History TabletopGame / Chill

* NotUsingTheZWord: Not the actual "Z-word", as all editions go right ahead and call zombies, zombies. They do make a point not to use terms like "demon", however, instead just calling malevolent incorporeal beings "spirits", as they don't want to indicate that any one school of faith is correct in the game's setting. Even though agents are told to go ahead and tell somebody who survives a supernatural event to think of the Unknown as Hell, if that will help them understand it.

* NotUsingTheZWord: Not the actual "Z-word", as all editions go right ahead and call zombies, zombies. They do make a point not to use terms like "demon", however, instead just calling malevolent incorporeal beings "spirits", as they don't want to indicate that any one school of faith is correct in the game's setting.

* HauntedTechnology: More recent editions have included mysterious "digital entities" that can haunt TVs, computers and the like.

* AlwaysChaoticEvil: The game makes it very clear that it doesn't use "monster" to mean "an inhuman species," it means "amoral and dangerous". There are no friendly supernatural forces the players can enjoin. If a monster shows up, it's bad, and the players have to kill or dispel it. End of story.

* TheCorruption: The in-narrative reason for encouraging envoys not to try to master multiple schools of the Art. It's manipulating the same supernatural energy that empowers the Unknown, and getting too powerful in it tends to attract monstrous attention, who then try to lure the envoy into experimenting with blacker and blacker powers until he's irretrievably lost to TheDarkSide [[note]] Mechanically, a PC is unlikely to be able to master multiple schools because it gets progressively more expensive to just to unlock new ones schools, as well as having to buy and level up each discipline within a school. To say nothing of how the envoy will probably fall in the line of duty or have to retire due to the trauma of constant monster-hunting before he'll have enough experience [[/note]].

* YourMindMakesItReal: In the second edition at least there's a type of real "[[ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight monster in the closet]]" created by the fear of a child believing there is one. The only way to defeat such a creature is to hypnotize the suffering child and tell them to imagine the monster getting weaker. Otherwise they're just InvincibleBoogyemen.

* YourMindMakesItReal: In the second edition at least there's a type of real "[[ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight monster in the closet]]" created by the fear of a child believing there is one. The only way to defeat such a creature is to hypnotize the suffering child and tell them to imagine the monster getting weaker. Otherwise it's an InvincibleBoogyeman.

* YourMindMakesItReal: In the second edition at least there's a type of real "[[ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight monster in the closet]]" created by the fear of a child believing there is one. The only way to defeat such a creature is to hypnotize the suffering child and tell them to imagine the monster getting weaker. Otherwise it'll just come right back at full strength as soon as the players kill it.

* {{Dracula}}: Appears in, obviously, the Victorian-era adventure "Vengeance of Dracula", the mini adventure "Castle of Dracula", and got top billing in the "Vampires" sourcebook. Got no mention in 3e, though.

* TheCorruption: The in-narrative reason for encouraging envoys not to try to master multiple schools of the Art. It's manipulating the same supernatural energy that empowers the Unknown, and getting too powerful in it tends to attract monstrous attention, who then try to lure the envoy into experimenting with blacker and blacker powers until he's irretrievably lost to TheDarkSide [[note]] Mechanically, a PC is unlikely to be able to master multiple schools because he'll probably fall in the line of duty or have to retire due to the trauma of constant monster-hunting before he'll have enough experience [[/note]].

* AdaptedOut: The lore in 2e was pretty consistent with the lore from 1e, in addition to [[AdaptationExpansion expanding on the setting]] and what had been learned about the Unknown, even giving it a main (if still mysterious) villain in a malevolent entity known as Rax [[note]] According to contributor Ray Winninger, this name was taken from the way it looked when he wrote his signature [[/note]]. 3e backed off on various details from the previous setting, such as there being any kind of identified central antagonist, or saying anything that previous editions did about S.A.V.E.'s encounters with Dracula, although other prominent vampires from the lore still get mentions. 3e also edited out some of the sillier background details for various monsters, like how Yetis in this game were actually the reincarnated ghosts of hermits who realized they didn't like being lonely after all, and go through elaborate schedules stalking people on mountain-climbing expeditions while gradually using their powers to turn people into more yetis to have company.

* AdaptedOut: The lore in 2e was pretty consistent with the lore from 1e, in addition to [[AdaptationExpansion expanding on the setting]] and what had been learned about the Unknown, even giving it a main (if still mysterious) villain in a malevolent entity known as Rax [[note]] According to contributor Ray Winninger, this name was taken from the way it looked when he wrote his signature [[/note]]. 3e backed off on various details from the previous setting, such as there being any kind of identified central antagonist, or saying anything that previous editions did about S.A.V.E.'s encounters with Dracula, although other prominent vampires from the lore do get mentions. 3e also edited out some of the sillier background details for various monsters, like how Yetis in this game were actually the reincarnated ghosts of hermits who realized they didn't like being lonely after all, and go through elaborate schedules stalking people on mountain-climbing expeditions while gradually using their powers to turn people into more yetis to have company.

* AdaptedOut: The lore in 2e was pretty consistent with the lore from 1e, in addition to [[AdaptationExpansion expanding on the setting]] and what had been learned about the Unknown, even giving it a main (if still mysterious) villain in a malevolent entity known as Rax [[note]] According to contributor Ray Winninger, this name was taken from the way it looked when he wrote his signature [[/note]]. 3e backed off on various details from the previous setting, such as there being any kind of identified central antagonist. 3e also edited out some of the sillier background details for various monsters, like how Yetis in this game were actually the reincarnated ghosts of hermits who realized they didn't like being lonely after all, and go through elaborate schedules stalking people on mountain-climbing expeditions while gradually using their powers to turn people into more yetis to have company. 3e also says nothing that previous editions did of S.A.V.E.'s encounters with Dracula, although other prominent vampires from the lore do get mentions.

