Cartoons and Comic books in the WoD...
Dswynne
character (Superman, Spiderman, Tarzan, The Shadow, PowerPuff Girls, The Tick,
etc.) translate into the World of Darkness? Now, I know that "Abberant" is
made for such things, but being a WoD fan has always been the reason for
creating "loose" translations of popular mediums. So, if we count "super
powers" in the same vein as Numia (pyschic abilities, hedge magic, etc.), it
could work (for the most part. So, here are examples of such possibilites
(using the Superman mythos as an example):
Superman: an umbrood (read: alien) whose inspiration gives hope withen the
darkness of the WoD. Possess great abilites that are natural to his species.
Currently is under a "hands-off" policy by the Technocrats (inadvertantly helps
promotes _science_ as the reason for Superman's abilities). Interestingly,
Kypton would be the end result of the Technocratic dream (a cold,
emotional-less society based on ratioanlity).
Lex Luthor: Powerful Syndicate Finacier with a strong background in the
sciences.
Steel: SoE ally and pulp hero (wears a hand made suit of power armor that was
created in his basement)
Lois Lane: rogue Technocratic MiB (ie. a Watcher) who hates Luthor (shared
past)
Well, these are the more interesting ones. Over in the Marvel camp, Captain
American is the result of a progenator's experiement; Reed Richards (Mr.
Fantastic), Tony Stark (Iron Man) and Bruce Banner (The Hulk) could either SoE
(in the case of Reed and Bruce) or Iteration X (in the case of Iron Man), but
all three are Technomancers. Clearly, the more mystical characters (like
Wonder Woman and Dr. Strange) can either be consors or hedge magi (or even
Awakened). At any rate, this is what I got. Peace.
"In the end, there can be only one, and it may as well be me!"-Kenny (from
Highlander: The Series)
Nuriel Jabal
>darkness of the WoD.
Well, perhaps, at least as a straight across the board translation, but not one
that plays well with the concept of the WoD. This of course depends on the
person most people don't think their is any room for genuine good guys in the
WoD and that Superman would actually be a self-appointed "protector" picking
and choosing whom is saved and who isn't in a very Technocrasy fashion.
The same being true for all such superheros though. There is room for real good
guys in the WoD but you'll be hard pressed to find anyone to agree to as many
as one would find in comic books. A good guy in the WoD would have to be nearly
a lone individual against inumeral odds and no one to count on but themselves
and wouldn't always be their to save everyone and might very well then become
distraught over having to choose who lives and dies as they save the bus load
of nuns from going off a cliff but can't reach they burning building where
Jimmy and his puppy are trapped, and then die. Then of course the downward
spiral begins and the hero sinks into the mire that is morality and becomes
disassociated from society and become isolationists.
>Possess great abilites that are natural to his species.
Nit-Pick: Not really natural as they are all just like humans on their own
planet but earth's yellow sun enhanced his kryptonian make up.
But then I would also think that all these people would be hunted by the
Technocrasy as reality deviants... because they are, they would just have to
find a way to quietly heard them out of the public view and destroy them.
::Flame sheild up::
~Janus
SASA
David Johnston
> Just to change the pace a bit, how would various populor cartoon & comic book
> character (Superman, Spiderman, Tarzan, The Shadow, PowerPuff Girls, The Tick,
> etc.) translate into the World of Darkness? Now, I know that "Abberant" is
> made for such things, but being a WoD fan has always been the reason for
> creating "loose" translations of popular mediums. So, if we count "super
> powers" in the same vein as Numia (pyschic abilities, hedge magic, etc.), it
> could work (for the most part. So, here are examples of such possibilites
> (using the Superman mythos as an example):
>
> Superman: an umbrood (read: alien) whose inspiration gives hope withen the
> darkness of the WoD. Possess great abilites that are natural to his species.
> Currently is under a "hands-off" policy by the Technocrats (inadvertantly helps
> promotes _science_ as the reason for Superman's abilities). Interestingly,
> Kypton would be the end result of the Technocratic dream (a cold,
> emotional-less society based on ratioanlity).
Problem is, the Technocrats don't _want_ Celestines on Earth, even Celestines in
Technocratic drag. They definitely don't want them going around blatantly
violating
the Law of Conservation of Energy while the media watch. They'd want him dead, and
in a hurry before he opens the door for more of his kind (as in fact happens
regularly)
>
> Lex Luthor: Powerful Syndicate Finacier with a strong background in the
> sciences.
