Smoke and Mirrors: Conspiracies
All of the current conspiracies have origins in a handful of major groups. Every one of these groups had fought the enemy in their own way, and each one of these new compacts similarly has access to specific abilities based off of their parent group. The groups are united, however, in their ability to gain access to equipment that would be illegal or restricted, as well as their infiltration of important organs of corporations. Finally, although each group is technically subordinate to a higher command, all have significant levels of autonomy owing to the need for secrecy and minimal communications.
Task Force NEMESIS
Created: 1940
Special Advantage: Advanced Armory
Origin Country: United States of America
The youngest of all the compacts, TF NEMESIS supposedly started as a department of the US military, circa WWII. Originally created as the "Department of Occult Warfare", in the 1950s and 1960s, NEMESIS disappeared as an official organ of the government, as the Department of Occult Warfare had been perverted into hunting suspected Communists and seditionists, rather than dealing with threats to the human race-or so they say. Having gone underground and lost most of its resources and funding, the Department of Occult Warfare suffered hard times for a decade, but its ex-FBI and ex-military roots allowed it to rebuild itself. Using foreign contacts, it spread its infiltration through allied military commands.
Renaming itself Task Force NEMESIS in 1980, it functioned under that name until it split into multiple subgroups due to internal bickering and disagreements. Today it primarily recruits from all ex-NATO countries for its agents.
Fundamentally, a Nemesis agent cannot match those who implant unidentifiable parts of alien beings into themselves, nor a mage or a psychic. However, Nemesis has its own tricks and the pick of the heaviest mundane hardware, plus some experimental equipment that might impress even the other compacts.
In a Nutshell
Advantages: Cheapest military hardware, front companies, legal income sources.
Disadvantages: Worst quality agents, low Occult knowledge.
Archetype Mechanics
Starting Points: 350
Infiltration-
Judicial Infiltration: 5 SP per 1, max 6
Military Infiltration: 4 SP per 1, max 10, starts with 1 free level
Media Infiltration: 12 SP per 1, max 5
Fronts-
Starts with 2, additional cost 10 SP per 1.
Infrastructure-
Income (Illegal): 1 SP per 1
Production: 2 SP per 3
Personnel: 1 SP per 50
Advanced Armory: 2 SP per 1
Stealth-
1 SP per 50 SP of Infrastructure, starts w/25
Assets-
Starting Wealth: 1 SP per 25 points
Starting Advanced Armory: 1 SP per 10
Combat Agents: 5 SP per 1 (max 10)
Intelligence Agents: 8 SP per 1 (max 5)
Knowledge-
3 free points
+2 Tactics, +1 Assassination, -1 Occult
Maximum Occult of 1
Society of Athena
Created: ~400 BC
Special Advantage: Relic
Origin Country: Greece
Formed in ancient times to protect the city of Athens from supernatural threats with the blessing of their patron Goddess, the Society of Athena's story is mostly lost to history and their own secrecy. With weapons blessed by their own gods and prayers, they were effective against all sorts of arcane threats. When Athens was conquered by Macedon, they still soldiered on, their mission eventually changing to protecting humanity against the threat-whether they liked it or not, after a few centuries. They have long had feelers in the military, but their political savvy has shown through, and they can fight a war equally well whether it is on the battlefield of the media or the battlegrounds of the world.
Recruiting from archaeologists who see things that should not be, as well as having feelers inside the Greek military, they combine academic and martial prowess, and encourage the sides to mix and intermingle, creating well-educated, well-trained citizen-soldiers.
Society members can access significant amounts of arcane tools to assist their fight-magically enchanted weapons and armor dating from ancient eras to equipment as recently blessed, by sweat and sacrifice, as the mid-20th century. These relic weapons and gear are extremely powerful but also nigh-irreplaceable. Where other compacts believe in the motto "leave no man behind", for the Society that takes a close second to leaving no relic where it might be destroyed or used against them. After all, these devices are intensely difficult to acquire.
In a Nutshell
Advantages: Powerful relics for use by Agents, extremely cheap illegal income.
Disadvantages: Relics are extremely expensive, expensive stealth.
Archetype Mechanics
Starting Points: 350
Infiltration-
Judicial Infiltration: 10 SP per 1, max 6
Military Infiltration: 8 SP per 1, max 8
Media Infiltration: 8 SP per 1, max 8
Fronts-
Starts with 1, additional cost 12 SP per 1.
Infrastructure-
Income (Illegal): 1 SP per 1
Production: 1 SP per 1
Personnel: 1 SP per 50
Relic: 3 SP per 1
Stealth-
1 SP per 40 SP of Infrastructure, starts w/25
Assets-
Starting Wealth: 1 SP per 20 points
Starting Relics: 1 SP per 5
Combat Agents: 8 SP per 1 (max 5)
Intelligence Agents: 8 SP per 1 (max 5)
Knowledge-
2 free points
+1 Tactics, +1 Occult
Kiryu-Kai
Created: 1350
Special Advantage: Arcanotechnology
Origin Country: Japan
The Kiryu-Kai were originally a samurai order tasked with ensuring peace between the spirit world and humanity. They could often do this by negotiation and diplomacy, but also occasionally had to step in and cut heads off. Empowered by the gods to fuse spirits and souls into wondrous works of craftsmanship, they survived nearly unchanged until the 1920s-when patriotism and nationalism came to a head and the original goal of the Kiryu-Kai was replaced with a far more militant one, to ensure the dominance of the Imperial Japanese Empire, even if it meant leaving their old duties to ones who were less qualified. In WWII they clashed with the Department of Occult Warfare in the Pacific, fighting over ancient artifacts and occult sites. Kiryu-Kai arcanotech was superior to the equipment wielded by the DOW, but the latter had significantly more resources and each of their agents was far more expendable.
