History TabletopGame / WitchCraft

* AllMythsAreTrue: Almost to the point of All Pop Culture Is True. Not just every myth, but almost every UrbanFantasy or {{Horror}} trope has ''some'' analog somewhere in this setting. Want a party with a fledgling witch whose cat familiar is more magical than she is, an [[Film/TheCrow unkillable revenant]], a [[Film/ScanNers psychic who can make people's heads explode]], and a [[Film/TheFrighteners "freelance exorcist" who uses their legit power to communicate with ghosts to swindle the wealthy]]? Sounds like a Lesser Gifted Wicce, a Bast, a Relentless Dead with a high level of regeneration, a Seer with a lot of levels in Mindkill, and a Necromancer with some Ghost Contacts.

* ViralTransformation: Ferals can spread their curse in a viral way, either by injuring a human almost to the point of death or being killed themselves. The victim gets a roll to resist taking on the curse, however, so it doesn't always work.

CJ Carella's ''[=WitchCraft=]'' is an UrbanFantasy {{tabletop RPG}} based on the ''UsefulNotes/{{Unisystem}}'' rules. The setting is a world like our own, but with an extensive {{Masquerade}} to mask the fact that just about every supernatural being and mythological figure exists (or has existed).

* UsefulNotes/TheKnightsTemplar: They're still around in the present of this setting, and they're actually one of the most powerful (and secretive) Covenants, albeit locked in a hidden war with the far stronger Combine. Predictably, there's a lot more to the Knight Templar order than Mundane history records.

** The Mad Gods and their cultists are nothing but a cancer on all of Reality - to the point where the demons actually ''team up'' with humanity to fight them in ''Armageddon''.

* BadassNormal: A Mundane at the default (Heroic) level of play is among the most hardcore normal humans in the world, making up for their lack of Gift with skill, talent, and bullets. At the Legendary level and higher, however, this trope is simply averted - you can't make a Mundane character who would be any match for a Seraphim or a Greater Gifted in a straight fight.

* BenevolentConspiracy: All of the playable Covenants are secret organizations, and they generally have "protect humanity" as a policy - or, at the very least, [[DefendsAgainstTheirOwnKind policing whatever kind of Gifted they are]].

* BlackMagic: In general, black magic is magic that doesn't require care and consideration when used. It can freely be used for evil without rebounding on the caster, but someone will always suffer when it's used - and if it's used selflessly, the caster's the one who'll be stuck with the "bill".

* BreakTheCutie: This is one pasttime for demons. Their kind are forbidden to directly attack humans, so they scheme to turn humanity against itself - and they particularly enjoy luring noble and innocent people down paths that will [[SlowlySlippingIntoEvil leave their good qualities in ashes]].

* ConspiracyTheorist: This character type is common among the Fellowship of Judas and the Knights Templar - unsurprisingly, given both Covenants' long-standing struggle with the Combine, who are TheIlluminati in all but name.

* TheCorruption: The Mad Gods and their minions, on just about every level. Humans who have contact with them can get infected by their Taint, and most of these unfortunates very quickly die, go irrevocably insane, or become pawns of the Mad Gods. The few who don't - the Mockers - dedicate themselves to fighting the Mad Gods, but even they face an ever-growing struggle with madness and dissolution.

* [[CrossoverCosmology Crossover Cosmology]][=/=]FantasyKitchenSink: As with the ''TabletopGame/WorldOfDarkness'' setting, ''Witchcraft'' sourcebooks eventually introduced so many different supernatural beings, races, powers, and conspiracies that it becomes difficult to imagine how the {{Masquerade}} survives at all. By the time of ''Armageddon'', the Masquerade is dead and buried, and no one - [[AngelsDevilsAndSquid angel, demon, or Mad God]] - is hiding anymore.

** The Mad Gods aren't so discriminating. They'll grant power to any human who is twisted and wretched enough to reach out to them - and accept [[TheCorruption their soul-eating corruption]].
* {{Determinator}}: Disciples of the Flesh and the Mockers almost have to be this by default, as their Gift was born of trauma (either HumansAreBastards-flavored or EldritchAbomination-flavored), and their powers either force them to relive that trauma (Disciples) or cause increasing psychosis as they grow (Mockers). In both cases, most of their basic powers are Willpower-based, and it's not hard to see why - it takes a lot to keep going when you're one of them.