> Steel: SoE ally and pulp hero (wears a hand made suit of power armor that was
> created in his basement)
Now I can easily see the SoE making a suit like that.
>
> Lois Lane: rogue Technocratic MiB (ie. a Watcher) who hates Luthor (shared
> past)
>
> Well, these are the more interesting ones. Over in the Marvel camp, Captain
> American is the result of a progenator's experiement;
Cap actually would fit into the Progenitor schema quite well except for the part
about his being a one-time irreproducible event. They'd be making plans to give
the juice to everyone in the military.
> Reed Richards (Mr.
> Fantastic), Tony Stark (Iron Man) and Bruce Banner (The Hulk) could either SoE
> (in the case of Reed and Bruce) or Iteration X (in the case of Iron Man), but
> all three are Technomancers. Clearly, the more mystical characters (like
> Wonder Woman and Dr. Strange) can either be consors or hedge magi (or even
> Awakened). At any rate, this is what I got. Peace.
Doctor Strange is clearly a full mage since he can do anything provided he
alliterates. Order of Hermes Master Magus.
DShomshak
<rgo...@telusplanet.net> writes:
>Dswynne wrote:
>
>> Just to change the pace a bit, how would various populor cartoon & comic
>>book character (Superman, Spiderman, Tarzan, The Shadow, PowerPuff
>>Girls, The Tick, etc.) translate into the World of Darkness?
>> Superman: an umbrood (read: alien) whose inspiration gives hope withen the
>> darkness of the WoD...
>> Currently is under a "hands-off" policy by the Technocrats (inadvertantly
>>helps promotes _science_ as the reason for Superman's abilities).
>Problem is, the Technocrats don't _want_ Celestines on Earth, even Celestines
>in Technocratic drag. They definitely don't want them going around blatantly
>violating the Law of Conservation of Energy while the media watch. They'd
>want him dead, and in a hurry before he opens the door for more of his kind
>(as in fact happens regularly)
Quite right. Superman's abilities have no especially "scientific" trapping.
He is a being from Beyond with strange and awesome powers, salvation dropping
from the sky wearing a cape instead of the result of hard work and rational
planning... Damn *straight* the Technocracy would hate him.
>>Captain American is the result of a progenator's experiement;
>
>Cap actually would fit into the Progenitor schema quite well except for the
>part about his being a one-time irreproducible event. They'd be making
>plans to give the juice to everyone in the military.
Well, first they have to work the Super-Soldier Serum into the Consensus as a
safe, reliable technology. The Marvel Universe includes several other
characters who received attempted copies of the SSS; a few were successes
(Mockingbird), but others went mad (the 1950s Captain America, for instance) or
mutated into monsters (Man-Thing, although other factors were involved). Not a
great success record overall. Give 'em time...
>> Clearly, the more mystical characters (like Wonder Woman and Dr.
>>Strange) can either be consors or hedge magi (or even Awakened).
>Doctor Strange is clearly a full mage since he can do anything provided he
>alliterates. Order of Hermes Master Magus.
Alliteration as a Focus! I love it!
As it happens, a few years back I approached this matter from the other
direction and wrote a bit about mages trying to act like superheroes in the
WoD. The result was a set of posts called "The Cabal of Flamboyant Justice."
I think that MtA actually supports the comic-book conventions pretty well. If
anyone's interested, they can probably find "The Cabal of Flamboyant Justice"
through DejaNews, or I could post it again.
Dean Shomshak
**********************************************************
Send e-mail responses to DSho...@juno.com.
The AOL address is a spam trap.
**********************************************************
Tom Knight
> anyone's interested, they can probably find "The Cabal of Flamboyant Justice"
> through DejaNews, or I could post it again.
>
I hate deja-diving, have always said that Mage:TA is basically a superhero game,
and am seriously planning on playing a character called Kaptain Kindred (a virtual
Adept, in case you haven't guessed). Post it again!
--
Memo to Bil Keane: Obscene phone calls in American Sign Language tend to be
ineffective - www.spinnwebe.com
- An Infinite Number Of Monkeys
Cyberpunk: Putting the funk into dysfunctional
: "What's chewing his ass?"
: "It's a childhood thing. It goes back to when he was still alive."
: "Yeah? What happened?"
: "He drowned."
