''Failure:'' The genius cannot escape her unmada status. She may start again by spending Willpower again.

''Success:'' The genius escapes her unmada status. Her unmada field diminishes as if her Inspiration were declining by one point per day until it is gone.

''Exceptional Success:'' The genius snaps back to full lucidity. Her unmada field disappears instantly and she regains a number of Mania equal to her per-turn expenditure.

''Suggested Modifiers:'' Every point of Mania still in the genius' system (-1), the genius has fended off her unmada manes (+1 to +3), the genius has risked Illumination in the past month (-2), the genius has left her unmada field (+1), the genius still belongs to a Lemurian zotheca (-2), the genius belongs to an unmada-free collaborative (+2)

== Other Elements of Mad Science: ==

=== Detecting Wondrous Things: ===

While a genius can build Apokalypsi wonders to detect any Mania-based activity, her naked eyes can also reveal information about wonders, manes, and other phenomena. A genius can detect the following automatically:

* When someone is in the process of creating or modifying a wonder
* When someone transfers Mania into a wonder or capacitor (and the target of that transfer)
* When someone channels Mania into an object (and the target of that channeling)
* When someone is performing Deep Inspiration
* Whether or not the genius is in an unmada field, and the Inspiration level generating the field: "low" (Inspiration 1-3), "medium" (4-6), or "high" (7+)

To gain more information, the genius can spend a minute examining the object. A genius also needs to analyze an object this way if it is partially hidden (a mane in a long coat, for example) or if a wonder has the "concealed" or "normal-looking" variables. Roll Inspiration + Wits.

''Dramatic Failure:'' The genius completely misinterprets what he's seeing.

''Failure:'' The genius gains no further information, and cannot try again on that subject for the rest of the scene.

''Success:'' The genius gains more information, answering the following applicable questions:

* Whether something is a wonder; its rank, primary Axiom, and any "support" Axioms of a wonder
* Whether a wonder is an orphan
* Whether something is a mane
* Whether something is a Larva, and if it is a transgressive Larva
* Whether something is a capacitor, and how much Mania it currently holds
* A genius' Inspiration (low, medium, or high)
* A Clockstopper's Acedia (low, medium, or high)
* How much Mania someone or something has spent with its last action

''Exceptional Success:'' The genius gains even more information, answering the following applicable questions in addition to those available from a regular success:

* A wonder's faults
* A wonder's creator (if the genius knows the creator)
* What Axioms are influencing a person or object (Exelixi stat boosts, Metaptropi polymorphing, etc.)
* The idea or philosophy that birthed the mane
* A genius' catalyst, foundation, and highest Axiom
* Whether or not a genius is unmada (this will not reveal Illumination)
* A Clockstopper's highest Void
* How much Mania a genius, mane, or automaton currently possesses

Suggested Modifiers: Genius has a relevant Apokalypsi gizmo (bonus equals rank of wonder), genius cannot touch subject (-2), genius takes only one turn in analysis (-2), genius has encountered a genuinely new or unique phenomenon (-3), genius has encountered a "common" mad science phenomenon (+1), genius is studying a member of his own foundation (+2), target is partially concealed (-1 to -3)

=== Other People Using Wonders: ===

It's possible for a genius to loan out her wonders to others, and sometimes it's even useful: a whole squad of beholden armed with venom-slingers and mechanical wings can do a genius a lot of good. However, it's not always easy.

A mad scientist's own beholden suffer no penalty when using wonders that their Inspired master created. Though they need the appropriate abilities to use many wonders effectively (Firearms for most weapons, Medicine for many wonders of Exelixi, etc.), and may need Mania to power them, they have no difficulty using the devices.

Another genius can use the wonder, but may suffer penalties to doing so. If the borrowing genius has an Inspiration equal to or higher than the creator's own, and if the borrower can match all the Axioms needed to build the wonder, there is no penalty. Otherwise the genius suffers a -1 penalty to using the wonder per rank of the wonder.

Another genius' beholden suffer the same penalty as that genius when using another person's wonders. Mere mortals suffer a -1 penalty when using a wonder per rank of the wonder, and their clumsy manipulation triggers a Havoc Check every turn of use.

Other metanormal creatures also suffer a -1 penalty per rank of the wonder, but they do not trigger Havoc.

The Universalist Merit removes this penalty for some or all wonders.