** The various Gifted factions rarely see eye-to-eye, and the Sentinels in particular take a dim (if not downright hostile) view of all the others. Yet if it means putting down Mad God cultists or a Dark Covenant, even the Sentinels will often (reluctantly) collaborate with their fellow Gifted - either that, or the other Gifted will manipulate the Sentinels into getting involved.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Demons are thoroughly evil, but they want nothing to do with the Mad Gods, even as a tool to hurt humanity. The various Dark Covenants are no different - as psychopathic as ''they'' are, none of them want power so blindly that they'll accept the soul-eating corruption of a Mad God, much less the prospect of living in a world where their power is meaningless [[EvilVersusOblivion because the Mad Gods have destroyed everything]].

* TheGift: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The Gifted]], who have powers that Mundane humans can only dream of. Then again, the MugglesDoItBetter trope is also a thing in this setting - at least at Heroic level, where the Gifted don't have the points to be outright [[PersonOfMassDestruction People Of Mass Destruction]].

* GoingCosmic: The corebook is very street-level, focusing on the various Covenants' WhoYouGonnaCall teams protecting humanity from local supernatural threats. Later books delve into issues like the mechanics of reincarnation and Enlightenment, the existence and objectives of the AngelsDevilsAndSquid, and Covenants who focus more on the higher Sephiroth (dimensions) outside of Earth, as well as introducing more supernatural beings (associated ''with'' the Sephiroth) as playable characters. This is then {{inverted}} by ''Armageddon'', which introduces Leviathan and the apocalyptic war to determine the fate of Reality itself - yet the main action occurs right here on Earth.

* GrimReaper: The Grim Reaper is actually a type of spirit, and they prey upon Gifted who abuse death-related powers too flagrantly.
* HangingJudge: {{Subverted}} by the Rosicrucian Inquisition. They seek out evil within the Rosicrucian ranks and have only one punishment for the crimes they investigate: death and the unraveling of the soul. That's because the Inquisition only gets involved when the Rosicrucian's crimes have gone ''far'' beyond the pale, and even then, their conviction rate is about 0.5% - most of the time, when they're investigating something, it turns out to be an honest misunderstanding, or something wrong that doesn't deserve a death sentence and can be handed over to local authorities.

* TheHashshashin: Present and accounted for among the Covenants, where they are known as the Society of Assassins (to the few who are aware of them). Contrary to the usual trope, the Assassins are ''allies'' rather than rivals of UsefulNotes/TheKnightsTemplar - at least, the Assassins who didn't do a FaceHeelTurn and join the [[RenegadeSplinterFaction Alamut sect]].

* HeroicNeutral: This is the stance of most Covenants. Groups like the Wicce, the Rosicrucians, the Twilight Order, the Storm Dragons, and the Pariahs are ever mindful of the risks of revealing their powers to the world, from both the Combine and fearful Mundanes. That said, they don't hold back when the consequences of ignoring a supernatural threat would be even worse - and the coming Reckoning is [[TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive forcing the Covenants' hands more and more]].

* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: One theme in the setting, as demons prefer to seduce humans into committing evil rather than get their own hands dirty, the Mad Gods can't breach our reality without the help of human cultists, the Combine (with all ''its'' megalomaniacal oppressiveness) may be a purely {{Muggle}} organization, and - last but not least - the Disciples of the Flesh are created by all-too-human abusers.

* ImmortalityBeginsAtTwenty: Characters with large Essence pools can see their aging slow to a crawl - Vitalinus, who is more than 1,300 years old, looks to be in his mid-thirties. However, the game explicitly states that Essence doesn't slow growth, but only the decay caused by age. No matter how large a child's essence pool may be, they age normally until they reach full development somewhere in their mid-twenties.

* KnightTemplar: Tends to be the MO of the Sentinels, who have a long history of hunting monsters - including, in the past, other Gifted (whether they were actually using their powers for evil purposes or not). Subverted with the actual Knights Templar, who are less rabid in their efforts to protect humanity.