- Tyranny & Dwanye, Tyranny Rex: Soft Bodies, 2000AD
DShomshak
<kni...@theplanetoftheapes.freeserve.co.uk> writes:
>> If anyone's interested, they can probably find "The Cabal of Flamboyant
>Justice" through DejaNews, or I could post it again.
>
>I hate deja-diving, have always said that Mage:TA is basically a superhero
>game, and am seriously planning on playing a character called Kaptain
>Kindred (a virtual Adept, in case you haven't guessed). Post it again!
I live to serve. Here's part 1, the actual essay. Parts 2 and 3 contain
writeups of the sample superhero mages. I hope this amuses you.
(Note: I wrote this using MtA 2nd edition. It's possible that the Revised
Edition would force changes in some of the rotes.)
Dean Shomshak, humble scrivener
--------------
THE CABAL OF FLAMBOYANT JUSTICE takes a whacked-out look at the potentials of
MAGE: THE ASCENSION. Absolutely no rules are changed (at least not severely),
but the system is put to very different ends. The Cabal itself -- the mages
who call themselves Antares, Etherman, Wild Huntsman and Nightstar -- can
appear in a regular MAGE game as bizarre NPCs. Alternatively, MAGE characters
might visit a comic-book realm in the Umbra wherein they must act like
superheroes. A Storyteller could even use the Cabal as a model to create a
whole campaign with no connection to the World of Darkness!
You are warned, however, that such whimsical games could ruin your reputations
as a Serious Roleplayer and your friends-in-black won’t join you for a clove
cigarette any more.
In the World of Darkness, a mage’s life is not a happy one. They face
terrible dangers from the Technocracy, Nephandi, Marauders, witch-hunters and
the occasional vampire, demon or Thing That Goes Bump In The Night. They must
protect a world that does not accept their existence; they must hide their
potent magick lest Paradox destroy them; and at every step they face the deadly
seduction of hubris. The awesome quest for Ascension is ever shadowed by this
grim struggle against enemies within and without as the Gothic-Punk world
grinds relentlessly to the brink of destruction.
BULLSHIT!
So says one cabal of mages, anyway. The Cabal of Flamboyant Justice does
everything that mages of the Traditions /shouldn’t/ do. They use vulgar magick
recklessly and often, without even the excuse that they promote their
Traditions’ paradigms to the Sleepers. They go looking for trouble and
publicity, doing their best to drag the secret dwellers in the World of
Darkness kicking and screaming into the light of full disclosure. Their
Traditions disown them. By any rational estimation, they will die very
messily, very soon. And yet -- they seem to have fun!
The mages of the Cabal of Flamboyant Justice became superheroes. They use
magickal rotes to duplicate classic super-powers such as super-strength,
invulnerability, force-beams and the ability to run in high heels. They use
their magick-spawned powers to fight crime. Naturally, this brings them into
contact with the supernatural lurkers in the criminal demimonde -- but instead
of respecting the tacit agreement to keep each other’s secrets from the common
herd of humanity, the Cabal tries to haul misbehaving vampires, Nephandi and
the like off to jail! They want to break /everyone’s/ Masquerade. They stay
alive because everyone they offend thinks the Cabal must be a catspaw for some
mightier power, sent to lure them into a trap.
Their fellow Tradition mages think the Cabal members have lost their minds.
If the Cabal mages aren’t Marauders now, the scuttlebut goes, they will be
soon. Yet the Cabal has a method to its madness. The Cabal recognizes that
comic books create a powerful new set of Mythic Threads. They exploit these
Mythic Threads in a high-stakes gamble to break the Technocracy’s hold on
consensus reality. In a comic-book world, /anything/ can happen... even happy
endings. The Cabal hopes to shed four-color light over the World of Darkness.
It’s so crazy that it just might work. At least, the comic-book Mythic
Threads seem highly contagious. Just as the Cabal’s members act like
four-color heroes, some of their enemies start acting like comic-book villains!
MAGE VERSIONS OF SUPERHERO CONVENTIONS
Fifty years of comic books have established certain traditions about
superheroes. The contemporary funnybook fan often has great affection for
these clichés: They are part of the genre’s charm. To a Mage, though, they
aren’t clichés: They are Mythic Threads she can use to persuade other people
to suspend their disbelief. Some of these traditions work to the advantage of
a Super-Mage. Others do not. Unfortunately, to exploit one mythic thread one
must accept them all... for better or worse.