=== Installing Internalized Wonders: ===

Some Inspired cannot resist installing wonders in their own bodies and minds. This is not easy, since either the genius must do all the work beforehand, saving the actual installation for a single previously prepared act, or she must trust another genius or one of her beholden to perform the experiment.

Installing an internalized wonder is an Obligation-7 transgression. If the Storyteller judges the operation to be unusually dangerous or foolhardy (such as if the genius is rolling a chance die), it becomes an Obligation-5 transgression.

These rules also apply to installing grafted wonders, though geniuses rarely graft wonders onto themselves. To install a wonder, a genius must first construct it. This occurs normally. Then, either the genius or a trusted assistant must install the wonder.

The person performing the installation spends one hour and rolls Inspiration + Intelligence + Medicine + Laboratory Equipment.

If the wonder is a formulation or formula, not a physical wonder, replace Medicine with Academics.

The installer can also rush the job (replacing Intelligence with Wits). The penalty is -2 for a one-minute installation and -4 for a one-turn installation.

''Dramatic Failure:'' The genius dies. The wonder turns orphan and tries to escape.

''Failure:'' The wonder is installed incorrectly. It does not function, and the genius gains one fault.

''Success:'' The wonder is installed correctly

''Exceptional Success:'' The wonder is installed correctly. The genius suffers only a single Health Level of Lethal damage. (See "Recovery," below.)

''Suggested Modifiers:'' Genius engaged in self-installation (-5), genius engaged in self-installation but possesses at least Automata-1 (-2), genius' own beholden performing installation (+1), every grafted or internalized wonder already present (-1)

If a genius is conscious for this procedure (such as engaging in self-installation and not using Automata), all damage received is doubled due to pain and trauma.

=== Removing a Badly Installed Wonder: ====

If the installation roll is a failure, the wonder can be removed. This requires the exact same roll as installing the wonder.

''Dramatic Failure:'' The genius dies. The wonder turns orphan and tries to escape.

''Failure:'' The wonder remains within the genius.

''Success:'' The wonder is removed and the installation can be tried again.

''Exceptional Success:'' The wonder activates as if a Success had been rolled on the original installation roll. The genius suffers only a single Health Level of Lethal damage. (See "Recovery," below.)

==== Recovery: ====

Installing internalized wonders, or attempting to remove a badly installed one, is physically taxing on the genius. Upon the conclusion of the operation, the genius suffers as many levels of Lethal damage as the rank of the wonder. The rest of her Health boxes are filled with Bashing damage. If an Exceptional Success is rolled, she suffers only one Health Level of Lethal damage, but the rest of her boxes still fill with Bashing damage.

==== Orphaned Internalized Wonders: ====

If the internalized wonder is a physical thing within the genius' body, it will attempt to dig its way out of a genius and escape. Every turn, roll a number of dice equal to the wonder's rank. If it fails, the genius suffers one Health Level of Bashing damage. If it succeeds, the wonder rips free (causing ten dice of Lethal damage) and tries to escape. These rules also apply to grafted wonders, except upon tearing free grafted wonders cause one automatic level of Lethal damage per point of Size plus ten dice of Lethal damage.

If the internalized wonder is instead some kind of "formulation" or idea without a physical form, it causes mental instability and confusion. Every scene that the genius possess an orphan wonder of this sort, the genius suffers a -1 penalty to all actions involving Mental Attributes per rank of the wonder.

If a genius should die with a physical internalized or grafted wonder, it will try to free itself in the same way. (Though the genius probably will not care at that point.) Formulations or ideas normally die with their host genius, since they cannot escape.

=== Capacitors: ===

Geniuses often need to store, transfer, and trade raw Mania. Fortunately, Mania can be stored in specially-designed devices called capacitors, which hold the energy for future use.

Any genius can build a capacitor; its construction is not tied to any Axiom. Building a capacitor works much like building a regular wonder. Science is the key Skill used. Like any other wonder, building a capacitor can benefit from beholden, it can be kitbashed, and so on. (See [[#Creating a Wonder]], Page 136.)

Capacitors differ from regular wonders in several ways:
* Capacitors do not require bound Mania.
* Capacitors do not have faults.
* Capacitors suffer Havoc differently from other wonders. A capacitor that suffers Havoc rolls no dice; instead it simply loses a point of Mania for every event that would require a Havoc check.
* Capacitors cannot employ variables.
* Capacitors cannot be orphaned. If a genius dies or abandons the capacitor, it continues to function normally.
* If the roll to build the capacitor is a Dramatic Failure, rather than becoming an orphan, the capacitor explodes. Roll a number of dice of Lethal damage equal to the Generator's maximum held Mania against everyone involved in the capacitor's construction.