* LookOnMyWorksYeMightyAndDespair: The backstory of the True Immortals, who are the reincarnated inhabitants of Atlantis, a powerful Elder Kingdom which was extant epochs before recorded history and wielded not only the secrets of immortality, but Arcana - fantastic technologies beyond the understanding of even the most Gifted humans today. However, Atlantis was destroyed in a cataclysm, and all that remains of it now are the rare True Immortals and their fragmented memories. Only a minority of them are Makers who can remember how to create any items of Arcana.

** The Disciples of the Flesh are Gifted who had [[DarkAndTroubledPast such a mangled childhood]] that it awoke their Gift in a way which allows them to reshape their bodies into grotesque living weapons. The [[FreudianExcuse expected morality]] of the Pariahs is subverted, however - for the most part, they just want to stop the real monsters of the world from causing further suffering.

* LordBritishPostulate: Defied. The game will give even a Mad God stats and allow the [=PCs=] to try to kill it - they, alone or in conjunction with allies, might just be able to [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu pull it off]].

* TheManBehindTheMan: How the Combine operates, although in their case it's more like The Man Behind The Man Behind The Man Behind The Man Behind The Man. Very few Combine operatives (at least that the average PC will ever meet) actually have any idea who they're ''really'' working for, and the ones who do - well, the next guys up the chain will have no idea who ''they'' work for, either. [[VastBureaucracy And so forth.]]
* MarkOfTheBeast: In addition to general deformity, gaining excessive amounts of Taint can cause your flesh to manifest "Taint marks" - tattoo-like sigils that make your nature obvious to observers who know what to look for. In ''Armageddon'', the Mark of Leviathan becomes the most widely-recognized Taint mark in the world.

** {{Defied}} at Legendary and higher levels. Once you get into the realm of the Enlightened, Seraphim, and Incarnates, there's no rules for Mundane heroes, as even the most talented (and well-armed) Mundanes are no match for such powerful beings.

* MurderInc: The Society of Assassins are the Covenant for this trope. Every single rank-and-file member of the Society is either an Assassin, someone who infiltrates target groups to set up hits for the Assassins, or both. And yes, you ''can'' hire the Assassins to do some dirty work of your own (although the "good" sect - the Ruya'ha - will only accept hits that are in accordance with their One True Imam's Will).

* NotMeThisTime: The Society of Assassins (Ruya'ha sect) is almost a whole ''faction'' of this trope. The Society as a whole commits political murders for reasons only they know, but the [[WellIntentionedExtremist Ruya'ha sect]] targets [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans evil leaders who are impeding humanity's progress]], while their [[EvilCounterpart Alamut sect arch-rivals]] are just another arm of the [[TheIlluminati oppressive Combine]]. Few outsiders are aware that the Society of Assassins even ''has'' different sects at all, and so the Ruya'ha get blamed for a lot of the (unjust) killings that in fact were perpetrated by the Alamut - and being a [[CovertGroup secret society]] of [[ProfessionalKiller Professional Killers]], the Ruya'ha can't exactly set the record straight with a big PR campaign.

** For all their power and malevolence, demons are unable to harm humans directly. But they can [[TheCorruptor encourage humans to give in to all our worst impulses]] - and they can sell us all the drugs, weapons, and slaves we're willing to buy to make it even worse. Oh, and if a pack of Gifted avengers draws first blood on the ''demon'', then all bets are off!

** Ghosts with the Ghostsmith ability can forge permanent items that work in the Death Realms, at the cost of some permanent Essence. The most unfortunate Ghostsmiths get enslaved by more powerful ghosts, who force them to forge items constantly - and keep them in existence by feeding them the Essence of yet other ghost slaves.

* PowerGlows: Beings and places with huge amounts of Essence are ''very'' obvious - if you're Gifted.

* {{Precursors}}: Atlantis and the other Elder Kingdoms are technically this, being great civilizations who wielded technologies unimaginable to the Mundane world today, yet mysteriously vanished before recorded history. The trope is ultimately inverted, though - while stereotypical precursors are extinct but leave behind artifacts of their dead uber-civilization, the only remaining artifacts of the True Immortals' civilizations are the True Immortals themselves!

