Mortals
In Persistence, Lies Strength
Humanity may not be the oldest of the world's peoples, but they are its most stubbornly persistent. They survived the War of Ruination, the collapse of the old world's systems, the darkness that followed. Humans are the majority of Basilica Purgatory — they run the city, staff its institutions, and outnumber every supernatural type combined. Playing a human means playing someone with enormous social leverage and zero supernatural protection, which makes every choice count.
What Mundane Humans Know
- Magic and supernatural forces exist — but only outside the walls. That's what they've been told, and what the Consensus reinforces.
- Sorcerers are licensed practitioners whose magic comes from controlled, component-based practice. They're regulated and socially accepted.
- Psychics are viewed with deep suspicion — seen as remnants of the reckless practitioners who caused the Sundering.
- The Basilica is safe. The outside is not. These are presented as facts rather than the careful fiction they partially are.
Playing a Mundane Human who discovers the supernatural truth is one of the most dramatically compelling arcs available in RbN. Discuss with your Storyteller if this is a direction your character might move toward during play.
The Six Professions
| Profession | Access |
|---|---|
| Enforcer | City watch, security contractors, and muscle. Weapons, restricted areas, law enforcement networks. |
| Broker | Merchants and fixers. Controls goods, black market connections, and the Meridian Exchange network. |
| Physician | Doctors and apothecaries. Healing expertise, pharmaceuticals, medical facilities — the one person every supernatural quietly needs. |
| Archivist | Historians and scribes. Pre-End records, Basilica infrastructure knowledge, information networks. |
| Shepherd | Community leaders, priests, counselors. Social influence, moral authority, the ear of the people. |
| Ghostwright | Hackers and cyber-tinkerers. Salvaged tech, jury-rigged implants, fragments of abandoned God-Machine infrastructure. |
Universal Starting Stats
| Profession Points | 5 at creation — spent on Profession-specific resources, separate from Freebie Points |
| Starting Background | 5 dots plus 1 free Profession Background dot |
| Willpower | 3 at creation for all Mundane Humans |
| Humanity | Equal to Conscience + Self-Control at creation — Humans begin at the top of their Humanity track |
Half-Damned
Humans with one foot in the supernatural world. See the full Half-Damned page for Kinfolk, Ghoul, Projector, and Dhampir.
See also: Half-Damned · Character Creation Guide