A capacitor holds Mania based on its Size.

Max Held Mania Size
3 0
6 1
10 2-3
15 4-5
20 6-11
25 12-29
Indefinite 30+

Moving Mania:
A genius can move Mania into a capacitor as fast as she can normally channel Mania, simply by touching the
capacitor. Getting the energy out again is just as easy: by touching the capacitor, the genius can pull a number
of points of Mania per turn equal to her normal channeling ability, based on Inspiration.
However, drawing Mania from a capacitor can be dangerous. Every scene, a genius can draw a number of
points of Mania from capacitors or other sources equal to her maximum Mania per turn. Beyond that, she
must make an unmada check with a penalty equal to the number of extra Mania points channeled that scene.
(See Unmada, Brilliant Madness, Page 80.)
Types of Capacitors:
Though the term "capacitor" implies that they hold some kind of electrical charge, that is not necessarily the
case. A genius can instead choose to make a codex (made of books and data) with an Academics check, a
compressor (made of wound springs of pneumatics) with a Crafts check, or a catabolizer (made with organic
material) with a Medicine check. A genius can also build a compounder (stored computer data) with a
Computer check―however, since mad science only recently figured out this trick, few geniuses with a
Computer score of less than four dots know how to do it.
Capacitors and Regular Work:
With Automata-1, a capacitor can be used to function like a regular power generator, allowing it to power
regular objects with its Mania automatically. In its capacity as a power generator, Mania provided by a
capacitor provides power for ten times as long as normal. This power source does not risk damage to the
technology. (See Spending Mania, Page 81.)
Encumbrance: An Optional Rule
Wonders are heavy and bulky. If characters attempt to carry an exceptional number of wonders on their
person, the Storyteller may use this rule to limit a genius' carrying capacity.
A person can always wear regular clothes and wear mundane articles (such as sunglasses or headphones)
without difficulty, ignoring their Size. A person can carry a number of Size points worth of other objects
(weapons, tools, armor, wonders, miscellaneous equipment or wearables) equal to her Size without difficulty.
She is considered Unencumbered. Carrying more than one's Size, up to one's Size + Strength, means one is
Encumbered and suffers a -2 penalty to Move. Carrying more than one's Size + Strength, up to one's Size +
Strength + Stamina, means one is Heavily Encumbered and suffers a -1 penalty to all Physical Attributes in
addition to the -2 penalty to Move. Carrying more than one's Size + Strength + Stamina means on is Extremely
Encumbered and suffers a -2 penalty to all Physical Attributes in addition to a -2 penalty to Move.
The maximum amount of stuff someone can carry and still move at all is left to the Storyteller's discretion, but
double one's Size + Strength + Stamina is a good guess. The Storyteller can also adjudicate based on how the
genius intends to carry all his equipment, though for most geniuses, rigging up harnesses and belts is no
problem.
Objects that must be worn to be used, such as goggles and armored suits, should be treated as half their
regular Size when worn.
The Strong Back Merit grants a +2 bonus to the character's effective Size for this purpose.
Encumbrance penalties to Attributes cannot reduce an Attribute below one dot, but they still reduce Speed as
if that Attribute were lower. The chart below lists the total penalties, including penalties to Move based on the
reduction in Physical Attributes.
Stuff Carried Encumbrance Physical Attribute
Penalty Total Move Penalty
Up to Size Unencumbered None None
> Size to Size + Strength Encumbered None -2
> Size + Strength to Size
+ Strength + Stamina Heavily Encumbered -1 -4
> Size + Strength +
Stamina
Extremely
Encumbered -2 -6
Damage and Healing:
A genius is physically human, meaning that the Inspired get injured and recover from injuries much as
humans do, barring the employment of wonders to protect or heal. Since a genius is a living being, she can
also suffer from deprivation, poisoning, and anything else that can affect a regular person.