* AdaptedOut: The lore in 2e was pretty consistent with the lore from 1e, in addition to [[AdaptationExpansion expanding on the setting]] and what had been learned about the Unknown, even giving it a main (if still mysterious) villain in a malevolent entity known as Rax. 3e backed off on various details from the previous setting, such as there being any kind of identified central antagonist. 3e also edited out some of the sillier background details for various monsters, like how Yetis in this game were actually the reincarnated ghosts of hermits who realized they didn't like being lonely after all, and go through elaborate schedules stalking people on mountain-climbing expeditions while gradually using their powers to turn people into more yetis to have company. 3e also says nothing that previous editions did of S.A.V.E.'s encounters with Dracula, although other prominent vampires from the lore do get mentions.

* MagicByAnyOtherName: The various books constantly insist that the Art is not "magic". There's no such thing as magic, because the Art or the Evil Way creating its effects involves someone, be they human or monster, manipulating ambient supernatural power in specific ways to create specific results. Which a definition practically all gamers would find acceptable for "magic".

* MagicByAnyOtherName: The various books constantly insist that the Art is not "magic". There's no such thing as magic, because the Art or the Evil Way creating its effects involves someone, be they human or monster, manipulating ambient supernatural power in certain ways to create specific results. Which a definition practically all gamers would find acceptable for "magic".

* MagicByAnyOtherName: The various books constantly insist that the Art is not "magic". There's no such thing as magic, because the Art or the Evil Way creating its effects involves someone, be they human or monster, manipulating ambient supernatural power. That's a definition almost all gamers would find acceptable for "magic".

* AdaptedOut: The lore in 2e was pretty consistent with the lore from 1e, in addition to [[AdaptationExpansion expanding on the setting]] and what had been learned about the Unknown, even giving it a main (if still mysterious) villain in a malevolent entity known as Rax. 3e backed off on various details from the previous setting, such as there being any kind of identified central antagonist. 3e also edited out some of the sillier background details for various monsters, like how Yetis in this game were actually the reincarnated ghosts of hermits who realized they didn't like being lonely after all, and go through elaborate schedules stalking people on mountain-climbing expeditions while gradually using their powers to turn people into more yetis to have company.

* {{Dracula}}: Appears in, obviously, the Victorian-era adventure "Vengeance of Dracula", the mini adventure "Castle of Dracula", and got top billing in the "Vampires" sourcebook.

* AdaptedOut: The lore in 2e was pretty consistent with the lore from 1e, in addition to [[AdaptationExpansion expanding on the setting]] and what had been learned about the Unknown, even giving it a main (if still mysterious) villain in a malevolent entity known as Rax. 3e backed off on various details from the previous setting, such as there being any kind of identified central antagonist. 3e also edited out some of the sillier background details for various monsters, like how Yetis in this game were actually the reincarnated ghosts of hermits who realized they didn't like being lonely after all, and use their powers to turn people into more yetis to have company.

* AdaptedOut: The lore in 2e was pretty consistent with the lore from 1e, in addition to [[AdaptationExpansion expanding on the setting]] and what had been learned about the Unknown, even giving it a main (if still mysterious) villain in a malevolent entity known as Rax. 3e backed on various details from the previous setting, such as there being any kind of identified central antagonist. 3e also edited out some of the sillier background details for various monsters, like how Yetis in this game are actually the reincarnated ghosts of hermits who realized they didn't like being lonely after all, and use their powers to turn people into more yetis to have company.

* AdaptedOut: The lore in 2e was pretty consistent with the lore from 1e, in addition to [[AdaptationExpansion expanding on the setting]] and what had been learned about the Unknown, even giving it a main (if still mysterious) villain in a malevolent entity known as Rax. 3e backed on various details from the previous setting, such as there being any kind of identified central antagonist. 3e also edited out some of the sillier background details for various monsters, like how Yetis in this game are actually the reincarnated ghosts of hermits who decided they didn't like being lonely after all, and use their powers to turn people into more yetis to have company.

* AdaptedOut: The lore in 2e was pretty consistent with the lore from 1e, in addition to [[AdaptationExpansion expanding on the setting]] and what had been learned about the Unknown, even giving it a central villain in a malevolent entity known as Rax. 3e backed on various details from the previous setting, such as there being any kind of identified central antagonist. 3e also edited out some of the sillier background details for various monsters, like how Yetis in this game are actually the reincarnated ghosts of hermits who decided they didn't like being lonely after all, and use their powers to turn people into more yetis to have company.

* DevilButNoGod: SAVE's observations have most of its top minds believing the Unknown answer to some kind of central intelligence or source. In 2e it was even identified as some extremely powerful but mysterious entity known as Rax [[note]] According to contributing writer Ray Winniger, it was based on the way his signature looked [[/note]], although 3e backed off on the idea of a central antagonist with a known identity. There is, however, no benevolent counterpart fighting back against it with ''good'' supernatural power. The only advantage SAVE has is having learned to channel the same supernatural power to a degree in less powerful, more benign ways than the Unknown.

* TheCorruption: The in-narrative reason for encouraging envoys not to try to master multiple schools of the Art. It's manipulating the same supernatural energy that empowers the Unknown, and getting too powerful in it tends to attract monstrous attention, who then try to lure the envoy into experimenting with blacker and blacker powers until he's irretrievably lost to TheDarkSide [[note]] Mechanically, a PC is unlikely to be able to master multiple schools because he'll probably fall in the line of duty or have to retire due to all the trauma of constant monster-hunting before he'll have enough experience. [[/note]]