Blood Cult

"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown."

Even in the far future, some things are never quite understood. There are things that lurk in the darkness of space, unspeakable horrors of ancient power that wish to bring ruin to the universe and to shape it into their image. They reach out from the void, and turn the minds of mortal men and women in their favor in hopes that one day they shall be brought once more into this plane of existence.

Unfortunately for the station, looks like NanoTrasen accidentally positioned the station near an undetectable weak point in time and space. Whoops. Who would've known?

The Beginning of a New Era
The Geometer of Blood, Nar-Sie, has sent a number of her followers to Space Station 13. As a cultist, you have an abundance of cult magics at your disposal, something for all situations. You must work with your brethren to summon an avatar of your eldritch goddess!

At the beginning of a Cult round, several cultists will arrive on the station. When you spawn, you'll find a ritual dagger and 10 runed metal in your bag. The dagger is essential for drawing runes, while the runed metal is used to make valuable structures; additional runes metal can be created by using the Twisted Construction ability on any ordinary plasteel.

The Cult has two major objectives. The first is to use an Offer rune to sacrifice a certain target to Nar'Sie. The target is shown to all cultists, and is often a high ranking member of the crew or a Security officer. Once the target has been sacrificed, Nar'Sie can be summoned in one of three predetermined locations on the station, using 9 cultists and/or constructs and after a 45-second rune drawing process. If Nar'sie is summoned, the Cult wins!

Cultist Quick Guide
Have you never played as a Cultist before, and find yourself subverted or starting off? Here's a quick primer on the most important aspects:


 * Communing: The very first thing to do is find somewhere where you can be alone and talk to your fellow cultists using your Commune ability. Communing broadcasts messages to all other cultists, but any nearby crew can see and hear you whispering, potentially revealing your cult. Talk to your allies, find out where everybody else works and has access to, formulate a plan, and ask senior cultists for advice if needed.
 * Blood Magic: By clicking the Blood Magic icon, you can prepare up to one spell from a variety of blood magicks. Preparing a spell takes a few seconds and leaves a blood splatter on the floor, so do it somewhere where nobody's looking. Once you have a spell prepared, click its icon to 'put it in your hand', and click on a target with it to use it. Starting off, the most important spells are generally Stun and Teleport.
 * Cult Bases: By using your Ritual Dagger, you can create runes at your feet. To create a starting cult base, find somewhere secluded and safe to start placing runes. The most important rune is a Teleport rune, which lets any cultist warp to it using the Teleport blood magic spell or by clicking on a different rune. Commune once you have a Teleport rune up in a safe place, so others can join you. Make sure no non-cultists find your runes!
 * Runes: Afterwards, place an Empower rune; standing on it lets you prepare four blood magic spells simultaneously. Finally, an Offer rune lets you convert others to your cause by dragging them onto it and clicking on it with an empty hand. Offering requires two cultists and/or constructs to be standing b ythe rune, so make sure you have a friend with you to help. There are other runes, but Teleport, Empower and Offer are the most important.
 * Conversions: Once you have a base, you can begin Offering. While standing on the Empower rune, prepare a Stun, a Shadow Shackles, and two other spells; remember you can prepare multiple Stuns at once. Find a crewmember, Stun them, drag them somewhere secluded, Shackle them, remove their headset if the base is too far away, then drag them back to it, put them on the Offer rune, and use it with a friend or stand on and activate a Spirit rune next to it. Of course, if you have the means to abduct people without blood magic, feel free to use mundane methods. If they don't have a mindshield implant, they'll become a cultist; if they're implanted, like Security or the Heads, they'll explode violently and leave behind a soulstone. Either outcome is good for you.
 * Structures: By using the Runed Metal cultist begin with (get more by using the Twisted Construction blood magic on plasteel), you can build one of four constructions: pylons, altars, archives and forges. Each cultist starts with enough metal to build 3 of the 4 options, so once you have a main base going, make sure someone's built at least one of each except for pylons; pylons only heal cultists, but the other three let you build useful items, weapons and tools. Don't build items unless you need them; once any item is built, that structure goes on a 4 minute cooldown. If you have the metal, building multiples of each structures isn't a bad idea.
 * Constructs: When you sacrifice an implanted crewmember on an Offer rune, they'll leave behind a soulstone shard. Create a construct shell at an altar, and you can put the soulstone inside it to transform the soul within into a construct. Constructs come in three types: utility Artificers, tanky Juggernauts and sneaky assassin Wraiths. The first one you create should almost always be an Artificer, as they can create more soulstones and shells. If a soulstone is empty, using it on a corpse will attempt to put the corpse's soul into the shard, and you can release the soul as a much less useful Shade by clicking it in your hand.
 * Going Loud: Unless your cultists are (un)godly talented and lucky, you'll eventually be caught out. Either someone will slip up, somebody will find your base, or your cult will grow so powerful that it becomes impossible to hide (red eyes, then a dark halo). Once you know the jig is up, start playing more aggressively; place extra Teleport runes and mini-bases around the station in case your main hideout gets raided, make more power moves to convert or kill crewmembers, and find some way to kill or subvert the AI if it hasn't been done.
 * Summoning Nar'Sie: The first step to actually summoning your dark god is to Offer her desired target, randomly picked at the start of the round and shown in the top-right of your screen. Use teamwork and co-operation to take them down, drag them to your base, and sacrifice them. Once they've been offered, their icon is replaced with a list of three locations where Nar'Sie can be summoned. Head there, fortify the location, ideally have your Cult Master use Final Reckoning the bring the entire cult to the summoning spot, and begin drawing the final rune. Drawing the Nar'Sie rune requires a 3x3 area, takes 45 seconds, surrounds the drawer in forcefields, and tells the entire station where it's happening, so make your final stand against whatever's left of the crew! If you can hold out long enough to finish the rune, have 9 cultists and/or constructs stand on it (use the 'rest' button to lie down and make more room), click on it with an empty hand, and Nar'Sie will be summoned, giving your cult the win!

