Encounter Anecdote
We reviewed the bodycam twice. First pass: four agents entering the library. Second pass: three. The fourth was just… gone—face smeared by a moving black rectangle that crawled across the screen like censor tape. Then the shelves started losing titles. Not burned. Not stolen. Just blank spines, like the words had never existed.
Taxonomies
Threat Level: Moderate (individual), High (cell activity), Severe (cultural infiltration)
Biome: Urban Archives, Libraries, Offices, Data Centers, Government Buildings, Anywhere Records Are Kept
Intelligence Level: Intelligent
Power Category: Psychic
Origin: Interdimensional Native
Physical Form: Humanoid (Abstract/Ink-like)
Behavioral Disposition: Methodical, Detached, Ideological
Environmental Interaction: Memory Editing, Text Erasure, Record Corruption
Social Structure: Bureaucratic Collective (Cells/Committees)
Narrative Role: Antagonist Faction, Mystery Engine, Investigative Villain, Reality Editor
Physical Description
At a glance, a Redactor resembles a thin, androgynous figure in severe dark clothing, like a clerk or archivist out of time. Up close, details refuse to hold still: their edges smudge, their hands trail faint ink stains, and their face is partially obscured by a shifting black bar that slides across the eyes. When they move quickly, they seem to skip frames, as though reality is cutting between shots rather than showing the steps between.
Overview
Redactors are native to the Altered Dimensions and consider themselves custodians of “narrative hygiene.” To them, reality is a document—messy, redundant, overgrown—and their purpose is to simplify it. Names, events, people, even entire locations may be “struck from the record” if deemed unnecessary, destabilizing, or dangerous to dimensional stability.
They are not mindless destroyers. They keep ledgers, hold meetings, and follow policies older than most worlds. A Redactor cell may quietly remove a criminal syndicate one week and an inconvenient hero the next, both justified as “excess variables.” Victims are not killed outright; instead, evidence of them erodes. Memories blur. Photos smear. Databases return null results. Eventually, the person becomes socially and historically invisible.
In play, Redactors create existential threats rather than brute-force fights. They target support networks, maps, and facts, turning investigation itself into a battleground. In low-psychic settings, their effects can be interpreted as data corruption, mass forgetfulness, or coordinated disinformation campaigns.
Encounter Frequency and Usage
Common within bureaucratic, academic, or record-heavy environments of the Altered Dimensions; Uncommon elsewhere but increasing near major breaches. Use Redactors as recurring antagonists and conspirators. They erase clues, rewrite paperwork, or quietly “unperson” NPCs the party relies on. Combat is possible but rarely their first tactic; they prefer to make problems disappear—sometimes including the players. Excellent for slow-burn mysteries, paranoia, and ethical dilemmas: what happens when their deletions actually do prevent worse catastrophes?
OpenD6 Stat Block
Attributes:
Strength: 2D
Dexterity: 3D
Intelligence: 4D
Perception: 4D
Wits: 4D
Presence: 3D
Skills:
Investigation 5D
Stealth 4D
Persuasion 4D
Bureaucracy/Administration 5D
Special Abilities:
Redact Memory: Opposed Wits; target forgets last few minutes or loses a specific detail.
Erase Record: Physical or digital text within reach blurs and becomes unreadable; requires significant effort to restore.
Narrative Step: Short-range “cut” movement—may reposition a few meters as if skipping frames once per round.
Collective Ledger: When operating with at least two other Redactors, gain +1D to Intelligence and Wits actions.
Selective Presence: Cameras and recordings suffer glitches; attempts to identify them suffer −1D.
Typical Gear: Clipboards or tablets containing impossible ledgers, ink-stained tools that function as writing implements and psychic foci
Basic Fantasy Stat Block
Armor Class: 14
Hit Dice: 6 (27 hp average)
Move: 30 ft.
Attacks: Ink lash (1d6) or tool (1d4)
Special: Memory drain (save or lose last round’s action/knowledge); may erase writing or maps; short teleport once per encounter; surprise on 1–3 in cluttered indoor spaces
Morale: 9 (retreats to regroup)
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
XP Value: 500
Design Note:
Redactors define the “intelligent, cultural antagonist” niche for Altered Dimensions. They don’t conquer worlds—they edit them. Adventures with them revolve around investigation, lost history, and the chilling question of whether some things were erased for a reason.
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