Geniuses don't have any specific vulnerabilities. However, internalizing faults may produce vulnerabilities to
specific substances, such as lightning or fire, causing attacks from those sources to cause Aggravated damage.
Life Span:
A genius has a normal human life span. The only way to avoid a natural death is through preserving one's
body with Exelixi, creating a clone body with Automata, transferring one's consciousness with Epikrato, or
similar mad science tricks.
Exelixi automatically extends a genius' lifespan by some amount: the genius gains 20 years of additional life
per dot of Exelixi. However, this only delays the inevitable. True immortality requires advanced (and often
unscrupulous) wonder-working.
Aesthetics:
How a wonder looks can be as important to a genius as what it does. This is not just a matter of style or
fashion; a genius' view of the world shapes what he creates, and what he can create. To many geniuses, the
artistry behind their creations is as important as their function.
Of course, some of a genius' aesthetic is just style. The ezine Alloy Blend is a popular online destination for
geniuses interested in the latest mad science fashions (and for completely mundane people who don't realize
how over-their-heads they are), and many smaller circulations exist for different styles and aesthetics.
Popular aesthetics change over time, but to geniuses, these aren't just fashion statements: an aesthetic is
everything a genius wants to be true and real and good about the wonders she creates.
To an unmada, an aesthetic is even more important. It is a picture of their philosophy, of what they think is
true. A medical Etherite who rejects the vulgar fallacies of modern genetic science simply cannot build a
wonder that resembles a modern genetic research lab: if he tried, his Inspiration would leave him.
Mechanically, attempts by an unmada to "disguise" a wonder, to make it resemble someone else's aesthetic or
a different aesthetic entirely, incurs a -1 penalty in the building phase. If the aesthetic fundamentally violates
the genius' approach to Inspiration or wonder-working, the penalty becomes -5 and building the wonder also
requires a dot of Willpower.
Geniuses are welcome to select one of the aesthetics below or to create their own. Some geniuses combine
different styles, while others try to stick with functional creations, and others still are defined more by their
"medium"―something like "sonics" or "mirrors"―than by a formal aesthetic.
Alembic:
Sometimes called Technomancer, this aesthetic replaces the normal trappings of science and technology with
a "magical" look, ranging from traditional alchemical laboratories (hence the term) to glowing "runes of
power." The latter was considered half-baked before it premiered by many older geniuses, though the
traditional "dirty mortar and pestle" look is popular with some Progenitors and Scholastics. Geniuses with a
specific cultural or ethnic identity or a specific interest in ancient cultures focus on specific Alembic styles,
such as Egyptian or ancient Chinese. It is also the most common Oracle aesthetic, alongside Crystal Future.
Some geniuses who favor this style sincerely believe in the unity of science and "magic" (however they define
it); others are playing around with semiotics and what it means to be a wonder-worker.
Black Plastic:
A modern organic style that came about around the same time as Digital Chrome, Black Plastic encourages an
organic look to its technology (even the non-organic stuff), usually casting everything in asymmetric black
rubber that is designed to unsettle viewers. Black Plastic is a perennial favorite, with its popularity oscillating
but remaining fairly constant in the Peerage. Progenitors are very fond of this aesthetic; they often
incorporate insect motifs into their creations. A combination of Black Plastic and Trash Praxis has recently
become popular; its most common nickname is Crawling Rusty Meat.
Brutalist:
An outgrowth of the Functionalist anti-movement of the 70s, which basically said "Stop dressing up your
fucking wonders and just make sure they work," the Brutalist doctrine goes one step further, encouraging a
deliberately functional and inelegant look. Wonders in this school are made from pre-fab parts, if possible,
because that's cheaper, or unpainted (or camouflage) custom parts if necessary. Components look strippeddown,
ugly, and exposed. The Brutalist style is popular with Navigators and some Mechanists, and with many
militaristic and survivalist geniuses. Exposed metal and clashing combinations of alloys and polymers are
common in this style.
Clockwork:
One of the oldest aesthetics that is self-consciously an aesthetic, clockwork is exactly like it sounds: geniuses
who adhere to this style favor mechanical devices if at all possible, using springs and muscles for power and
intricate assemblages of gears for moving parts. For Axioms where this maxim might seem inapplicable, such
as Apokalypsi, Inspired employ clever mirrors and prisms. This aesthetic is of course most popular with
Mechanists, though it is also popular with many older and more traditional Inspired. An older variant, called
Baroque, mixes Clockwork with rococo fashions; it is little-practiced today.
Crystal Future:
"Crystal Future" refers to the images of the future or of "lost" but advanced civilizations popular from the
19th century well into the mid or late 20th. In this Utopian vision, the streets are clean, machinery is powered
by crystals or other nebulous sources, and everyone wears togas and seems very calm all the time. Its
practitioners are an equal mix of sincere devotees and snickering parodists. This aesthetic is still popular in
Lemuria, especially among Oracles, as well as certain Etherites and those Mechanists focused on Apokalypsi
or Katastrofi. Among the Peerage, this aesthetic has a faintly sinister reputation, despite its squeaky-clean
appearance, as many of Lemuria's Secret Masters maintained this style before they were wiped out.
Extropic:
The current "far future" style, with the hard edge of reality coupled with the optimistic vision of a transhuman
future, is termed Extropic. In this aesthetic, the genius focuses on advanced speculative science such as
nanotechnology, gene-line body alteration, and digital consciousness. Extropy is as much a philosophy as an
aesthetic, and the actual appearance of wonders varies, though effort is put into making technology appear
elegant, unobtrusive, and functional. But the core of the Extropic aesthetic is not the appearance, but an
approach to technology that focuses on cutting-edge research and the blurring of the concept of "human."
Macedon:
Another perennial aesthetic, dating back at least to 15th century Italians imagining what Aristotle's wonders
might have looked like, Macedon sees surges in popularity every few decades. The current return to the
spotlight is probably the fault of "Greek-punk" movies and video games, just as the previous jump began
during Hollywood's Golden Age of sword-and-sandal flicks. The Macedon aesthetic uses as its starting-point
the steam-powered machines of Hero of Alexandria. Stylistic elements include the use of bronze instead of
more advanced metals, Hellenic friezes, and intricate mirrors to engage in long-distance communication and
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attack. Variant styles, based on the ancient bronze-steam-and-glass wonders of Persia, Egypt, and India have
also seen intermittent popularity; these styles are distinguished from their Alembic equivalents by being
more explicitly technological, often sporting exposed Antikythera-style clockwork.
Digital Chrome:
"Cyberpunk" stylings are called Digital Chrome by mad scientists. Typical affectations include heavy chrome
or plastic cybernetics, thick plugs bolted into flesh, and chunky, bulky communication devices, coupled with
bright colors, neon, and vinyl. Digital Chrome was the look back in the 80s, though it has since declined in
popularity. It now sits between modern and properly retro, and has few new adherents, though geniuses who
catalyzed in the midst of that era (now in middle age) still sport the look. The colonization of the Grid may see
a resurrection of the style.
Oscilloscope:
A popular style during the "golden age of science fiction" and a little bit beyond―from the late 40s to the late
70s―"Oscilloscope" was the first aesthetic that actually received a name, rather than "that style that the
geniuses in California are into now" or whatever. Oscilloscope style focuses on plastic, aluminum, chrome,
atomic power, jets, and radio technology. Expect big computers, angular machinery in that off-beige "old PC"
color, and track suits. It is deeply uncool among modern geniuses, and practically marks one as an Atomist, for
whom the Jet Age and Space Age dreams have yet to die. A few young geniuses have begun wearing this style
ironically, or mixing it with Extropic, but the Oscilloscope aesthetic is still associated with earlier generations.
Home Grown:
While this aesthetic got its start among underwater-themed geniuses, it has spread onto land with the rise of
modern biotechnology. The Home Grown look features organic components, subtle curves, and
bioluminescent illumination, giving it a warmer and more humane appearance than Black Plastic. It is popular
among ecologically-minded geniuses in the Peerage as well as some Oracles, and is well-regarded among
geniuses for whom the biological sciences are of primary interest. Experiments with overlapping Home
Grown and Alembic led to a short-lived fad that is now referred to (contemptuously) as Fairy Princess.
Pod People:
This term was originally an insult, though many of its practitioners have co-opted the term as their own. Pod
People aesthetic includes a sleek, refined look, usually in all-white or some other solid color, with rounded
edges, a "finished" appearance (in contrast to the rough appearance of many wonders), and a user-friendly
interface with as few buttons, gadgets, and doo-dads as possible. (A one-panel comic in Alloy Blend shows the
standard Pod People ray gun: a smooth-cornered hand-held white rectangle with a single black button
labeled "Kill.") This aesthetic also favors small, elegant devices, and practitioners often try to make handheld
wonders as small and unobtrusive as possible. Pod People aesthetic is sometimes held in low regard,
especially by Steampunks and Functionals; its adherents are thought to spend too much time polishing their
devices to look pretty, and not enough time working out the bugs. The style is most popular among Directors
and some Progenitors; it is extremely rare in Lemuria.
Ray Gun:
The most common term for the "retro-future" look that dominated mad science (and some sane science) from
the 1930s to the 1950s. Common elements of Ray Gun styling include fins and "fiddly bits" on Skafoi devices,
Jacob's ladders, big cylindrical robots, and a focus on electricity and chemistry. (Chrome and atomic power
are generally considered late Ray Gun or Oscilloscope) Ray gun fashions are, of course, huge among Etherites,
though it also has many adherents among Directors, who favor the classic image of power and confidence it
299
provides. Googie is a sort of West Coast "beachfront" ray gun style in pastel colors and eye-assaulting fonts;
Raygun Gothic mixes the classic Ray Gun look with baroque spires and exposed metal.