The Cult Master and You Cultist.png
The Cult Master is the leader of your cult, the main driving force behind your goal to summon Nar-Sie. The Cult Master has access to a wide variety of abilities to assist the cult in achieving its goals. Make sure to protect and serve him/her at all costs, as they are the key to the cult success!

IMPORTANT: The Cult Master is the only one capable of using the Final Reckoning, a single-use, extremely powerful ability suited for ending the round. It's highly recommended that a Cult Master not be selected until the cult is established; in fact, many cults choose not to pick a leader until they're ready to summon Nar'Sie.

So, how does one become the Master?
When the round first starts, an additional button along with your Commune verb will be available. The "Assert Leadership" button will allow you to apply for the Cult Master status. Once a member of the cult asserts their leadership, an announcement will be made to all cultists. After a few seconds, a vote will be called where the cult can vote whether or not they want that person as the Cult Master. If the vote passes, the player will gain the Cult Master's abilities. If you are not the Master, make sure to follow his/her orders, as they are now your superior!

Being The Master of Wrist Cutting
So, you asserted your leadership and won the vote of the cult. Congratulations on your promotion to Cult Master! I hope you know what you are doing. If you have experience playing as a department head this shouldn't be too different, minus the killing and summoning elder gods part.

To summon Nar-Sie, you are going to need to keep organized and grow your numbers as much as possible while remaining hidden. As the Cult Master, your Commune power is enhanced, making all of your messages large and bolded just like when you use a megaphone. This will assist greatly in organizing the cult, as the other cultists will be able to easily see your messages among the common radio rabble.

Here is a quick reference guide on what you should be doing as the Cult Master:


 * 1) Determine a hidden, easily defendable location for your cultists to congregate. They will need a place to create runes and structures to assist the cult.
 * 2) Beat back and silence any potential intruders to your hideout.
 * 3) Stay back and relay information and orders with use of the Spirit Realm rune, and let your goons handle the dirty work. Make sure to have a Medbot, Pylon or some other source of healing nearby so you don't drain your life completely.
 * 4) Staying at the base helps you reach the two-cultist requirement you need to convert someone. When a fellow cultist manages to snag and send back an unconverted crewmember, you will be there to bring them into the cult.
 * 5) While around your base, it is recommended to create items from the Altars and Forges to have a fresh supply of equipment ready when everyone needs it at once. Nobody likes waiting around the Forge because someone made a single set of armor and ran off.
 * 6) Lead your brethren into battle when the time comes to face the crew head on!
 * 7) Use your unique powers to move things around, target foes for your fellow cultists and use the Final Reckoning when you are ready to summon Nar-sie herself!

In the end, you call the shots. Your cult doesn't have to be run like this; experiment and find what works and doesn't! Even if you lose (odds are you will lose... a lot), you'll be better prepared for the next time the Cult of Nar-sie needs a leader.

Cult Master Powers
As the Cult Master, you have access to a handful of powerful and versatile occult powers to assist you and the rest of the cult. These powers can be accessed from the HUD on the top left. The powers are as follows:

The Ritual Dagger Ritual_knife.png
Your dagger is your most important tool and has several functions:


 * You can draw runes with it.
 * Hitting a cultist with it removes Holy Water from them.
 * Hitting a non-cultist with it will result in you stabbing them (huh), dealing 15 armor-piercing brute damage.
 * Hitting runes with it removes them.
 * Hitting cult structure with it will unanchor and anchor them, allowing you to move them around.
 * Hitting a runed girder with it will disassemble the girder.
 * Has 25% chance to block melee attacks.

If you're in a position that would usually wander the halls, try to seek out your fellow cultists in person. If not, check in with your brothers using your Commune verb, but do this in private, to prevent people from hearing your whispers. A lot of jobs have access to isolated areas of the station that are great for this, and there's also space. Remember, if you get caught, you endanger the entire cult.

Blood Spells Bloodspells.png
Blood Spells are limited-use blood magic spells that dissipate after they're spent, and they're your bread and butter when fighting the crew. Blood Spells can be created at any time via an action button that appears below your character. However, blood spells created without an Empowering Rune will take longer, cause significant blood loss, and will cap your spell count at a measly one. Using an Empowering Rune circumvents this issue and allow you to acquire up to 4 spells. You can use an Empowering Rune to remove these spells as well to free up room for others if need be.

A good tip is to make sure to try and have a stun spell and a teleport spell with you to escape risky situations. This will leave only two other options for spells though, so carefully choose what you think might help best for a particular situation.

How to use and unequip blood spells
After carving a spell into your flesh you get an action button on your hud. Click it and that spell will be equipped to your hand, like an item. Then you either activate it in your hand and/or use it on a target, depending on which spell you've chosen. To unequip the spell, press Q (works on /tg/ since Aug 2019) '''or click the same action button again. '''This will save the spell for later.

Runes
The Ritual Dagger allows you to scribe any of these runes, using Scribe Rune. Simply pick the rune you want, and wait until completion. Scribing a rune deals minor damage, since you need to cut your wrists to get the necessary blood. Activate a rune by clicking on it.

Structures
By using a construction talisman on platsteel, you are able to get runed metal. With it, you can build several structures, with unique powers. You can unanchor cult buildings by hitting them with your ritual dagger. Using "Conceal Runes" near these structures will make them turn invisible, and make runed doors look like regular airlocks.

Constructs
Robust cultists will likely want to enlist the services of a few constructs. To create a construct, a cultist requires:


 * A filled soul stone, either by sacrificing a human, or capturing a soul manually with a stone from an artificer.
 * An empty shell, either by casting Twisted Construction on 50 metal sheets, from an artificer, or from an archive.

When the filled soul stone shard is used on an empty shell, the cultist will be allowed to choose the desired construct to create. Keep in mind these guys are pretty much a dead giveaway that there is cult activity on the station, so try to be covert about it in the beginning.

A complete guide to constructs can be found here. Artificers will poop out new Soulstone Shards and Shells, wraiths can kill the AI, and Juggernauts are great tanks.

The Inevitable Discovery
As the cult rises in power, you and your brethren will begin to undergo some revealing effects caused by the power gained due to the number of members you have in the cult. This will make you easier to spot by unfriendly crewmembers, and after a certain point, there will be no way to hide from the crew. You'll have to make a stand and fight off the rest.

The veil weakens as your cult grows, your eyes begin to glow...
 * Once the blood cult reaches 20% of the active player population, everyone in the cult will receive a notice that the cult is "rising" - and after a moderate delay, the eyes of all existing and new cultists will be permanently red . Examining any cultist with uncovered eyes will confirm their supernatural appearance. Thankfully, this is easily avoidable by wearing any form of eyewear, but still could get you caught out if people are examing you closely without eyewear.

