The Special Gangs Taskforce (AKA The Striketeam)

The Streets are out of control, and getting weirder and wilder, and cops are right there the thick of it. Most punch the clock, and do their thankless job as best they can, watching out for themselves and their own, and trying to keep a lid on things. Sometimes, the best they can manage is to keep the blood from filling up the storm drains- let alone stop all the drug pushing, prostitution, gambling, burglary, and battery just this side of murder. With the new Sling gangs so willing and able to change the old rules, and with magic added to drugs, guns, and money, things are spiraling faster and faster. It is getting to the point where even the suburban soccer moms are starting to demand action- clean up our inner cities! The politicians put the screws to the cops, and the cops put the screws to the street, and tension builds and people get angry, and the suburbs scream for more action. Then the Striketeam shows up.

The Special Gangs Taskforce was initiated in those shadowy rooms formerly filled with smoke, before smoking in public buildings was banned. Now thick old men chew nicotine gum and formulate a plan- a special multi-precinct police taskforce charged with dealing with “gang-related” crime, but especially dealing with those gangs thought to have their fingers in the occult pie. Favors were called in, old friends called, and hands with rings etched with symbols the ignorant might describe as “Masonic” were shook. Within the SGT, there would be a core of special officers, chosen for their ability to get results. These hard men would the be given almost unprecedented authority to deal with “sling-related” crime, and the gangs which surround “slinger-culture.” They were expected to get results, and given the tools to do so. They were Initiated.

The Striketeam- as this elite core came to be called- was brought into the Wyrd though old-school secret society rituals- oaths, and blood, and sanctified daggers, and the power of symbols. Their ultimate symbol, their badge, and their Wyrd aspected to Authority. The same powers used for hundreds of years to secure subtle and secret rule in the halls of power is now being applied with brutal efficiency on the mean streets of the inner city. The power of the Badge, backed by the sling and the gun.

The Striketeam showed remarkable results very quickly. The powerful mojo Striketeam slingers wield against the sling gangs put them right over the top dealing with the punks and gangstas, and they earned grudging respect. But power- especially the power of absolute authority- is corrupting.

**Aspect: Authority**

The Striketeam taps that old Wyrd of rank and order and obedience- the mystical power of those invested with temporal responsibility. This Authority is one part magical force and one part social hat trick- your Authority only has power so long as you make sure no one forgets it. Officers of the Special Gangs Taskforce carry slightly different Shields than other officers, and the knowing eye will pick up will pick up the Masonic-styled imagery worked into the badge. The Strike team’s weird deals with making others do what you want them to do, imposing order on chaos, enforcing obedience, and gaining respect. This Authority is an iron fist in an armored gauntlet- able to smash those who deny or rebel.

**Initiation**

The Striketeam is initiated as if into one of the old European secret societies- long and dire oaths of obedience and secret keeping filled with graphic descriptions of the punishment for betrayers, consecration of the Symbols with blood (every Striketeam officer’s Shield is marked on its back by his own blood), and tests of courage and loyalty (such as being told to load a firearm, point it at your head, and fire it- the bullets of course being duds).

**Intolerance**

Betrayal. Nothing burns a cop more than a brother officer failing to back him up, support him, or stand by him. This *espri de corps* is especially strong among the members of the Special Gangs Taskforce, and even more so among the Striketeam. Officers who sell out their fellows can’t expect to live long. The Striketeam isn’t popular with many reformer politicians, but the attempts at infiltrating the team with plants and informers has met with failure. Either their loyalties turn, or they get killed in action. Being a Cop is dangerous work. Being a sellout cop is deadly.

**Names**

Striketeam members are given new names during their initiation- mundane sounding though they are. This is compounded with an official paper trail for the new name, including new birth certificate, identification, and records. It would take more than casual research to find out a Striketeam officer’s true name.

**Threads**

The Striketeam is strictly plainclothes, and officers dress how they like, though they tend to the hard case image.

**Tags & Tells**

As an official arm of the police, the Striketeam doesn’t have conventional Tags, though many officers carry a deck of custom Striketeam playing cards not unlike the ‘kill cards’ used in Vietnam. Rather than the Ace of Spades, however, these cards show the Kind of Clubs surrounded by mystically symbolic imagery. They like to leave these cards behind at the site of raids, busts, and takedowns. If the Striketeam is involved in a shooting, one of these cards will usually be found on or around the target. Striketeam officers also know a complex series of secret handshakes and cypher they use to communicate quickly when they don't want others to know.

