Lines exist to be crossed. The Ship of Theseus sails across thresholds not with wild abandon, but with calculated purpose. The discovery of new states of being and new reaches of reality open up the possibilities for future adaptation. The Theseans have learned how to grab a handhold in the fabric of the world so they can haul themselves over its boundaries; they’ve garnered the knack of shoving their fingers into the cracks and hauling those breaches open into yawning gulfs.
There’s a danger in playing trailblazer, of course. The unwary Thesean might end up trapped on the wrong side of a gulf that she can’t step back over easily. A dangerous entity might well lure a pursuer into a trap that is hidden from view by the barrier between worlds. There’s always a path back, but it can be hard to find, and many of the strange membranes of existence into which a Thesean might stride can be decidedly inhospitable. Still, a little risk never held the Ship of Theseus back.
A werewolf sinks her claws into the frayed air that marks where a spirit pushed through the Gauntlet, tearing her own path in its wake. A demon calculates the ludicrous equations that will give it a passcode to pry an Avernian gateway open. A hunter holds a swirling portal of light and fire open through his sheer force of determination.
System: A Thesean can use this vector to use an existing or recent passage into another state of existence, whether an entirely different realm, a particular frequency of Twilight, or even a tear in the fabric of Time. For existing gateways and apertures, such as an Avernian gate or a locus, the Thesean must be in the gateway’s presence and can trigger its opening as if they had any key or prerequisite that may be required, allowing them to pass through it. If the gate would normally then remain open for other characters to pass through, it will fulfill this function.
A Thesean can also use this vector to follow the trail of another character who has transitioned out of reality, such as a ghost shifting into Twilight, a spirit using Gauntlet Breach, or an Awakened teleporting to another location. This must be performed within three turns of the transition, and if successful, the Thesean follows the target into their new state or location.
Breach does not grant the Thesean the senses to detect gateways in the first place; they must identify the location of one through observation, luck, or other supernatural powers.
If the Thesean has entered another layer of reality, Twilight frequency, or other realm, then after 24 hours, they will be able to find their way back to the normal world through a fracture, gate, or verge.
Cost: 1 Willpower
Requirement: An existing gateway, or a character transitioning out of reality within the last three turns.
Dice Pool: Wits + Survival
Action: Instant
Edges
Beasts, Mages: Some of the Sworn are already at ease bestriding the many membranes of existence, familiar with the passages that worm their way between each layer of reality. Characters with this edge can Breach in pursuit of another being within five turns, rather than three.
Changelings, Sin-Eaters, Werewolves: Changelings, Sin-Eaters, and werewolves are intimately familiar with particular domains that abut onto the world, and their instincts are well-honed for dancing across such thresholds. Theseans with this edge can trigger the Breach vector as a reflexive action.
Demons, Hunters: It’s not always about chasing the target through an open door; sometimes it’s better to jam the damn thing shut in the first place. A Thesean with this edge can use it to slow down a transition attempt or opening of a gateway, adding 1 turn to the amount of time the target takes to move into their new state.
Mummies, Prometheans, Vampires: For those firmly anchored in the living — or dead — substance of the world, it’s easy to find a way back. Indeed, the difficulty is in remaining within alien realms so thoroughly at odds with the Thesean’s very being. A character with this edge always finds their way back to the world within one hour.
Deviants: The burning drive of a Deviant’s conviction pushes them after their enemies like an unstoppable loco- motive, something as trivial as the mere barrier between worlds barely slowing them. A character with this edge can repeatedly Breach after a target that continues to transition between states of existence within the same scene without paying any further Willpower costs. For example, the Deviant might enter Twilight in pursuit of a spirit, then chase it across the Gauntlet into the Shadow, then back across the Gauntlet into the real world again, paying only a single Willpower point for the first Breach.
Specializations
Iron Masters: The eminently practical werewolves of the Iron Masters have turned the occult secrets of the Ship of Theseus back toward known shores. Instead of distant and alien lands, they’re finding routes through the seemingly familiar and mundane, breaching the barriers of society as well as those of reality. An Iron Master Thesean can use Breach to follow a target across a social boundary without triggering immediate concern or alarm; the werewolf might pursue the prey into the VIP area of the club without the bouncers taking note or nip through an electronically locked gate in the wake of an employee without anyone raising an eyebrow. Using Breach in this way has the same three-turn time limit as the vector’s normal use, and once through, it’s up to the Thesean to handle any challenges they meet within.
Galateids: On one hand inhumanly beautiful, on the other creatures of nightmare, Galateid Created already exist in two worlds or more. Sometimes created for pleasure and sometimes as killing machines, these Prometheans can shift purpose more easily than most. When using this vector, a Galateid may shift to a new basic Refinement.