Your cult is ascendant and the red harvest approaches - you cannot hide your true nature for much longer!!
 * Once the blood cult reaches 40% of the active player population, everyone in the cult will receive a warning and after a moderate delay will gain a blood-red cult halo, permanently revealing the identity of existing AND new blood cultists. There is no way to hide this one. If you've managed to get this far, you should have no problems defeating the crew in a head-on battle if you can deal with Security.

Threats to the Cult
Even with access to a large number of different runes and spells, there are ways that your plans may be thwarted by the station's crew. Keep your eye out for these groups of individuals, as they can put a dent in your occult activities.

[[File:Generic_hos.png]]Security and the [[File:Generic_chaplain.png]]Chaplain
Even the best-prepared cultists will have trouble to defend themselves against the united power of security. Especially if the Chaplain Helps them. The Chaplain is able to turn normal water into Holy Water (by slapping its container with a bible), which will turn cultist back into normal people if it stays long enough in their system. The Chaplain is also immune to cult magic and conversion, and his bible is able to make hidden runes visible. The bible can also be used by anyone (not just the Chaplain) on a filled Soul Shard to purify it, which deconverts the shade inside.

Cultist Tips

 * You can solo convert non mindshielded crew by using a Spirit Realm rune and summoning a cult ghost.
 * Cultists can know a rune's name and effects by examining it.
 * Your dagger is a robust melee weapon with 15 damage and good armor-piercing, it can also be sharpened to further increase its lethality. The dagger also serves as an excellent last resort as it deals 25 damage when thrown.
 * Always be ready to summon a cultist in trouble. Stunned or restrained cultists cannot call for help on the cult communion, so keep an eye on the Common channel. If you see a cultist being arrested be sure to report it in communion so they can be rescued before its too late! You can also use the spirit rune to check for cultists in trouble or ask ghosts for the location of dead cultists to revive.
 * Spirit Sight is an incredibly powerful exploration tool, and ghosts can give you precious hints.
 * The chaplain's weapon makes them immune to most of your magic. Don't attempt to use stun spells on them while they have their weapon, or you will get discovered and likely killed.
 * Keeping a shade in a Soulstone Shard [[File:Soulstone.png]] with you will allow you to use two-person runes by yourself, by releasing and then recapturing the shade.
 * Shades can ventcrawl around the station (alt-click).
 * Cultists often find a use for medibots. Having a single bot with a low threshold, backed up by brutepacks or pylons, can keep your cult in fighting shape.
 * Get some plasteel either from mining, stealing it from robotics, engineering or EVA storage, or deconstructing reinforced walls/tables if you are desperate. The AI satellite even contains some spare plasma and metal that you can use to produce plasteel (if you can convince it to let you in.)
 * The EMP spell and Apocalypse Rune are both incredibly useful. They can give you access almost anywhere, just don't forget your crowbar!
 * Manifest Spirit is also useful for getting those missing cultists you need for the Nar'Sie rune.
 * A construct can quickly take down an AI. The best one to do the job is the Wraith. It can jaunt into the core and take the AI down before the crew can respond.
 * Drawing a rune on a cult floor is 50% faster than on a normal floor (except the Nar-Sie rune).
 * If the Harvesters bring enough people to Nar-Sie you may or may not get a special ending.
 * You may be tempted to try converting the Free Golems down in mining but be warned, Adamantine Golems are anti-magic and your spells will not work on them, similarly, Silver and Cloth Golems are Holy and will also be immune to your conversion.
 * Use the conceal presence spell on a teleport rune to create a hidden teleport destination, perfect for safely escaping to.
 * Blood gathered from the blood rites spell can heal cultists instantly. You can also sap 50 units of blood directly from living people.

Nar-Sie


Once you've completed the ritual, Nar-Sie will come forth.

Her destructive power is unmatched, transforming the bodies of the unenlightened and twisting the very walls to suit her image.

Few things are capable of challenging Nar-Sie's sheer power.

How to Fight A Blood Cult: A Guide for the Common Spaceman
The Cult of Nar-Sie may be a formidable group of wrist-cutting lunatics, but not to fear! There are ways that you as a normal crewmember can either fight or stay safe from their occult influence. Here are some suggested courses of action if you are a non-cultist and care for your well being:

Chaplain[[File:Generic_chaplain.png]]
The Chaplain is immune to conversion and is able to turn normal water into Holy Water, which can deconvert cultist back into normal people. With a Null rod in inventory, the Chaplain is also immune to cult magic. The bible is able to make hidden runes visible. You are not immune to being sacrificed.

