In the World of Darkness, most beat cops have seen things they don’t understand… but they also know that cops who investigate mysterious occurrences too often tend to either vanish or else develop an odd aversion to discussing such events. Instead, police officers tell stories of the strange things they see, then warn each other about the need to report anything too strange to the FBI or some similar agency.

Beat cops react to magick very differently, depending upon what they see. Someone who presents the cop with a badge or other ID indicating that she’s part of some government or military agency while carrying a device that appears to be a piece of impressively advanced or unlikely technology will be treated with deference and respect. In contrast, most police treat an oddly dressed and obviously eccentric individual who’s waving crystals around or gibbering in unknown languages as a threat. Police are likely to arrest, beat, or even shoot such a person, depending upon how threatened the police officer feels and how menacing that individual seems to be.

In recent years, police forces (especially within the United States) have been supplied with military-grade hardware, the training to use it, and the ability to do terrible things with it and get away with them. Because street-level crime rarely demands

Suggested Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3, Charisma 2, Manipulation 3, Appearance 2, Perception 3, Intelligence 2, Wits 3

Suggested Abilities: Alertness 2, Area Knowledge 3, Athletics 2, Brawl 2, Computer 1, Drive 2, Firearms 3, Intimidation 1, Investigation 2, Law 2, Melee 2, Stealth 1, Streetwise 2, Technology 2

Willpower: 5

Health Levels: OK, -1, -1 -2, - 2, -5, Incapacitated

Equipment: Badge and ID card, heavy pistol, riot baton, pepper spray, Taser, radio, police uniform. Urban police officers often wear Kevlar vests when expecting trouble. Escalated responses could provide these same cops with riot suits and shields, shotguns or assault rifles, pacification spray, and military vehicles.

Image: Typical beat cops wear the local law-enforcement uniform, carry the essential gear, and share the infamous, wary cop stare that notes small details and brooks no bullshit. SWAT officers and escalated-response teams wear body armor, carry military weapons, and employ brutal, sometimes lethal, tactics.

Roleplaying Notes: You’ve seen more awful things than you’re willing to discuss with anyone outside the Thin Blue Line. Except under the most extreme circumstances, you’re loyal to your fellow cops; you might not care for individuals, but only other officers can understand what you go through.

armored vehicles and combat-ready troops, those police forces often escalate even the most routine situations to small-scale battle zones. Given the heightened police response to the Occupy demonstrations, the Arab Spring demonstrations, and the Ferguson protests, it’s not unreasonable to assume that a clash with beat cops will turn into a local war within hours… if not minutes, especially in the World of Darkness. Mages who want to mess with the cops should expect very harsh consequences.