** Vitalinus, [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld one of the surviving founders of the Rosicrucians]] and unofficial leader of their council of Grand Masters, is mentioned as being the most approachable of the Grand Masters by a fair bit - relaxed, friendly, and almost impossible to surprise or annoy. He makes a habit of visiting local Rosicrucian chapters and meeting all members, making sure no problems are neglected for too long and helping to solve any problems that they can't solve on their own. His goal? He founded the Rosicrucians, and he wants the Covenant to flourish. And since the Covenant is only the sum of its parts, he wants to assist the various parts. When reporting suspected corruption in the Inquisition (see below), it's customary to go to Vitalinus, since "If he's corrupt, we're all stuffed anyway."

** On the rare occasions when they are destroyed, True Immortals are also subject to reincarnation. Unlike regular humans, however, it takes many thousands of years for them to be reborn, to the point that most True Immortals have PastLifeMemories of only one previous life - their first incarnation in Atlantis. As such, True Immortal characters (somewhat ironically) cannot have the Old Soul quality.

* TomeOfEldritchLore: These are a thing in this setting. They could contain instructions for normal magic, black magic, or - in the worst cases - how to contact and summon Mad Gods.
* TooDumbToLive: The [[HellGate Sammael Gate]] in the [[DreamLand Sephiroth of Hod]] is the only permanent breach between our world and the horrible Taint-based universe of the Mad Gods. Predictably, few dare to enter it, and fewer still return alive and sane. However, one Covenant - the Eye of Horus - made it their ''initiation ritual'' for new members to dart into the Sammael Gate and return, figuring that anyone who can survive THAT is badass enough to join their ranks. [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome "Of course, the Eye of Horus was a short-lived group."]]

* TrainingTheGiftOfMagic: Some of the Gifted arts, like the Second Sight or Disciplines of the Flesh, can be "inborn" for a Gifted individual and used without the need for training (although training can certainly help). However, others - like Invocations or Tao-Chi - often require not only the Gift, but a level of training and focus almost unheard-of in the modern world.

* WalkingWasteland: This is one possible side effect of Taint corruption - killing all plant and small animal life that comes within a small radius of your character.

** Subverted - occasionally - with the Fallen Seraphim. It turns out that living in Hell is not much more pleasant for demons than it is for damned humans, and a few demons actually [[DefectorFromDecadence wish for redemption]] (even if [[HeelFaceDoorSlam absolutely no one is willing to help them redeem themselves]]). For their part, the Qliphonim (humans who have been uplifted into demons) retain their free will, though in practice you can only become a Qliphonim by being so incredibly evil that the Legion of Hell feels that you would be [[DemonOfHumanOrigin a useful tool to corrupt Earth further]]... even so, a sizable number of Qliphonim are starting to organize a resistance to their infernal masters (or at least a move towards a less Hell-bound existence).

* {{Atlantis}}: The Armageddon book gives us a brief history of the Elder Kingdoms, which included Atlantis, Mu, Lemuria, and Ultima Thule. Not brought down by hubris, [[spoiler: but because Ultima Thule treated with Leviathan to win their war with Atlantis]]. To prevent the world from becoming corrupted, Satan sent the Flood and destroyed civilization. Immortals are the reincarnations of the ancient Atlanteans.

* FantasticCasteSystem: The Church of Revelations introduces this in conquered areas. You can go up in caste freely in this case - [[DealWithTheDevil all you have to do is go to church]].

* FallenStatesOfAmerica: While still resisting Leviathan, America is in a bad way. Slum areas of major cities were walled off, and the Supreme Court was laughed at when they declared this unconstitutional (said slum areas have become hives of supernatural danger). Parts of the country have gone Mad Max, with motorcycle gangs of army deserters and Believers roaming the roads, while other areas have rebelled and declared their own petty nations. The U.S. government simply doesn't have the time or resources to deal with any of this - they're too busy fighting a war for humanity's survival.

* GoingCosmic: {{Inverted}}. There's plenty of the stuff from the higher Sephiroth involved (such as angels taking a direct role in the fighting) but the Earth - plain old Earth - is the main battlefield.

** This trope is more overt than it is in ''Witchcraft''. As individually feeble as humans may be compared to Celestials or the Old Gods, it's acknowledged that collectively, humanity will be the deciding factor in the war - and Leviathan knows it.