Steampunk:
If Oscilloscope is not quite retro and Digital Chrome is just past its sell-by date, Steampunk is the current toocool-for-school
"big thing." All the kids are doing it: brass goggles, clanking mechanical servants, radium guns,
and rivet-covered work uniforms are currently all the rage among the postgrads. (The Martian Empire is
confused, but happy, that they are now "totally hip"). Steampunk is deliberately retro and it reflects a past
that never was: even the geniuses who lived in the Victorian era dressed practically or in traditional fashion,
rather than the "brass rivet" look, and many wonders from that era actually affected a Baroque look (which
was, in its own time, deliberately retro and reflecting a 17th century aesthetic that also never existed).
Steampunk aesthetic is popular in the Peerage, particular among Scholastics. In Lemuria, it has begun to
eclipse Ray Gun styles for Etherites.
Trash Praxis:
First appearing in the 80s, Trash Praxis (named after the now-defunct magazine of the same name) is the
name for a style based on scavenging whatever one can in order to build one's wonders. Trash Praxis is
popular among geniuses in impoverished nations (though they aren't making a damn fashion statement) and
with the poor, the disaffected, and the self-styled punks of the modern world. The Dumpster Diver Merit is
nearly a prerequisite for this aesthetic. It is rare in Lemuria, but many Artificers and no-nonsense Navigators
like the brutal effect of a wonder built out of trash and discarded normal machinery.
Universal:
Named for the movie studio, not any sense of universal style, this aesthetic dates from an era before geniuses
thought much about "aesthetics" and just used what was at hand. In fact, it was nearly the last such style
before the 20th century ushered in a new sort of self-awareness among the Inspired. Resembling
Frankenstein's laboratory from the movies (hence the name), this bubbling, crackling, cluttered look was
common in the 19th and early 20th centuries, especially among remote geniuses who were forced to use and
re-use specimens. An elegant aesthetic for a more civilized age, Universal has mostly been usurped by
Steampunk, Alembic, and other deliberately "retro" stylings on one side, and more modern functional
aesthetics like Oscilloscope or Brutalist on the other. Nonetheless, it was so common in Europe and America
for so long that old labs (some labs have been in continuous use for centuries) still feature the stitched
homunculi, sizzling Jacob's ladders, and stained beakers that came to symbolize "mad science" in the minds of
a century of movie-goers.
Time Travel:
...is almost always a bad idea. But that hasn't stopped many masters of Skafoi from building time machines.
And time travel is possible. It's not even all that difficult for a powerful genius, but it is phenomenally
dangerous.
Now, we're all grownups here and we all know what time travel is and what it does, but the question is, what
happens when I screw with the past?
What used to happen (and here the past tense gets in a bit of trouble), is that you got your ass kicked by the
transsapient gods who lived at the end of time. The Terminals, as they were called, didn't like any timetraveling
blunderers whose actions might have prevented them from existing.
They were right to worry, because apparently someone annihilated them from the timeline. Now it's a kind of
temporal free-for-all, with mad scientists and arch-magicians and alien psychics from the black hole in the
center of the Galaxy all running about history, mucking things up. However, this did not (and again, the past
tense would like to apologize) last long. A détente settled into place, agreed to by various powerful factions
and enforced by a group calling itself the Guardians of Forever, the Terminals' former servants. This
group―not a fellowship, as it includes much more than just mad scientists―allows others to "blow off steam"
by permitting minor changes to the timeline: a murdered wife rescued here, a genius' wretched younger
brother striking it rich there. The idea is that the relentless enforcement of absolute causal stasis is what
eventually forced the rebellion against the Terminals that resulted in their destruction.
Nonetheless, the Guardians of Forever enforce the unfolding of the grand sweep of history: the dinosaurs
must perish, whether by an asteroid or a plague or a volcanic apocalypse. Rome will fall, as will the Spanish
Empire and the Eternal Terran Dynasty of Yao Ming. The Guardians' solution is simple and expedient:
whenever a major shake-up occurs, they travel back in time to shortly after the event (or sometimes during, if
they cannot fix the problem afterward) and juggle events around so things unfold as they always have. When
a furious genius went back in time and killed Helmut Schenk, the cruelest genocidal mastermind of the 20th
century, as a child, the Guardians of Forever went back and elevated the art student Adolf Hitler to that same
role.
It's not like they enjoy doing that. In fact, the genius who made the above "swap" committed suicide a week
later. But the Guardians have discovered that the Terminals were not acting entirely out of self-interest: the
timeline that leads to the Terminals' existence, despite its horrors, produces a universe of boundless life and
richness. It may be the best of all possible timelines.
However, there appears to be no going back to the way things were: the future is unstable, with constant
subtle shifts producing enormous effects, despite the best efforts of the Guardians, and scholars of time fear
that things will grow worse, as the eagerness of explorers to travel back in time outstrips the resources of
those determined to maintain the timeline. Even with an agent placed (it sometimes seems) once every ten
years, the Guardians of Forever are losing control of the universe.
So, can you travel back in time and kill Hitler? Yes. He's been killed six times: the Guardians gave up finding
new candidates and have just started cloning him. (There's a facility outside Hamburg in 1921, actually. Feel
free to drop by. They give tours.) Can you go back in time and ask out that pretty girl? Yes, and when you
come back to the present, you might be married to her. However, make sure that you come back to exactly the
point where you left, or you'll find that the other you is married to her. And of course, even if you merge back
perfectly, you won't have the set of memories from the timeline.
You can travel backwards in time, but you better have a good reason and/or take excellent care of the local
causality, or there's a good chance that a very angry Guardian will show up, while you're there or when you
