Using A Cohort

From Blades in the Dark Rulebood Copyright © 2017 John Harper. All rights reserved.

When you send a cohort to achieve a goal, roll their quality to see how it goes. Or, a PC can oversee the maneuver by leading a group action. If you direct the cohort with orders, roll Command. If you participate in the action alongside the cohort, roll the appropriate action. The quality of any opposition relative to the cohort’s quality affects the position and effect of the action.

The Bloodletters want to run the Grinders out of the alley where they’re selling spark. They send their gang of Thugs to go kick the Grinders out. The GM rolls 2d for the Thugs’ quality, and gets a 3. An hour later, the Thugs come back, beaten and bloody. One of them looks sheepish, “Those guys are tough, boss.” (The GM inflicts harm on the cohort, and they failed their goal.)

The next day, Arcy goes back and leads a group action, rolling her 3d in Skirmish alongside the Thugs’ 2d. Arcy gets a 6 this time—they beat the tar out of the Grinders and send them packing (at least for now).