MUY BAJA (GNEAUPP, 2006) 16

RESOURCES

The Office Movers and Supply Depot have the standard array of tricks and magic available to them that any ring does, but a few patterns and commonalities stand out. All of the characters have some facility in Stealth, which will be useful for infiltration. Duncan (who, remember, isn’t entirely on board with this plan but doesn’t want to lose his ring) is especially skilled at infiltrating organi- zations and Infrastructure while remaining visible, using Embeds like Authorized. He also knows the Behind the Curtain Exploit, but he keeps that card hidden for the moment. Dorothy has a knack of knowing how to destroy buildings and machinery quickly (the Shatter Embed, the Demolisher Merit, and high ratings in Crafts and Science). Terri shares some of this destructive affinity and also knows the Raze Infrastructure Exploit. The group jokes that their Agency guarantees “complete Infrastructure destruction, even if it’s not a good idea.” Finally, Paul’s abilities run more toward investigative and protective activities, but that just means he’s more useful as backup and preparation.

The characters think their biggest “hole,” at the moment is that they don’t have anyone especially skilled at Infrastructure analysis. Of course, given that analyzing Infrastructure can rely on virtually any Skill, it’s difficult to have one expert in this area. They decide to soldier on with the plan and hope that any further deficiencies will become obvious before someone gets killed.

Of course, that assumes that the characters are up front with one another about their capabilities. A demon might know the Ephemeral Cover Exploit (p. 164 of Demon: The

Descent), but is she willing to reveal that to the other charac-

ters? What if she plans to use that Exploit in her own Descent in a manner contrary to the Agency’s mission? The players should remember, during this stage, that while they might know what’s on the other players’ sheets, the characters don’t necessarily know what the other demons can do.

In looking over their strengths, the demons might also become aware of their shortfalls (which is different from a story-related problem for the Agency, discussed anon). The

characters might want to provide safe houses for newly Fallen demons, but lack the money to purchase or rent suitable prop- erties. This means that the characters either need to find a way to develop these funds, gain access to the real estate without paying for it, or recruit other demons.

Recruitment is a must if the Agency is ever to grow beyond a single, ambitious ring, anyway, so how will they approach it? Is the original ring a kind of “inner circle,” the de facto lead- ership of the Agency? Or is the leader the leader, and anyone other than her simply a cog in the machine, so to speak? The players might consider these questions during the planning stages, or they might enjoy the conflict that comes with “oh, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

who’s

in CharGe

Demons don’t often trust each other. How could they? Every demon is a perfect liar on the run for a merciless god, so how could a demon trust anyone in the same situation? It’s possible that emotional bounds and experiences could ce- ment true friendships and trust in a ring of demons, but that takes time and a leap of faith.

Leadership, then, rarely has to do with who the ring has the most faith in. Generally, it’s the one best suited to lead in

a given situation. This works fine for a ring, but for an Agency managing multiple rings, the buck has to stop somewhere.

The leader of an Agency is often the demon that wants to take on the job. As with any leadership position, running an Agency is a lot of work and the rewards aren’t often commen- surate. How a demon becomes the leader often reflects that demon’s Agenda more than anything else.

An Inquisitor leader often takes the position because she wants ultimate control, or at least first look at the information that the Agency handles. Any group of demons eventually handles data in one form or another, and the leader of such an Agency stands the chance to gain leverage and secrets over a large number of Unchained (plus any human beings, stig- matics, angels, or other supernatural beings that the Agency deals with).

An Integrator leader is something of a rarity — when the boss’ stated goal is utterly contrary to most of his underlings’, some fric- tion is bound to result. Obviously, an Integrator can get around this by pretending to follow a different Agenda. But assuming the Turncoat is “out” about his affiliations, such demons tend to lead Agencies that deal with angels directly. No one understands an angel like an Integrator, after all. The leader probably has to work harder to prove himself, but if he can become an estab- lished fixture in the Agency, then after a while everyone becomes

EXAMPLE: