Yes, The Invisible College (by RPGPundit/Well of Urd Press) is not only playable with the Wretchedverse, but there is actually official crossover material designed specifically for this combination. This blog entry picks right up from here on the blog.
Because both games are built on OSR (Old-School Essentials/D20-adjacent) foundations, they share a mechanical DNA that makes them highly compatible for a "gritty modern occult" campaign.
The Connection: The Alliance Conspiracy
The Red Room released an updated supplement called The Alliance Conspiracy, which is explicitly billed as a crossover between RPGPundit’s Invisible College and the Red Room's Wretched Époque (and by extension, the modern-day Wretched Darkness).
How They Fit Together
While they share a similar "modern secret war" vibe, they bring different flavors to the table:
| Feature | The Invisible College | Wretched Darkness |
| Mechanical Core | OSR / Modern Occult | Wretched System (Revised OSR) |
| Magic Style | "Authentic" magick, rituals, and theory | Gritty, dangerous, and often "satanic" or "pulp" |
| Tone | Conspiracy, enlightenment, and secret history | Anti-heroic, sleazy, and horror-centric |
| PC Motivation | Occult liberation vs. domination | Driven by Seven Deadly Sins/Virtues |
Tips for Playing Them Together
System Tweaks: Wretched Darkness uses a "Deadly Sins" mechanic for character alignment and motivation.
If you bring in Invisible College characters, you might want to assign them a Sin to keep the mechanical balance of the "Wretchedverse." The Setting: Invisible College provides a dense, "real-world" occult history that can act as the lore background, while Wretched Darkness provides the visceral horror mechanics, sanity rules, and "Spaghettipunk" attitude.
Stats: Both use the standard array of attributes (Strength/Muscle, Dexterity/Agility, etc.). You can lift monsters or NPCs from one and drop them into the other with almost zero conversion effort.
If you already own both, I’d recommend using Wretched Darkness as your "engine" for its robust horror and sanity rules, and using The Invisible College as your "lore book" for factions and its unique ritual magic system.
The official crossover title is The Alliance Conspiracy. While it is technically written for Wretched Époque (the 19th-century setting), it is essentially the "Rosetta Stone" for linking RPGPundit’s The Invisible College with the Wretched Darkness modern-day engine.
The Plot Hooks: Paris, 1890s vs. Modern Day
The module is set during the Dreyfus Affair era in Paris—a time of intense social paranoia and fake news.
The Catalyst: A prominent French politician is murdered. His assistant, a young Jewish man, is framed with seemingly airtight evidence.
The Fake Conspiracy: A mysterious pamphlet called "The Alliance Conspiracy" begins circulating. It claims to prove a global Zionist plot to control France.
The Twist: The Invisible College suspects this isn't just organic bigotry; they believe a powerful "anti-Illuminati" cabal (The Alliance) is using occult manipulation to manufacture this social chaos.
The Mission: Players act as Sojourners (Invisible College agents) sent to Paris to find the real killer, debunk the pamphlet, and stop the occult faction fueling the hatred.
Mechanical Integration
The book is specifically designed to bridge the two systems. Here is what it adds:
Crossover Stats: It provides dual stats for characters and NPCs so they can be used in both The Invisible College and the Wretched system.
Occult Lore: It explains how the "Enlightenment" themes of the College clash with the "Sleaze and Sin" themes of the Wretchedverse.
Historical & Modern Use: While the module is historical, the factions introduced (The Alliance) are designed to be used as long-term antagonists in a modern Wretched Darkness campaign.
Why It Works for Your Game
If you are playing Wretched Darkness, you can treat The Alliance Conspiracy as a "prequel" or use its modern-day update (often found in the Red Room's Pundit Files) to bring the Invisible College's version of magic into your world.
The Wretched system is generally more "deadly" and focused on the character's internal corruption (Sins), while The Invisible College focuses on the external mystery. Combining them creates a game where you're fighting a global conspiracy while trying not to lose your soul to your own vices.
In The Invisible College, "Sojourner" isn't just a class—it is the foundational identity of the player characters. To be a Sojourner is to be a "traveller" between the mundane world and the hidden occult reality.
When you play them in the Wretched Darkness (or Wretched Époque) system, they function as a specialized OSR-style class with a focus on investigation, lore, and "Authentic Magick."
The Sojourner Class Mechanics
In the crossover context, the Sojourner is designed to be a "jack-of-all-trades" for the occult world, bridging the gap between a modern investigator and a ritual sorcerer.
Primary Attributes: Intelligence and Charisma.
The "Secret History" Skill: Sojourners possess a unique ability to recognize occult symbolism, secret society ciphers, and hidden historical truths that the general public (and even other Wretched classes) would miss.
Magick Ability: Unlike the "Satanic" or "Pulp" magic often found in Wretched Darkness, Sojourners use Theurgy and Goetia. Their magic is slower, more academic, and requires specific tools (circles, seals, incense).
Sojourner Rank: As you level up, you gain "Degrees" within the College. These ranks grant access to higher-level libraries, safer "Safe Houses," and more powerful ritual secrets.
Key Abilities in the Wretched System
If you are porting a Sojourner into a Wretched Darkness campaign, here is how their specific toolkit usually looks:
| Ability | Effect |
| Occult Network | Once per session, you can contact a "Brother" or "Sister" of the College for info or a place to hide. In Wretched terms, this bypasses the need for a standard "Connections" roll. |
| Mental Bastion | Sojourners are trained to resist mental manipulation. They get a bonus to Sanity or Willpower saves against supernatural influence. |
| Ritualist | You can cast spells from The Invisible College core book. These usually take $10 \times Level$ minutes to cast but don't cost "Mana"—they cost time and rare components. |
| The Blind Eye | You are expert at blending into mundane society. You gain a bonus to rolls when trying to hide occult activity from the police or the public. |
The "Sojourner's Burden" (Integration with Sins)
In Wretched Darkness, characters are defined by their Sins. For a Sojourner, their "Sin" is often Pride. They believe they are the "Enlightened" ones who know better than the rest of humanity.
The Conflict: A Sojourner often struggles between their mission to liberate humanity with truth and their desire to control that truth because they think regular people can't handle it.
How to Build One
If you're sitting down to roll a character right now:
Pick a "Wretched" Archetype: Usually the Scholar or Occultist.
Apply the Sojourner Template: Swap out your standard class "Special Feature" for the Invisible College Membership (granting you the Secret History skill and one starting Ritual).
Choose your Tools: Sojourners rarely carry heavy weapons; they usually carry a "concealed" tool of the trade (an engraved silver dagger, a notebook of seals, or a specialized UV flashlight for seeing "Aetheric" residue).
In The Invisible College, magic is "Authentic Magick"—it isn't a "fireball and lightning" system. It is a slow, methodical process of bending reality through the practitioner's will. When used in the Wretched system, it functions as a high-risk, high-reward ritual.
The most iconic starting ritual for any Sojourner is the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (LBRP).
The Ritual: Lesser Banishing Ritual (LBRP)
This is the "bread and butter" of the Sojourner. It is used to cleanse an area of hostile spiritual influence, protect the caster from possession, and act as a mental reset.
Casting Time: 10 to 30 minutes (depending on the complexity of the workspace).
Requirements: A ritual dagger (athame) or a pointed finger, incense, and the vocalization of Hebrew Divine Names.
Wretched System Check: Intelligence (Occultism) check.
Mechanical Effects
When successfully cast in a Wretched Darkness session, the LBRP provides three major benefits:
Aetheric Shield: For $1 \text{ hour} \times \text{Level}$, no minor spirits, ghosts, or astral entities can enter a 10-foot radius around the caster.
Sanity Buffer: The caster and any allies within the circle immediately recover $1d4$ points of temporary Sanity (or receive a +2 bonus to their next Sanity/Willpower save).
The "Cleanse": It removes any "Magical Traces" or "Auras" left behind by other casters, making it much harder for enemies to track the party via scrying.
The Cost of Failure (The "Wretched" Twist)
In the Wretched system, failure isn't just "nothing happens." If you fail the Intelligence check while performing a ritual:
The Backfire: You don't just fail to banish the entity; you attract its attention. The Sojourner might suffer a Mental Strain penalty, or worse, the ritual creates a "Beacon" in the astral plane that alerts local horrors to your exact location.
Sin Corruption: If the Sojourner’s Pride (their Sin) is high, a failed ritual might lead them to believe the ritual did work, leaving them dangerously overconfident and vulnerable.
Magick Math: The Ritual Formula
In The Invisible College, the difficulty of a ritual is calculated based on the "Resistance" of the local environment.
Example: You are trying to banish a minor demon (Power 3) from a haunted basement.
Base Threshold: 10
Entity Power: $3 \times 2 = 6$
Caster Level: 2
Total Target Number: $10 + 6 - 2 = 14$
You must roll a 14 or higher on a $1d20$ (adding your Intelligence modifier) to succeed.
Why use this instead of Wretched Spells?
Wretched Darkness magic is often "fast and dirty"—it’s effective but rots the soul quickly. Invisible College rituals are safer for your soul, but they require time and preparation. A Sojourner who tries to cast a ritual while being chased by a cultist with a shotgun is going to have a very bad day.
Here is a "Cheat Sheet" for a starting Sojourner’s grimoire. These rituals represent the core curriculum of The Invisible College and provide the utility needed to survive a Wretched Darkness campaign.
The Sojourner’s Ritual Grimoire
| Ritual Name | Purpose | Duration / Effect |
| The Middle Pillar | Internal Fortification | Increases Willpower/Sanity saves for 24 hours. |
| The Rose Cross | Stealth & Obscurity | Makes the caster "unnoticeable" to the supernatural. |
| The Watcher’s Eye | Divination / Scrying | Allows the caster to see through walls or track an object. |
| Consecration of the Tool | Empowerment | Imbues a weapon/object with the power to harm spirits. |
1. The Middle Pillar
While the LBRP (Banishing) clears the room, the Middle Pillar clears the mind. It involves visualizing a pillar of light descending through the body.
Wretched Effect: In a world of sleaze and horror, this is your "Armor." A successful ritual grants the caster Temporary Hit Points equal to their Level and a +2 bonus to resist any "Social" or "Seduction" attacks from demons or NPCs.
The Risk: If you fail while your Pride Sin is active, you become "spiritually bloated," suffering a penalty to Dexterity/Agility because you feel too "elevated" to care about the physical world.
2. The Rose Cross
This is the ultimate "No-Fly Zone" for the soul. It doesn't banish entities; it makes you invisible to them.
Wretched Effect: You become immune to Aura Reading and Scrying. If a creature has a "Sense Evil" or "Sense Magick" ability, they must roll a check with a -5 penalty to even notice you are in the room.
Note: This is perfect for when you are being hunted by the Wretched setting’s powerful corporate or cultist hit-squads.
3. The Watcher’s Eye (Opening the Third Eye)
This ritual allows the Sojourner to see the "Aetheric" world superimposed over the material one.
Wretched Effect: For 10 minutes, you can see Ghosts, Auras, and Magickal Traps. You can also see "Shadow People" before they manifest.
The Cost: This is taxing on the human brain. Once the ritual ends, you must make a Stamina/Constitution save or suffer a "Migraine" penalty (-1 to all rolls) for $1d6$ hours.
4. Consecration of the Athame (or Tool)
Most Wretched monsters are resistant to normal bullets and blades. This ritual fixes that.
Wretched Effect: You spend an hour etching symbols into a weapon. That weapon now counts as Magical/Silver for the purposes of overcoming damage resistance.
Scaling: As you increase in Degrees (Level), you can imbue the weapon with specific banishing properties (e.g., +2 damage against Vampires or Demons).
Pro-Tip: The "Ritual Synergy"
In a crossover game, a Sojourner is most effective when they use their rituals to prep the battlefield.
Use the Rose Cross to sneak into the cultist lair.
Use the Watcher's Eye to find the hidden idol.
Use the Middle Pillar to steel your nerves before the boss fight.
To make your character feel like a true Sojourner embedded in the gritty, neon-and-filth world of Wretched Darkness, your background hook needs to bridge the gap between "high-minded occultist" and "street-level survivor."
Here are three distinct hooks based on different types of Invisible College cells. Choose the one that best fits your campaign's location:
1. The "Paper Trail" Archivist (The London/New England Hook)
You were an intern at a prestigious university or a clerk for a high-end estate lawyer. You discovered a "glitch" in the records: a series of properties, trusts, and deaths that have been repeating in a perfect 70-year cycle since the 1700s.
The Hook: The Invisible College contacted you just before the "Cleaning Crew" (the antagonists) arrived to burn the evidence—and you.
The Wretched Twist: Your mentor in the College was recently found in a gutter, "suicided" via an impossible overdose. You have his encrypted ledger, but you need a crew of specialists (the other PCs) to help you reach the location it describes.
Starting Sin: Sloth (You spent your life hiding behind books until the world forced your hand).
2. The "Aetheric" Medic (The Urban/City Hook)
You work at a 24-hour urgent care clinic in a bad neighborhood. You started noticing "impossible" injuries: wounds that look like they were made by swords from the 16th century, or patients whose blood has literally turned to lead.
The Hook: You saved the life of a Sojourner who was bleeding out from an "Astral Parasite." In gratitude, they "opened your eyes."
The Wretched Twist: You realize your hospital is actually built on a Ley Line used by a local corporation to harvest "spiritual energy" from the dying. You are now an internal whistleblower for the College.
Starting Sin: Envy (You crave the power and health of the elites you see literally draining the life from your patients).
3. The "Black Market" Antiquarian (The Noir/Underworld Hook)
You are a "cleaner" or a high-end fence for stolen goods. You thought you were just dealing in rare art and occult kitsch until you handled a genuine Lesser Key of Solomon artifact. The moment you touched it, you saw the "Shadow People" that follow the local mob boss.
The Hook: The College "recruited" you by intercepting a deal and offering you a choice: work for the Great Work, or be left to the mercy of the things you can now see.
The Wretched Twist: You still have your criminal contacts. The College uses you to navigate the "Sleaze" of the city, while you use the College’s rituals to make sure you don't get sacrificed in a back-alley ritual.
Starting Sin: Greed (You know exactly how much a real demon-trapped gemstone is worth on the occult black market).
Integrating the Cell
In The Invisible College, you aren't a lone wolf; you belong to a Cell. In a Wretched Darkness game, this Cell usually acts as your "Patron."
The Cell's Cover: They might pose as a "Rare Book Restoration Society," a "Yoga & Meditation Retreat," or even a "Dark Web Crypto-Mining Group."
The Mission: They provide you with the Rituals (like the ones we detailed), but in exchange, you must perform "Errands"—which usually involve stealing artifacts from people who are too dangerous for the College's "Enlightened" leaders to face directly