Almost completely gutted in the '50s at the behest of the DOW, the Kiry-Kai were reduced to a skeleton of their former self. When it was seen that there was a critical need for a group to protect Japan, they were again reformed, with retired members literally being drafted into service, but that was nearly 70 years ago. The modern Kiryu-Kai has nearly no relation to the old except for the same penchant to fuse mundane craftsmanship with magic. Whereas the original were warriors first, philosophers second, the new one is mostly academia, resembling more of a research and development group than a hunter group. In some ways this allows it to apply what it finds in the field more easily as well as giving it significant access to manpower.
However, this also decreases its effectiveness because of the relative lack of secrecy.
In a Nutshell
Advantages: Arcanotechnology. Only group that can field non-purchasable vehicles. Excellent industrial ability
Disadvantages: Arcanotechnology requires significant industrial input, lowest stealth rating. Lowest max infiltration ratings.
Archetype Mechanics
Starting Points: 350
Infiltration-
Judicial Infiltration: 15 SP per 1, max 5
Military Infiltration: 15 SP per 1, max 5
Media Infiltration: 15 SP per 1, max 5
Fronts-
Starts with 1, additional cost 15 SP per 1.
Infrastructure-
Income (Illegal): 1 SP per 1
Production: 2 SP per 3
Personnel: 1 SP per 45
Arcanotechnology: 3 SP per 1
Stealth-
1 SP per 15 SP of Infrastructure, starts w/15
Assets-
Starting Wealth: 1 SP per 20 points
Starting Arcanotechnology: 1 SP per 5
Combat Agents: 12 SP per 1 (max 3)
Intelligence Agents: 12 SP per 1 (max 3)
Knowledge-
3 free points
+1 Occult
Anu Foundation
Created: <4000 BC
Special Advantage: Mana
Origin Country: Sumer
Originally the Order of Anu, the Foundation was the earliest group to step up and fight the darkness. Shrouded in mystery, even its members know little of its ancient history, save that it was originally a group of Sumerian priests which fought to drive away the horrible monstrosities in unexplored lands. Having reinvented its public face sometime in the 18th century as a business and a charity, it recruits those with magical talent-those with the blood of the original priests flowing through their veins-and uses them to fight a war. It only recruits those with magical potential, and trains them to use it.
But despite the expectation of mages being divorced from reality, they know that sometimes problems are solved more cheaply with applications of military hardware.
In a Nutshell
Advantages: Magical Aptitude, powerful spells. Extreme Occult knowledge, heavy Judicial infiltration. Lighter infrastructure means easy stealth, extremely powerful Agents.
Disadvantages: Mana is quickly expended in combat, very expensive personnel.
Archetype Mechanics
Starting Points: 350
Infiltration-
Judicial Infiltration: 10 SP per 1, max 8
Military Infiltration: 15 SP per 1, max 3
Media Infiltration: 10 SP per 1, max 6
Fronts-
Starts with 1, additional cost 12 SP per 1.
Infrastructure-
Income (Illegal): 1 SP per 1
Production: 1 SP per 1
Personnel: 1 SP per 20
Mana: 1 SP per 1
Stealth-
1 SP per 60 SP of Infrastructure, starts w/40
Assets-
Starting Wealth: 1 SP per 15 points
Starting Mana: 1 SP per 15 points
Combat Agents: 15 SP per 1 (max 2)
Intelligence Agents: 15 SP per 1 (max 2)
Knowledge-
2 free points
+2 Occult
+1 Negotiation
SV8
Created: ~1890, reorganized 1920
Special Advantage: Biotics
Origin Country: Russia, former USSR
SV8 originally was the Circle of 8, an order of knights sworn to protect Russia from foul beasts and eldritch abominations. Chivalry being rather out of fashion after the Communist revolution, the Circle of 8 became the Group of 8 in the 1920s, and eventually took the name "SV8" in 1931. They fought using the very tools that the enemy had, for what is the best counter to monsters but other beings with identical ability? SV8 greatly expanded during WWII, and had a bitter rivalry with the Karotechnia of Nazi Germany, one that did not end with the surrender of Germany.
SV8 survived many incidents of intense supernatural activity, but was no match for time and corruption. With the collapse of the USSR and the cutting of funding in many places SV8 was one of the first casualties, a group that didn't seem to do anything at all save soak up money and taking healthy sons and daughters, returning them with missing limbs and unsound minds. To survive, they had to go into the criminal business-and it has done very well. Although technically fighting for humanity, most who know of its existence would not shed a tear if SV8 was annihilated tomorrow.
