Geist: The Sin-Eaters is a tabletop roleplaying game and setting for White Wolf Game Studio's Chronicles of Darkness line released in August 2009. In the setting, a Geist is a spirit bound to a once-dead human resulting in a Sin-Eater.
Overview
Premise A Geist is a kind of spirit that was once a ghost but has given up their mortal identity. Instead they have become an embodiment of the ideas and imagery of their own deaths.
Players portray Sin Eaters who have died and returned to the world of the living. Unlike vampires, however, Sin Eaters (also called the Bound) are not undead, but rather living beings bound to fundamental forces of death. Upon the first death, every Sin Eater is approached by a Geist, an embodiment of an aspect or personification of death. In exchange for being returned to life, Sin Eaters allow the Geist to accompany them, effectively merging into each other in a symbiotic relation with the "human" in control. Upon this return to life, the Bound discover that they can see and interact with the restless shades of the dead, and must choose what to do with their second chance at life. In all instances, Sin Eaters are forced to deal with the dead, whether through altruism, greed, or just the plain fact that the dead will not leave them alone.
Thresholds Every Sin Eater has a Threshold, relating to the way in which they died. Thresholds can be somewhat fluid, depending on what aspect of death the Sin Eater-to-be focused on at the moment of death. For example, someone who drowns could be either one of the Prey, who are killed by nature, or one of the Silent, who die from deprivation (a lack of oxygen), or even one of the Torn, if they are held under water. There are five Thresholds.
The Torn: The Torn are called the Bleeding Ones, and the victims of Malice, and they are those who die from violence. Their patron is the Red Horseman, and they are those who are killed by murder or violent means, such as stabbing, shooting, or particularly traumatic and damaging deaths. The Torn often attract angry and vengeful Geists, and they have an affinity for Stigmata and Passion powers. The Silent: The Silent are called the Starving Ones, and the victims of Neglect, and they die from deprivation, such as suffocation, starvation, and heartbreak. Their patron is the Black Horseman, and they attract hungry and needy geists. They have an affinity for the powers of the Cold Wind and Stillness. The Prey: The Prey are the Eaten and the Drowned, and the victims of the Elements. They are those taken by the wild, from exposure, animal attacks, and drowning. Their patron is the Pale Horseman, and of all the Sin Eaters, their geists are the most elemental and inhuman. They have an affinity for Primeval and Grave-Dirt powers. The Stricken: The Stricken are called the Ravaged Ones, and the victims of Plague. They are those who died of disease, illness, or poison. Their patron is the White Horseman, and in defiance of their demise they become very hardy in nature, seeking out challenges to beat. The mementos of this threshold feel unclean or disease ridden. They are affiliated with the powers of the Phantasmal and Tear-Stained Keys. The Forgotten: The Forgotten are called the Lightning-Struck, and the victims of Misfortune. They are victims of random chance. Their patron is the Gray Horseman, and they often see the world as random and tend to gamble more because of that. Their mementos feel as if they could kill by accident at any given moment. They possess the powers of the Industrial and Pyre-Flame Keys.
Archetypes A sin-eater's archetype refers to their personal views on what has happened to them and how they are going to deal with it.
Advocate: Advocates are sin-eaters who dedicate their second lives to helping the dead, either out of a sense of obligation or because it will make their dealings with the dead easier. Bonepicker: Bonepickers focus on the material comforts they can gain with their powers, and keep good track of what they're owed by whom. Celebrant: Celebrants embrace their second life and everything that it has to give, typically as adrenaline junkies or pleasure seekers. Gatekeeper: Gatekeepers believe it is their duty to police the boundaries between life and death, standing against ghosts who meddle with the living and the living who meddle with the dead. Mourner: Mourners are obsessed with the fact that they died, and they feed off the emotions of those who are in mourning. Some believe they are still dead. Necromancer: Necromancers use ghosts and sometimes trips into the Underworld to gain occult lore and knowledge of the past. Pilgrim: Pilgrims focus on the spiritual side of death, and try to help people avoid the Underworld by destroying the connections that could form anchors. Reaper: Reapers try to make the world a better place, either by murdering the guilty or haunting them until they change their ways.
Mechanics
Powerstat: "Psyche"
Psyche is the power trait of this venue, and it is a measure of the combined will of the sin-eater and their geist, and the strength of the bond between them. As with other power traits, it can be added to contested rolls against supernatural powers. Psyche is increased by constant work with the dead, resolving fetters, and traveling to the Underworld. High psyche sin-eaters require anchors to tie them into the mortal world, and regular visits to the Underworld to maintain their connection to the dead.