Costume
One can recognize superheroes (and supervillains, for that matter) by their
gaudy costumes. These usually consist of colorful tights with boots, gloves
and a mask of some sort. Many costumes include a cape and a distinctive logo
on the chest.
For a superhero mage, a costume can act as a weird sort of Blatancy. Of
course nobody but very small children believe that superheroes could be real --
but everyone knows that athletes in costumes are /supposed/ to have “powers.”
Consciously, people who watch a costumed Super-Mage perform spectacularly
vulgar magick know that they saw something impossible. Subconsciously,
however, they accept it as familiar. It may even be something they wish
/could/ be real. This unconscious familiarity just might overpower their
conscious disbelief.
Secret Identity
Not many superheroes spend all their time in costume. Usually they have to
make a living at some mundane job. They also want to protect their loved ones
from their enemies. Hence, many superheroes have a Secret Identity as an
ordinary person.
The average superhero costume, however, makes a pathetic disguise. Superhero
masks seldom conceal the shape of the face. A careful observer could easily
track down a hero’s “Secret Identity.” People close to a hero’s Secret ID
really ought to notice that good ol’ Fred looks an awful lot like Hero Man --
same height, same athletic build, same hair color, and Fred always ducks out
just before Hero Man shows up. The only reason ever suggested for why a hero
costume could possibly work as a disguise is that considering the typical
hero’s build, nobody looks at their face!
Costumes work in the comics, though, so this can work as a Mythic Thread for a
mage. The appropriate game mechanic is Arcane. Somehow, people tend to
overlook the rather obvious clues to a Super-Mage’s mundane identity.
Headquarters
Teams of superheroes, or well-off single heroes, often have a base of
operations where they keep their laboratories, training facilities and
mementoes. It may be hidden or very public. For mages, such a headquarters is
exactly the same as the Chantry and Sanctum. This is a neutral Mythic Thread:
It neither helps nor harms a Super-Mage in any special way.
Arch-Nemesis
Not all Mythic Threads work in a Super-Mage’s favor. In the comics, most
superheroes have one or two special enemies who pop up again and again. The
conflict between a hero and her Arch-Nemesis often becomes viciously personal.
An Arch-Nemesis doesn’t just want to defeat a hero, he wants to /destroy/ him.
If it’s any consolation to the hero, at least while the villain obsesses on
killing him he’s distracted from robbing banks, overthrowing governments and
trying to rule the world.
In MAGE, of course, the “Enemy” Flaw represents the Arch-Nemesis. This is a
powerful Mythic Thread. The Enemy might fall under its spell and take to
wearing his own outlandish costume, making grandiloquent speeches and trying to
lure the hero into elaborate death-traps. Unfortunately, the Mythic Threads
will protect the life of a hero’s Arch-Nemesis. Some weird circumstance will
/always/ let an Arch-Nemesis survive “certain death.”
MAGE represents this through the Destiny Background. The more epic the
conflict between a hero and his Arch-Nemesis, the higher the villain’s Destiny
rating rises, as the Universe itself strives to keep the story going.
Coincidence
In the comics, bizarre coincidences happen around superheroes all the time.
Sometimes this is good. When a villain throws a non-flying hero off the roof
of a skyscraper, the hero can catch a fortuitous flagpole. A villain’s moll
may fall in love with a hero and slip him the key to his cell. A hero may even
discover a new power just when she needs it most.
On the other hand, /everything/ happens around superheroes. A villain who
robs a bank does it while the hero stands in line in her Secret ID. If a lab
accident turns anyone into a rampaging monster, it will be someone the hero
knows. When the aliens invade, they land in the hero’s home town.
A variety of Merits and Flaws can represent aspects of a hero’s strange luck.
Merits such as Luck or Charmed Existence can represent a superhero mage’s
ability to find a way out of tight spots or succeed at implausibly difficult
tasks. The Flaw of Strangeness can represent how the Mythic Threads of
superheroism reach out to draw other people into the comic-book life. The
Destiny Background can generate both sorts of outrageous coincidence. Like a
hack author’s unseen hand, Destiny tries to keep the story moving, no matter
how unpleasant this may become for the heroic mage.
Ego Signature
Some heroes and villains have themes they obsessively follow, or some symbol
they must leave at the scene of important events. Villains with an Ego
Signature tend to follow themes in their crimes, such as riddles, baked goods,
playing cards or a favorite book -- nothing is too silly for an Ego Signature.
Heroic Ego Signatures are usually less baroque, such as Zorro’s ‘Z’-slash...
but then, think of that guy with the bat fetish. Whatever the form, an Ego
Signature is a Compulsion.
Dependent Characters
Many a comic-book hero has one or two normal people with whom he regularly
interacts. Often these supporting cast members fall ill at inconvenient times
or need frequent rescuing. Super-Mages may acquire such dependents too -- a
relative, a friend, an employer or the like. In MAGE terms, the “Ward” Flaw
represents them all.
Note that although a Ward might intensely dislike the mage’s superhero persona
(after all, they don’t know that their relative, boyfriend, coworker or
whatever is a superhero) the hero must still feel some obligation to help and
protect them -- or the person can’t be a Ward!
Crisis of Confidence
Every superhero eventually reaches a point where he doubts his mission.
Betrayal by the government, failure to save the life of a loved one, a crushing
defeat or other traumas can make a hero want to hang up his cape. Eventually,
though, the hero realizes that Destiny cannot be fled, nor duty renounced. He
comes back with new determination, and perhaps a new costume or new powers,
ready to smite evildoers once more.
Mages have these episodes too. They call them “Seekings.” Not all Seekings
are so filled with angst, but this /is/ one of the standard forms.
SUPER-MAGE PARADOX BACKLASHES
Super-Mages will suffer a lot of Paradox; Blatancy is not a perfect
protection. Super-Mages can suffer all the normal ill effects of Paradox.
Even Paradox, however, can fall under the power of Mythic Threads. Some
Paradox effects easily merge with superhero traditions.
Paradox Flaw: Power Backlashes
One common sort of Paradox Flaw is to suffer uncontrolled and annoying effects
related to the Sphere whose use caused the Paradox. This resembles another
hoary comic-book cliché: “My Powers Are Out Of Control!” Eventually, though,
the hero regains control, perhaps with the help of a friendly scientist or
mystical teacher (a Mentor or other senior mage). Power Backlashes are seldom
permanent, although they may threaten a hero’s life.
Paradox Flaw: Unusual Weaknesses
Comic-book heroes often receive their powers from unusual sources, such as
radiation accidents or extraterrestrial birth. This may impose peculiar
difficulties upon them, such as losing their powers in the presence of glowing
meteors, changing appearance (and even personality) when they use their powers,
taking extra damage from one sort of attack, or the like. Usually these are
built into the character from the beginning, but superheroes may lose old
weaknesses or gain new ones.
For Super-Mages, such odd weaknesses come as permanent Paradox Flaws. Flaws
such as Allergic or Addiction can represent many weaknesses. A Super-Mage may
even start play with such Flaws, gained during their Awakening or training. If
no existing Flaw seems quite right, a Storyteller can easily define a new one,
using existing Flaws as a model.
Paradox Spirits: Power Nemesis
Many a superhero has clashed with a foe possessing powers much like his own,
or whose powers cancel hers out. Sometimes such villains don’t make a lot of
sense on their own terms -- only as tailored opponents for that one character.
Paradox Spirits can fill this role to a T. A Paradox Spirit might even take
the form of a Super-Mage’s “evil twin!” If everyone in a cabal has built up
Paradox, they might face a whole anti-cabal of their evil opposite numbers.
Paradox Backlash: Plot Twist
Comic-book heroes often have their whole lives turned upside-down. The one
person they knew they could trust turns out to be the Secret ID of their
arch-nemesis. Massive sections of their past are revealed as cunning hoaxes.
They lose everything they had and move to Australia. A hero’s life can take
any bizarre twist, especially when a new writer or editor decides to take the
book in a “daring new direction.”
Paradox backlashes are usually pretty obvious, but nothing in the MAGE rules
says they must be. Instead of damaging a mage directly, a backlash could
attack the mage’s history and social relations instead. It’s nasty, but that’s
what you get for twisting Reality itself to your will. Plot Twist becomes
especially plausible for mages who use lots of blatant Time or Entropy magick.
Paradox Realm: Strange Change to Setting
Sometimes a plot twist becomes /really/ extreme. The hero takes an extended
sojourn in a lost city, deep space, another dimension or some other place with
no relevance to her previous life.
This happens to mages, too: A vengeful reality isolates them in
extradimensional “Paradox Realms.” For a Super-Mage, a Paradox Realm might
well take a suitably comic-bookish form. Fortunately, mages can generally
leave the Paradox Realm once they learn their lesson, just as superheroes
return to their old venue once a fit of sanity hits the editor.
THE CABAL MEMBERS
At present the Cabal of Flamboyant Justice has four members:
ANTARES is a most unlikely Hermetic. This brawny young man uses his control
of Forces to fly, deflect damage and magnify his already great strength. He
has a Destiny to become the mortal incarnation of Mars, planet of force and
conflict, as a modern-day god of war.
ETHERMAN is a fully-trained engineer but he never lost his yearning for the
wild science of comic books. As a Son of Ether, he can make his dreams come
true. He built a powerful battlesuit using ether-tech and transmutative
M-Rays.
WILD HUNTSMAN, a Verbena, is the obligatory super-athlete with “animal
powers.” Not only is he a skilled and powerful fighter with bow and arrows or
magickally-grown claws, he can communicate with animals and track criminals
with his augmented senses.
NIGHTSTAR of the Euthanatos is the Cabal’s vigilante stalker-of-the-night, a
buxom beauty in black with deadly pistols and daring decolletage. Her Entropic
magicks are subtle, but effective.
Antares and Etherman are best buds, and the most dedicated to pursuing Mythic
Threads. Antares flirted with Nightstar for a while, but she found herself
more interested in the moody, dangerous Wild Huntsman. They became lovers;
Nightstar now encourages Wild Huntsman to join the human race, while Wild
Huntsman’s passion helps Nightstar resist the morbid obsessions that often
afflict Thanatoic mages. Although Etherman is the cabal’s visionary and
undisputed leader, everyone defers to Nightstar in criminal investigations and
to Antares in combat tactics.
THE VILLAINS
The enemies of the Cabal are important characters too. Writing them up,
however, is left as an exercise for the reader. Nor are these the Cabal’s only
enemies -- merely the ones who especially hate them, and who pop up over and
over again as their “arch-nemeses.”
THE BIO-MECHANIC: This Iterator, the administrator of a minor Technocracy
Construct, sees the Cabal of Flamboyant Justice as a gang of spoiled brats.
Their basic selfishness will inevitably make them turn on the society they
claim to defend.
The Iterator also frets that if the Cabal should succeed in establishing
belief in their “comic-book paradigm,” society is doomed! For freedom and
democracy to survive, the Masses must put their faith in their own technology,
institutions and efforts -- not look for salvation to drop from the sky wearing
a cape. That way lies regression into helpless superstition and a new Dark
Age.
As subtler attempts to restrain the Cabal fail, “the Bio-Mechanic” slides from
frustration to obsession, making more blatant attacks upon them, figuring he
can clean up the paradigmatic mess later. His colleagues become worried. If
disgraced as a result of his efforts, the Bio-Mechanic could flip out and go
Marauder himself, a puppet of the Mythic Threads of supervillainy.
THE BISHOP OF BLOOD: This Sabbat bishop, a vampire of the Tzimisce clan, slid
into the supervillain role after only one clash with the Cabal. Antares
severely burned the Bishop in their first meeting. Ever since then, the mad
vampire has worn a mask and a hooded cloak. The Bishop vows to make Antares
suffer for a hundred years before granting him the mercy of death.
The Bishop always has war-ghoul or vampire minions nearby. He even commits
crimes in patterns, just to lead the Cabal into traps. (So far, Nightstar has
spotted all these patterns for what they are, and the Cabal has evaded the
traps.) The Bishop seeks clues to their secret identities, so he can Embrace
their loved ones and turn them into murderous Sabbat minions.
DR. JOY: Nightstar’s arch-nemesis is the most cunning enemy of the Cabal.
This Nephandus began as a criminal chemist, producing and selling designer
drugs. When her attempts to negotiate a partnership with Nightstar’s mafia don
father fell through, she audaciously hired Spiral Slash to kidnap him. The
Cabal sent Dr. Joy to jail, but not for long. Spiral Slash broke her out and
tried using her in a plot to release a Nexus Crawler. The plot succeeded, but
instead of becoming a sacrifice to the ‘Crawler, Dr. Joy Awakened and the
horror briefly became her Mentor.
Dr. Joy did not appreciate Spiral Slash’s treachery. Although they sometimes
work together as fellow servants of the Wyrm, she despises the werewolf. She
found the perfect ally, however, in Nightstar’s father. He supplies the
organization and contacts that she lacks. It’s no equal partnership, though:
Dr. Joy completely enthralls him through drugs and magic.
