Monsterhearts 2 Skin - The Infernal v0.5

At first, it seemed innocent. It gave you things, made you feel good about yourself. You came to it with your problems, and it fixed them. When you asked how you could return the favour, it told you to be patient - that all debts would be settled in due time. That was the first time you heard it mention debts.

You’ve got Satan as your cornerman, or a demon in your brain. Or maybe the stars glow just for you. Regardless, you owe a debt to something much bigger and scarier than you’ll ever be.

Identity

Your Backstory

You owe debts. Give away 3 Strings, divided any way you like between the Dark Power and the other characters.

Darkest Self

You find yourself shivering, needy, and alone. The Dark Power will make some daunting, open-ended demands. Every demand fulfilled brings you closer to feeling whole again, and removes one of the Dark Power’s Strings on you. You escape your Darkest Self when the Dark Power is out of Strings, or you make a bargain with an even more dangerous entity.

Harm

Conditions

Stats

Choose one stat set
Hot -1 Cold -1 Volatile 2 Dark 1, OR
Hot 1 Cold -1 Volatile -1 Dark 2

Infernal Moves

You get Soul Debt, and choose one more:

Soul Debt: You owe a debt to a Dark Power. Name it, and choose two Bargains it has made with you.

The Dark Power can gain Strings. If ever it has 5 Strings on you, trigger your Darkest Self.

Dark Recruiter: When you bring an innocent soul to the Dark Power, mark experience.

Under Pressure: If someone has 3 or more Strings on you, add 1 to your rolls to carry out their bidding.

Can't Save Myself: When somebody saves you from forces too powerful for you to reckon with, they mark experience, and you gain a String on them.

Bargains

Choose two Bargains that the Dark Power has made with you:

The Power Flows Through You: You can give the Dark Power a String in order to add 2 to your next roll.

Numbing It Out: You can give the Dark Power a String in order to remove a Condition or up to two harm.

Elsewise Power: You can give the Dark Power a String to use a move you don’t have, just this once. This move can come from any Skin.

Uncanny Voices: You can give the Dark Power a String in order to realize a secret about someone you’re talking to. The owner of that character will reveal one of their secret fears, secret desires, or secret strengths (they choose which.)

Strings Attached: You can ask the Dark Power for something that you really, really want. The MC will attach a price to the thing you want, and hint at an undesired twist in its nature. If you pay the price, you’ll get what you’re after.

Sex Move

When you have sex, the Dark Power loses a String on you and gains a String on whoever you had sex with.

Playing The Infernal

Tempted, impulsive, and in over their head. The Infernal has a demonic patron – someone who gets them things they want, at an unspecified price. The Infernal plays with themes of temptation, addiction, and dependency.

The Infernal is extremely powerful while sinking into debt with their Dark Power, though that pushes them toward an inevitable crash. The crash isn’t a punishment to be avoided, but rather a dramatic height in the character arc. When you play the Infernal, don’t stop just shy of that fifth String of debt or try to play it safe. The Infernal is most interesting when they are swinging chaotically between power and powerlessness.

With Dark Recruiter, the specifics of what it means to bring someone to the Dark Power is left up to interpretation and context. It might involve ritual sacrifice, or a simple introduction at the cafe.

The Strings Attached Bargain plays with the "be careful what you wish for" trope from stories of witches and genies. Taking this Bargain communicates to the MC that you want to be punched in the gut by tragic irony every now and again.

Monsterhearts 2 Skin - The Infernal