THE BLIGHT

WHAT IS THE BLIGHT?

 

The Blight is the main enemy of Branch Riders. The Blight is not a being, but more of a force whose main objective is to sow and reap chaos across the realms.  Its true goal is to tear down the curtain and reunite with the other Blight entities to rule over the realms in totality. The Blight works in a malicious way, infecting people, objects, and even the land itself to fulfill its own purpose of chaos. When infecting people, the Blight finds emotional states and intensifies them, making sadness into depression and despair, turning disappointment into rage and hatred. To combat this, Branch Riders sometimes must find out the root cause of the concern and repair it to loosen the blight’s hold on the infected citizens of the realm.  Other times, Blight are infected creatures like Chiumera feral, who must simply be defeated.

 

HOW DO THEY ATTACK?

 

Just as Branch Riders have Approaches to solving a problem, Blight has a Method and Objectives that inform their purpose.  Blight are crafty opponents and as such have Powers that they use in combat to trouble the Branch Riders. When Blight attacks Branch Riders, they are called shots that call for defense rolls. The player needs to roll a combination of Approach + Skill get at least 2 successes to avoid the impact. Sometimes a Branch Rider has a low die when rolling for defense. This is one way the Blight can hit them where it hurts the most. Also, as Exposure increases, some Blight gain access to more powers and abilities in an Exposure boost, making them even more deadly.

 

MAKE YOUR OWN

 

One unique feature of Branch Riders is that the core rulebook features sections for designing your own Blight and their powers.  Feel free to alter the world to fit your vision and what your table prefers!