* ImplacableMan: None of the Celestial or Primal character types are easy to kill, but the Nephilim - with their sheer toughness and general immunity to supernatural powers - really take the cake.

* NeutralNoLonger: Before the Reckoning, a lot of the ''Witchcraft''-era Covenants, the True Immortals, most of the Pantheons, and many other supernaturals wanted nothing more than to be left the hell alone. But with the existential threat posed by Leviathan, neutrality is no longer an option. Angel, demon, god, Gifted, or mortal - almost everyone knows that they can either fight the Church of Revelations together or [[DividedWeFall watch Leviathan devour the whole world]].

* OutGambitted: Although not stated outright in the book, [[TheChessmaster Archangel]] [[ManipulativeBastard Gabriel]] has this happen to him in a BIG way. [[spoiler: Not only did his Combine patsies completely fail to stem the rise of supernatural awareness among humans, but they were completely blindsided by Leviathan's minions. There are in fact several hints that [[NiceJobBreakingItHero the Combine was in large part subverted by the Church of Revelations to their ends]].]]

* PunyEarthlings: Downplayed. While it's true that any Mundane human would get curb-stomped by any Seraphim, Primal, or Eldritch Abomination in a straight fight, a human pilot in a modern jet fighter is a threat for most angels, and Leviathan's undead and Shaitan minions - frightening though they may be - are little more than cannon fodder in the face of machine guns, artillery, and anti-tank weapons.

* AnOfferYouCantRefuse: The Fellowship of Judas takes this approach to recruitment, as they confront terrible human beings who are at the Threshold between life and death, offering them the chance to live again if they will atone for the wretched life they lived. The alternative to this LastSecondChance is to stay dead and literally ''go to Hell'', so...

* EvilVersusOblivion: The demons and the Dark Covenants are all bastards through and through, but neither are any friend of the Mad Gods, and neither have any wish to see (much less help) the impending Reckoning destroy their world.

** Demons are portrayed with more nuance in ''Armageddon'', but in the ''Witchcraft'' era, they are always depicted as 100% evil. Even on the rare occasions when they become allies to the Gifted, they'll usually betray the Gifted the minute they've outlived their usefulness.

* AndIMustScream: True Immortals, like immortals in many settings, trade a fear of death for a fear of ending up with ''this'' trope instead. One example is given of a True Immortal who got on the wrong side of TheMafia, and the gangsters ended up burying the immortal in the concrete foundation of a new building, where he will never be found and never die.

* HeelRealization: One step of a typical initiation into the Fellowship of Judas: confronting the prospective member at the threshold between life and death, and then forcing them to realize how selfish and vile they were when they were alive.

* AndIMustScream: True Immortals have no fear of being destroyed by any force the Mundane world can bring against them... but that doesn't mean Mundanes can't get rid of them. One example is given of a True Immortal who got on the wrong side of TheMafia, and the gangsters ended up burying the immortal in the concrete foundation of a new building, where he will never again move, never be found, and never die.

** Oddly enough, demons rarely offer these kinds of deals, because anyone who would actually sell their soul is most certainly on the path of damnation anyways. On the occasions when they do, it's only for mortals who stand to corrupt a lot of ''other'' mortals.

** [[{{Heroes}} Heroic]]: This is the default power level. Though they are far from helpless, Gifted at this level are generally journeyman-ish in strength, while supernaturals will be relatively new or inexperienced members of their kind. The [[BadassNormal absolute best Mundanes]] top out at this level. [=PCs=] at this level can be useful operatives of their faction and [[WhoYouGonnaCall proactive in dealing with supernatural threats]].

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking:
** A common trope among the Covenants. Gifted individuals with high amounts of Essence age more slowly, to the point that the leaders of most Covenants are Really700YearsOld, and have had all that time to (further) develop their powers.
** Celestials (both angelic and demonic) only become more fearsome as you go up their hierarchy, as well.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: On top of the Celestials and Primals all becoming more powerful as you go up their respective hierarchies, the Church of Leviathan has their Adepts, with each Order being more powerful and having more authority than the last.