When cult activity is confirmed: Make sure you have your Null rod weapon and Holy Book with you. Grab a water tank, bless it with your book so it turns into holy water, and drag the tank to the brig. The brig is now your home. You are a primary target for the cult, and will sometimes also be their sacrificial objective.

(Optional) when brig has holy water secured: Grab a Fire Extinguisher from a wall. Empty it and fill it with holy water. You can use it to start blessing tiles, which blocks Blood Beams and prevents Wraiths from jaunting over them.

(Optional) if the AI has not been moved: Have the AI let you into its chamber, so you can bless it. Many cults will kill the AI early, by constructing a Wraith. The wraith can easily jaunt in, appear right in front of the AI and kill it. You can prevent this by blessing most tiles in the AI's chamber.

When you are safe in the brig: You can cooperate with security and stick close to them. Hopefully, they will treat you with respect in return and give you some gear. If the time comes, you may then choose to be the vanguard in the final battle against the cult.

Purified Soulstones and Constructs
Anyone (not only chaplain) can purify a soulstone shard with a bible, and then put it into a found construct shell to create purified constructs, which will help the crew.

Security[[File:Generic_hos.png]]
Even the best-prepared and robust members of the Cult will have trouble defending themselves against the united power of security, especially if the Chaplain helps them. Your job is to deconvert (or kill if necessary) cultists, find and crack down on cult bases, and destroy constructs. Remember: the safety of the station and its staff are on the line, and it's probably your fault if you fail.

How to Deconvert a Cultist with Holy Water
Step 1: Find a suspected cultist. If less than 20% of the crew are converted they will look like normal crew, so you will have to look for people who are behaving suspiciously or are caught standing near runes. Small brute injuries on one arm or isolated blood spills in someone's workplace could also be signs. If you know that more than 20% of the crew are (or at some point were) converted to the cult, you should ask suspected crewmembers to take off their eyewear. When examining a cultist a red text will then say "his/her eyes are glowing an unnatural red!". If more than 40% of the crew is (or was) cult, you will also see pentagram halos above their heads.

Step 2: Arrest the suspected cultist. Disable/stun and cuff, like any other criminal. As long as cuffed cultists are either held or buckle-cuffed to a chair, they can not be teleported away by their fellow cultists. Take them to the interrogation room.

Step 3: Check the suspect's bag for a ritual dagger (or other cult items). The cult might still be too small to have glowy eyes. Lock it away so it can't be used to stop deconversion, in case a prisoner resists out of the cuffs. Take off any cult gear as well, as they might hurt the prisoner after deconversion if worn. Remember to check EVERYWHERE. Some cultists may be hiding their gear in more discreet locations on their person. A good one to watch out for is if they have hidden their dagger in their boots if they are wearing Jackboots or Workboots.

Step 4: Force feed the confirmed cultist at least 25 units of Holy Water. Use 30 units to be safe. Each sip contains 5 units. It takes exactly 60 chemical ticks (about 2 minutes or less) to deconvert a cultist. After 25 ticks (about 50 seconds or less) the cultist will have a 20% chance per tick to spout random cult sentences which, when it happens, also has a 10% chance to cause 12 seconds of unconsciousness. Stunbaton or flash the prisoners every now and then to make sure they don't resist out of the cuffs. The holy water will instantly clear out blood rites and blood spells.

Step 5: Mindshield Implant the cultist. Mindshield implants will not deconvert cultists, but they will prevent them from being converted/reconverted. They can still be sacrificed and turned into constructs though. Security and the Captain are implanted by default.

Like with revs, you will see a big purple message when a nearby person is deconverted: "-Name- looks like he/she just reverted to his/her old faith!" Deconverted cultists do not keep their memories from their time in the cult.

If Shit Hits the Fan
If you start seeing pentagram halos you might not have time to arrest and deconvert anymore. Team up, gear up with your weapons of choice, and start blasting people with halos. If the situation feels under control again then go back to deconverting.