Biotics is the technique of grafting eldritch, alien matter to human bodies. Far superior to even top of the line cybernetics, these implants carry a heavy cost in the destruction of the user's mind and body over months or years.
In a Nutshell
Advantages: Biotics creates incredibly powerful one-man armies. Highest Judicial infiltration, cheap illegal wealth. Easy manpower.
Disadvantages: Those one-man armies generally end up insane too. Being a criminal organization it has very low military/media infiltration. Rusty, broken-down equipment.
Archetype Mechanics
Starting Points: 350
Infiltration-
Judicial Infiltration: 8 SP per 1, max 10
Military Infiltration: 20 SP per 1, max 3
Media Infiltration: 20 SP per 1, max 3
Fronts-
Starts with 1, additional cost 10 SP per 1.
Infrastructure-
Income (Illegal): 1 SP per 2
Production: 1 SP per 1
Personnel: 1 SP per 60
Biotics: 3 SP per 1
Stealth-
1 SP per 40 SP of Infrastructure, starts w/30
Assets-
Starting Wealth: 1 SP per 15 points
Starting Biotics: 1 SP per 5
Combat Agents: 10 SP per 1 (max 4)
Intelligence Agents: 10 SP per 1 (max 4)
Knowledge-
3 free points
+1 Streetwise
+1 Negotiation
Company of Jesus
Created: 1540
Special Advantage: Faith
Origin Country: France
The Company of Jesus was formed to perform missionary and hospital work throughout the world, but also to go "without question" to wherever the pope might direct. The founders believed God had brought them together-and so He did, but for something else entirely than helping create hospitals and schools. The leader, after all, was a knight before he became a priest, and fought against foes, both human... and something other than human. A close-knit brotherhood is naturally one of the most effective tools against the horrors that lurk in the shadows, and the Jesuits became a major player in keeping Europe safe for centuries. Expanding and changing to match advancing technology and the march of history, they are still major players today.
Scholars and priests, they nevertheless know that they may have to take up the sword. It is not a task the ones initiated into the hidden purpose of the organization take lightly. They are made strong by personal faith and divine favor, but also with their extensive libraries of hidden research on the supernatural.
In a Nutshell
Advantages: High Occult Knowledge, cheap infrastructure.
Disadvantages: Most of that infrastructure is hard to hide.
Archetype Mechanics
Starting Points: 350
Infiltration-
Judicial Infiltration: 10 SP per 1, max 7
Military Infiltration: 10 SP per 1, max 7
Media Infiltration: 10 SP per 1, max 7
Fronts-
Starts with 2, additional cost 10 SP per 1.
Infrastructure-
Income (Illegal): 1 SP per 1
Production: 1 SP per 1
Personnel: 1 SP per 75
Miracles: 2 SP per 1
Stealth-
1 SP per 30 SP of Infrastructure, starts w/20
Assets-
Starting Wealth: 1 SP per 20 points
Combat Agents: 10 SP per 1 (max 5)
Intelligence Agents: 10 SP per 1 (max 5)
Knowledge-
4 free points
+1 Occult
+1 Negotiation
Null Mysterium
Created: 1640
Special Advantage: SCIENCE!
Origin Country: Britain
There were many brilliant scientists in the Age of Reason and the Renaissance which discovered that things were not all right with the world. Being a forward-thinking lot, they originally created the Academy of the Null Mysterium in Britain to study and hopefully destroy these creatures before they could destroy civilization. The Academy was to recruit promising young men and train them in the ways of science, reason, and studying the supernatural.
As research and dead students accumulated, it was realized that studying was insufficient. The monsters in the dark would have to be dealt with. In the 18th and 19th centuries the Academy changed its role, taking on students who had military experience, hiring trainers from the pool of veterans, and turning far more militant.
Their greatest triumph was the Michelson-Morley Experiment, which "disproved" the existence of Ether to the world. Armed with their secret weapon, they would crusade for humanity and reason. Their technology is generally a mishmash, as they tend to find or imbue the spark of genius or madman into their students, allowing them to create technology that is varied and idiosyncratic, although unique in how it runs on the very medium of the universe.
In a Nutshell
Advantages: Free facilities, SCIENCE!
Disadvantages: Low Manpower, poor general infiltration.
Archetype Mechanics
Starting Points: 350
Infiltration-
Judicial Infiltration: 15 SP per 1, max 4
Military Infiltration: 15 SP per 1, max 4
Media Infiltration: 15 SP per 1, max 4
Fronts-
Starts with 1, additional cost 12 SP per 1.
Infrastructure-
Income (Illegal): 1 SP per 1
Production: 1 SP per 1
Personnel: 1 SP per 25
Gadgets: 5 SP per 1
Stealth-
1 SP per 40 SP of Infrastructure, starts w/30
Assets-
Starting Wealth: 1 SP per 20 points
Starting Gadgets: 1 SP per 3
Combat Agents: 10 SP per 1 (max 5)
Intelligence Agents: 10 SP per 1 (max 5)
Knowledge-
4 free points
+1 Occult