Energy: "Plasm"
Plasm is what sin-eaters use to fuel their powers. It can be collected at Haunts, cenotes ("low places" with a connection to death, such as a graveyard), and Avernian Gates. It can also be gained by eating the corpus of a ghost, but few sin-eaters will ever resort to this. Death masks are a type of memento that naturally collects Plasm, and wearing one allows the sin-eater to access that plasm. Acting in resonance with one's threshold to the point of jeopardizing one's health or synergy can generate plasm. Finally, releasing a ghost from its anchors and helping it move on will completely refill a sin-eater's plasm bank. The amount of Plasm a sin-eater can hold and spend in a turn is determined by their Psyche rating.
Morality: "Synergy"
Synergy takes the place of morality for the sin-eater, and measures how well a sin-eater and geist work together. The higher the synergy, the more united the two are in pursuing a goal. This is not always a good thing, as geists don't usually care about right and wrong, so acting in accordance with their wishes may be harmful. In this way, a sin-eater could be a serial killer and still have high synergy. Synergy goes down when a sin-eater causes discord with their geist.
Powers: "Keys"
Keys are what a sin-eater uses to "unlock" a manifestation. The type of key used determines how the manifestation works. Two sin-eaters using the same manifestation but different keys will have different results. Each key has an associated skill for making activation rolls, though the skill may change depending on which manifestation is used. A sin-eater starts with two keys, one of which must be associated their threshold, and both of which must reflect their death or their geist in some way. More keys may be purchased later with experience points.
Elemental keys; Associated Skill: Occult. Each elemental key is a separate key that must be purchased alone. Each one is associated with an element combined with death and decay. They are the Cold Wind key, the Grave-dirt key, the Pyre Flame key, and the Tear-stained key. In general, each key can only be used in an elemental environment favorable to it, while using it in an opposing elemental environment is difficult. The Industrial Key; Associated Skill: Crafts (Except for use with Oracle manifestation, when it is Investigation). This key grants influence and control over technology and machinery. However, technology that is too new is difficult to influence. This key works best on older or archaic technology. The Passion Key; Associated Skill: Empathy (Except when used with Rage manifestation, when it is Intimidation). This key has to do with the influencing, shaping, and control of emotions of people, places or things. Use of this key can, as a side effect, alter the sin-eater's own emotions. The Phantasmal Key; Associated Skill: Persuasion (Intimidation when used with Rage, Investigation when used with Oracle). This key lets the sin-eater create illusions. At higher manifestations, they can drive a man mad or kill with it. The side effect of this key is that sin-eater will also experience fleeting hallucinations. The Primeval Key; Associated Skill: Animal Ken (Survival when used with Oracle). This key allows a sin-eater to influence or control plants and animals. It also grants control over certain fertility rites and allows the sin-eater to take on animal traits. It causes the sin-eater to become more feral, though they do not lose their ability to think. The Stigmata Key; Associated Skill: Occult (Medicine when used with Curse). This key allows the sin-eater to influence or control ghosts or spirits through the use of blood and sacrifice. A sin-eater using this key may choose to take bashing instead of spending plasm, or lethal instead of spending willpower. The damage must be deliberately caused by the sin-eater for this purpose. The Stillness Key; Associated Skill: Stealth (Subterfuge in Boneyard, Occult with Marionette, Investigation with Oracle). This key helps the sin-eater in matters of stealth and subterfuge. This key works best when the sin-eater remains still and silent. Most who use this key will even avoid speaking to friends while it's active. The Stygian Key; Associated Skill: Medicine. This key give the sin-eater influence or control over death, decay and rot. This key requires that a sacrifice be made before unlocking any manifestation, and can only be learned from a Kerberos after crossing three rivers and drinking from each.
Powers: "Manifestations"
A sin-eater is able to access their geist's power through manifestations. They are rated 1-5. Each manifestation is associated with a specific attribute. The properties of the manifestation are determined by the key used. The roll to activate is (associated attribute)+(associated skill)+(manifestation rating). Unless otherwise stated, the manifestation lasts for a scene.
Boneyard; Attribute: Wits. By bleeding plasm into the ground, the sin-eater is granted influence over a large area. The sin-eater's body must remain in a trance-like state while this manifestation is active. While active, a sin-eater can sense any person or thing they wish to find if it is within the boneyard, and affect it with other manifestations. (Note: The Rage manifestation cannot be used in this way.) Caul; Attribute: Stamina. The sin-eater allows the geist to merge with their physical body, changing it in a way defined by the Key used to unlock it. All forms of the Caul affect the sin-eater directly, rather than anyone around the sin-eater. The manifestation lasts till the end of the scene, or until the sin-eater dismisses it. Curse; Attribute: Presence. This manifestation places a hex on another person, which is carried out by the geist. Typically, only the area around the cursed person is affected, rather than affecting the person directly. The length of the curse is determined by the activation successes. A condition may be placed on the curse's activation, and the cursed person gets an automatic resistance roll. Marionette; Attribute: Manipulation. The sin-eater can control people, animals, or objects. The victim retains free will, but cannot control their actions. The nature of the control depends on what key is used. Control typically ends when line of sight is broken, unless used with oracle or boneyard.