Here are some tips and tricks for security:


 * Mirror shields can instantly shatter, stunning their users, if hit by a shot that does 30 damage or more. Many types of shotgun ammo, such as slugs, should do the trick.
 * Zealot's Blindfolds protect against flashes, but not against bangs. Use flashbangs.
 * Consider arming deconverted and implanted former cultists. They should be your confirmed allies.
 * Constructs cannot be stunned and are usually never on your side in a cult round. Kill them with lethal weapons without hesitation.
 * Mindshields can be applied to members of the Cult even when they are not converted; they only protect against hostile mind conversion. Don't just go randomly implanting people until you know who is really on your side.
 * Extremely crafty cultists can disguise as a recently murdered Security Officer and steal an implant for themselves to look life officers. Don't expect this to happen often, but the possibility is there.

Medbay[[File:MedicalDoctor.png]]
If you work in the Medbay it's not your job to directly fight the cult, but you may still do so if you wish. Whatever you do, be careful about attacking people if you are not sure who is cultist or not. The same goes for every other department as well.

Here are some general tips and tricks for Medbay workers:

Medical Doctors: Examine people before healing them, to check for glowy eyes or cult gear. If you don't see anything obvious, then try to do your job as normal. If you have holy water you can be extra helpful by building a smoke machine. Print the board from the medical techfab or ask the AI to let you into the tech storage so you can grab it. Print stock parts and cable coil from an autolathe. Fill it with holy water and turn it on. Cultists who breathe the holy water will have their prepared spells deleted, so they can no longer stun you. The holy water smoke will also bless tiles if 10u or more touches them.

Chemists: You can create non-lethal syringes with Chloral Hydrate or other chemicals, to use in a syringe gun. Then if you accidentally shoot a non-cultist it won't be a big deal. If you manage to put a confirmed cultist to sleep, then feel free to cuff them with cablecuffs and bring them to the brig for deconversion. You can also make combat drugs and hand them to security.

Geneticists: You can try to find powers such as x-ray vision, and then make injectors to give to security (or use yourself).

Also, try to keep your distance from people acting suspiciously. Medbay usually has some secluded areas, and cultists can easily stun and kidnap you in melee range. Don't try to fight them unless you know what you're doing.

Cargo[[File:Generic_cargo.png]]
Order Religious Supplies crates. If the Chaplain is nowhere to be seen and security don't have any holy water, order this as fast as possible. The crate contains holy water.

Order Mindshield Implants. If people really don't want to be converted to the cult, they can request to be implanted after cult presence is confirmed. If security is properly deconverting crew, they might run out of implants unless cargo ordered more.

Order guns. If you have a way to open the crates, then guns could help give you or security the upper hand. Remember, be careful about who you shoot if you don't know who is a cultist. Prefer using non-lethals if holy water is available.

Science[[File:scientist_generic.png]]
Toxins: While bombs should be the crew's last resort, they are the strongest weapon you can use to stop a Nar-Sie summon. If you hear the summoning announcement, it might be time to deliver a bomb to the announced location, as a final decisive move against the cult.

Roboticist: Exosuits are strong when cracking down on cult bases. Feel free to build one or more. Cult spells and items can not stun mechs, but they can still damage and destroy it.

Xenobiologist: Some slime cores, such as those from Sepia Slimes can be very powerful in combat, if you manage to get them. Be careful though, as in the xenobiology lab you are often isolated which could make you an easy target.

Engineering[[File:Generic_engineer.png]]
Engineer: Normally, cultists don't sabotage the engine since it may hurt their teammates. Just make sure there is power. Feel free to build backup telecomms in case a wraith wrecks it (cultists don't need telecomms). You can also try asking the AI let you move its core to a hidden location if you can make it trust you.

Atmospheric Technician: You don't need to go out of your way to fight the cult unless you have some sort of plan. Do not flood the station with gas, since it might hurt non-cultists. Repair any hull breaches resulting from combat.

Botany[[File:Generic_botanist.png]]
Grow Holymelons. Not only can they be ground for holy water, but they also have anti-magic properties. Keep a Holymelon in your hand and you should be immune to cult conversion and some other cult spells, until the melon runs out of charges.

Traitor (Maybe)
It's apparently possible to force a cultist reveal information that is "forgotten" after deconversion (for example the obligatory sacrifice) by using the hypnotic flash available to traitors. A very trustworthy security force could use this to negotiate with a traitor and gain an insane advantage (needs confirmation)