* EvilMakesYouUgly: Practitioners of black magic are exempt from this trope (even if their poisoned Essence stands out as vile to other Gifted), but Taint is another matter. Humans who gain (and keep gaining) Taint become increasingly deformed.

** An even more blatant example comes from humans who get infected by Taint from contact with the Mad Gods. One Covenant, the Mockers, is centered around humans who survive the experience and choose to fight the Mad Gods with their [[CursedWithAwesome horrible new powers]]. These powers are fueled by Taint, and the more Taint you gain, the more deformed and insane you become.

* KrakenandLeviathan: Kraken are beginning to make a re-appearance since the war. Gigantic, squid-like creatures with armor capable of shrugging off all but the heaviest ordinance, they are ancient war beasts of Ultima Thule. Most of them are just wild animals now, but the Fleet of Retribution (The Dark Apostle's navy) has managed to capture and train some of them to attack Free World shipping.

* YouAreNotReady: According to both Gabriel and the Old Gods, humans shouldn't be meddling with science or magic, because the last time they reached an era of such power, they awakened Leviathan and Lord Archangel Lucifer had to wipe out the Elder Kingdoms to save reality. Unfortunately, the angels mostly kicked out the Old Gods, allowing the angels to meddle with humanity unfettered, and Gabriel's attempt to keep the worms canned was a dismal failure.

* {{Magitek}}: Atlantean Arcana, which runs on Essence and can't be built by Mundanes or even regular Gifted. There's also the Parmenideans in the Rosicrucian Covenant, who believe that science and magic are the same thing and are working on this field...so far without success.

** Subverted - occasionally - with the Fallen Seraphim. It turns out that living in Hell is not much more pleasant for demons than it is for damned humans, and a few demons actually [[DefectorFromDecadence wish for redemption]] (even if [[HeelFaceDoorSlam absolutely no one is willing to help them redeem themselves]]). For their part, the Qliphonim (humans who have been uplifted into demons) retain their free will, though in practice you can only become a Qliphonim by being so incredibly evil that the Legion of Hell feels that you would be a useful tool to corrupt Earth further... even so, a sizable number of Qliphonim are starting to organize a resistance to their infernal masters (or at least a move towards a less Hell-bound existence).

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: It's not the only source of his authority, but a large part of the reason that Vitalinus can be the easily-approachable ReasonableAuthorityFigure he is to the Rosicrucians is because he's so powerful he doesn't need to worry much about his personal safety.

* FantasticRankSystem: A few Covenants, such as the Storm Dragons and the Knights Templar, are organized into hierarchical ranks, and generally the most important factor for higher ranks is [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority how many Gifted powers you have]].

* {{Magitek}}: Atlantean Arcana, which runs on Essence and can't be built by Mundanes or even regular Gifted.

* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Oddly enough, the Rosicrucians are the one Covenant that does not contain corruption to any meaningful degree. They're not necessarily saints, but their Inquisition ''works''. Becoming a full Rosicrucian involves swearing a heroic oath to forsake all dealings with Hell and the Mad Gods, very few Rosicrucians of any rank have ever violated this oath, and those that ''do' are invariably caught by the Inquisition before they can spread their evil to the rest of the Covenant.

* HumanSacrifice: Most Sadicas practitioners ritualally torture humans to death simply to gather Essence, but a few (particularly the Nahualli) also do it to appease Xipe Totec in the best tradition of this trope. Human sacrifice can also be an obligation imposed by an evil Spirit Patron.

* HitPoints: Life Points or (for spirits) Vital Essence.

* TheManBehindTheMan: How the Combine operates, although in their case it's more like [[UpToEleven The Man Behind The Man Behind The Man Behind The Man Behind The Man]]. Very few Combine operatives (at least that the average PC will ever meet) actually have any idea who they're ''really'' working for, and the ones who do - well, the next guys up the chain will have no idea who ''they'' work for, either. [[VastBureaucracy And so forth.]]

* BadassNormal: A Mundane at the default (Heroic) level of play is among the most hardcore normal humans in the world, making up for their lack of Gift with skill, talent, and bullets. At the Legendary level and higher, however, this trope is simply averted - you can't make a Mundane character who can expect to match a Seraphim or a Greater Gifted in ability.