get back, explaining to you what she will do to you the next time you go to "show the kids some dinosaurs"
and accidentally step on a bug.
Fortunately for minor blunders, though, time is pretty stable. The Terminals appeared to have created much
of our current timeline as a kind of "causality trench," and screwing things up requires a lot of effort.
You can go forward in time, too, but that's the least stable of all, and for a very good reason: the moment you
travel forward in time, you disappear from the timeline, and the future where you emerge is one where you
ceased to exist. Since you're a genius, and you probably changed the world in some important, if small way,
you cannot travel to your own future, since you won't have been there.
And yes, if you kill your own grandmother before your father is born, you will cease to exist. The universe, it
turns out, doesn't care that much if your grandmother gets shot in the head and there's no shooter. You still
go poof. Ditto if you bring your past self into the future. (If your past self is in the future, he can't become your
present self, now can he?) Ditto if you kill your past self, or your presence gets him killed.
Other than that, though, you won't suffer too many directly dangerous effects from journeying in the past:
your memories won't be overwritten, and you won't simply "pop" out of existence―there seems to be some
kind of system in place that makes it very unlikely for the beating of the chaos butterfly's wings to knock a
genius out of existence, unless you accidentally kill off the entire human race or something.
The Cost of Making Changes:
"The gods had given me almost everything. I had genius, a distinguished name, high social position, brilliancy,
intellectual daring; I made art a philosophy, and philosophy an art: I altered the minds of men and the colour of
things: there was nothing I said or did that did not make people wonder." -Oscar Wilde, De Profundis
Whether it was the work of the Terminals in creating a "causality trench," as many temporal scholars say, or
whether time is just naturally inelastic and inertial, causing changes is exhausting. To cause a change, a genius
must "fuel" it with his own Inspiration.
Making most minor changes that affect a single person (rescuing your grandfather, fixing your friend up with
that pretty blond) costs one point of Willpower and ten points of Mania. If the subject to be manipulated is
metanormal in any way, it costs one point of Willpower, as well as ten points of Mania per dot of the relevant
Metanormal Advantage.
More significant changes, from "family line" up to "village" requires an expenditure of one dot of Willpower,
and ten points of Mania. If anyone in the affected area is metanormal, this costs ten points of Mania per dot of
Metanormal Advantage of the creature with the highest Advantage, plus 20 points of Mania and a Willpower
dot.
"Village" or "off-world colony" is about as large an area as the Guardians of Forever will tolerate before they
go back and fix things (and possibly kick your ass). Sometimes exceptions are made if the area has no longterm
viability (if you want to transport a whole doomed planet into the past, the Guardians won't care if the
planet burns up in the supernova or disappears five minutes beforehand, as long as the survivors don't affect
the timeline as they live out their lives). If permitted, these larger changes, up to redirecting the timeline of a
whole world, cost one dot of Inspiration, one dot of Willpower, and 100 points of Mania.
.
Failure to pay this cost to the timeline in short order will result in the regular timeline reasserting itself:
"rescued" people get killed off, relationships that the genius built that weren't there to begin with fall apart,
and generally things slide back to the way they were.
Alternatively, sometimes Guardians will crawl all over a site because of minor changes that might "jump the
trench" and produce significant future deviations. What triggers a butterfly effect in the timeline is never
clear, but occasionally a seemingly minor change will result in a lot of pissed Guardians popping out of the
temporal stream to stop a genius' plan.
The Temporal Tithe:
Maintaining the timeline costs money, and this comes in the form of the tithe for any change. This temporal
tithe is distinct from the cost paid to make changes; the former arises naturally from the nature of time and
time travel; the latter is a tax leveled by one's fellow beings. Geniuses who make changes will be visited by
one or more Guardians shortly after their change, who expect payment in the form of Mania. This is usually
ten times the amount the genius had to expend to make the actual change. The Guardians of Forever are in no
rush to receive payment, but refusal to pay can result in the Guardians going back and changing things or just
killing the offending genius. Picking a fight with a Guardian of Forever is usually a bad idea: they're
frighteningly powerful, and if there's trouble, they travel in groups.
However, it's becoming increasingly clear that not all Guardians of Forever are honest, and not all who claim
that title are who they say they are. Temporal protection rackets, con jobs, and shakedowns have been
reported "recently" all over the timeline. The Guardians seem to be losing their grip on their owner members,
as well as the timeline as a whole.
Really Stupid Time Travel:
Messing about with yourself from a previous time travel jaunt is about the stupidest thing you can do without
a death ray and a bottle of tequila. Whatever quantum coherence you naturally maintain is enough to keep
you in existence while you're operating in the same time frame as a previous jaunt, but it doesn't feel good.
While in any past time frame you function much like a mane, and can go up in a puff of Havoc if not careful.
In ordinary past or future time frames, this isn't a danger. However, when in a previously visited past time
frame, the danger is there. Merely being in that time frame causes you to suffer from a severe Derangement as
your memories get overwritten and scrambled. You must make a Havoc check (using your Inspiration as a
dice pool) if you directly interact with your past echo in any way, or if your past echo sees or otherwise
clearly detects you.
This experience is worse than mere physical discomfort. Interacting with your previous time-traveling self is
a hideously traumatic experience, as memories and ghost-thoughts tumble through your head, trying to sort
themselves out. Even the maddest scientist knows not to interact with his previous time-traveling self, even if
interacting with his younger self is perfectly fine.