**Sounds**

The Striketeam isn’t really into the music scene, though they like to listen to heavy, violent, driving music to get pumped up for a raid.

**Weakness**

A Striketeam slinger’s power depends on his Authority, and if that Authority is resisted without answer, then the slinger’s power will abandon him. As a result, the Striketeam are balls-out when it comes to insults from perps. They take no disrespect, and enforce their symbolic power through violence and intimidation. When the Striketeam makes its presence known on the street, they do it loud and hard- and sometimes illegally.

**Trick**

You’re Under Arrest. Anyone the Striketeam legally arrests is unable to sling against any cop- Striketeam or otherwise. The Officer must be able to arrest the Slinger legitimately- the arrest can’t be made based on planted evidence or based on a lie. Generally though, most officers can find a half dozen reasons to arrest someone if they need to. This Trick costs Juice equal to the target slinger’s Wyrd, and the target must be treated in an acceptable manner or the trick breaks- he must be read his rights, processed, and treated as his actions dictate. Holding someone for questioning isn’t enough for this Trick to work. Police brutality will break this Trick, but otherwise it will remain in effect for the length of the target’s incarceration.

**Getting Juice**

When a Striketeam slinger imposes his authority on a chaotic situation without using magic, he gains Juice. The larger the chaos brought under control, the more Juice. For example, showing up at a domestic disturbance and separating the parties involved, and making everyone stop screaming, would earn the Slinger one die of Juice. Talking down an angry mob about to riot would be worth three dice. Up to three dice can be earned this way, and a single situation can only be tapped once. Actions which affirm team loyalty can also earn a Slinger juice- backing up a team member who is in trouble might earn a single die, while saving a team member’s life and getting wounded in the process could earn as many as three. The slinger can also, once per day, perform an abbreviated version of the initiation ritual, reaffirming his allegiance, and re-blooding his shield for a single die of Juice.

**Bonus Dice**

When a Striketeam slinger is acting within the auspice of official authority- serving a warrant, making an arrest, questioning a suspect who has been read his rights, etc.- he gains a bonus die. This only works in situations when the Slinger has the full legal backing of the institutions he represents- extracurricular activities, personal vendetta, or ‘making their presence known’ doesn’t qualify. A Striketeam slinger is most powerful when he is acting within the official framework of his Authority.

**Gang-Related Slings**

*Flash the Badge*

The normal authority and privilege carrying a badge brings is enhanced by the Striketeam’s wyrd. Showing the badge in mundane situations can often be enough to earn a character a bonus die. With this Sling, the badge carries mystical power as well. By spending Juice equal to the target’s Wyrd plus 1, the officer gains an extra die rather than a bonus die when trying to get the target to do what the officer wants him to do. Only actions which the subject could immediately take such things as “Freeze!” or “Tell me what you know about Mr. Spade” are acceptable. Anything more complex than this is impossible with this sling.

*The Shield*

Sometimes, an officer’s official authority can protect him physically. By spending Juice, a Striketeam officer can avoid damage- one point per Beat of damage, and up to 3 in a single round. This is usually enough to let an officer survive an otherwise lethal wound. This Sling can only be used in a round where the officer does nothing else with the Wyrd (beyond Payback).

**Plot Hooks**

*AKA*

The Cops have access to a lot of information- including databases filled with people’s records. It isn’t all that hard for a Striketeam slinger to learn some banger’s True Name if it hasn’t been properly hidden, and they are more than happy to use this as leverage on the street- “tell me what I want to know, of every slinger in the city will learn your Name”. Figuring out a slinger’s Name before a bust is often critical to the success of an operation, and if you’re a slinger on the Striketeam’s shitlist, figuring out some mystical way to change your name will be a major concern.

*Money Money Money*

The Striketeam is dirty. How could it not be? Given an impossible task, and then turned loose with power and responsibility and guns and magic, and all on a cop’s salary. Keep the peace, make a buck, and keep a lid on it. How far would the characters be willing to go to protect themselves once they’ve gotten in deep?

*Always outnumbered, Always outgunned*

The Striketeam comes on strong, in your face, loud, and balls-out… they have to. If the punks ever realize they outnumber the Striketeam fifty to one, then the team’s days are numbered. Just keeping a lid on things is hard enough, but the politicians want headlines. It’s enough to give you an ulcer.