----


<code>
Gabriel and Immanuel--Doctor Xenon and Professor Nebula, thirty years ago, though they're retired now, even if their metal suits are still in the basement--look out on the cityscape of Madrid, their adopted home. Gabriel has a bottle of beer in his hand. Immanuel cradles the love letters of Dr. Cadiz, which he never sent to Alice. (They are both dead now.) They watch a humanoid silhouette bound across the rooftops, black against the indigo sky.

"What's his name?" Gabriel asks.

"I think that's the Hunter for Nalexa," Immanuel says. "They have better names, now, don't you think? So evocative."

"I've heard of him."

"Mm?"

"Every time he stops a crime, he whispers to the perpetrator, 'For Lee-Chey,' and to the victim he saved, 'I'll make it better soon.'"

"Sounds crazy." Immanuel clutches the letters, old emotion striking him. "Who's Lee-Chey? A girl?"

"It took me a year to work it out," Gabriel says. "No. It's a timeline."

"Really?"

"Really. Lee-Chey is some city, or empire, currently in Asia Minor.

In some other timeline, obviously. The Hunter for Nalexa ('Nalexa' is another city, I think, or maybe a political party) wants to restore it."

"And he thinks fighting crime will do it?"

"I guess so." Gabriel sips his beer.

"They'll kill him if he tries to change the timeline," Immanuel says.

"I know," Gabriel says. "But until then..."

"Until then..."

They watch the figure as he traverses the rooftops of Madrid, black against the indigo sky.
</code>

==[[Genius_The_Transgression/Chapter Three: Systems and Foundations|previous]]==