Dr. Joy is the only regular foe of the Cabal who recognizes the Mythic Threads
of supervillainy -- and struggles against them. While she seeks to build an
ever-spreading web of corruption through narcotics, prostitution and other
facets of the vice trade, she resolutely avoids any sort of distinctive garb,
explaining her plans, or cunning death-traps. Her weapons are bribery, drugs,
conspiracy, mind control, petty thugs, desperate addicts and the occasional
bane she can entice through the Gauntlet.
SPIRAL SLASH: This Black Spiral Dancer werewolf does not talk about his past.
Only he knows whether he is a solo operative by choice, or if his tribe cast
him out. Now he works as a super-elite assassin and enforcer, taking jobs that
are too difficult and dangerous for anyone else. Until the Cabal came along,
he hid his supernatural nature. Now, his employers at least hear stories that
Spiral Slash is something more than human.
Spiral Slash is strong, quick and tough even in his homid form. In crinos
form, he’s superhuman. He doesn’t just rely on claws, teeth and muscle,
though; he also uses the biggest guns he can get... and in crinos form, he can
carry awfully big guns. When someone wants a lot of mayhem in a short time,
Spiral Slash delivers better than anyone.
The werewolf takes his /nom du crime/ from his “Ego Signature.” Whenever he
kills someone, he cuts a spiral into the body. He must make a Willpower roll
(difficulty 8) to resist this compulsion.
DShomshak
Antares the Hermetic and Etheman the (duh) Son of Ether. -- DS
---------------
ANTARES
War God Wannabe
Order of Hermes
Nature: Bravo Demeanor: Gallant Essence: Questing
Attributes: STR 4 (Heavy Lifting), DEX 3, STA 3, CHA: 2, MAN 1, APP 3, PER 2,
INT 3, WITS 3
Talents: Alertness 2, Athletics 3, Blatancy 3, Brawl 4 (Powerful Punch),
Intimidation 1, Seduction 1
Skills: High Ritual 1, Leadership 1, Meditation 1, Research 2
Knowledges: Cosmology 2, Linguistics 3: Latin/Hebrew/Enochian, Occult 3,
Medicine 1
Backgrounds: Avatar 3, Destiny 2, Node 1, Resources 1
Spheres: Forces 3 Foci: Names of Power
Life 2 God-Form Postures
Prime 2 Sigils
Arete: 3
Willpower: 6
Merits & Flaws:
Compulsion: Never Refuse a Brawl (-1)
Mentor’s Resentment: “This fruitcake is a disgrace!” (-1)
Enemy: Sabbat Bishop, “Bishop of Blood” (-3)
Favored Rotes:
Note that these are just the rotes Antares uses regularly as a superhero. He
does other magick too. He’s made special study of coincidental Forces effects
to use in combat, such as knocking an opponent into power lines or draining the
battery of a getaway car. His Skill for High Ritual even gives him a knack for
leading the Cabal in extended, combined magick.
* Fist of Uriel: Prime 2
By calling on the archangel of the Sun, Antares charges his fists with
Quintessence, so his punches will do aggravated damage to supernatural
creatures. (Using this power, he nearly destroyed the “Bishop of Blood,” who
has sworn vengeance.)
[The number of successes rolled determines how long the “charge” of
Quintessence lasts. Antares can usually make each charge last for a full
Story.]
* Invincible Strength of Mars: Forces 3, Life 1, Prime 2
By calling on the energies of Mars, Antares increases his strength to
superhuman levels. His muscles don’t actually get stronger, but the force they
exert is multiplied.
[Every 2 successes add 1 STR for a Scene, or 3 successes add 1 STR for 1 day.
Forces confers the extra strength, Prime powers the rote, and Life keeps the
extra kinetic force synchronized with Antares’ movements.]
* Invulnerable Shield: Forces 2, Life 2
Calling on the power of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn to master hostile energies,
Antares creates an aura which repels damaging forces from his skin. This can
be anything from the force of a punch to atomic radiation. He also increases
his healing speed, so he feels less pain and recovers more quickly. He can use
this rote on others to protect them from harm; in some circumstances Antares
might make this coincidental through Blatancy by wrapping the other person in
his “invulnerable” cape. Even if this doesn’t work, Paradox is a small price
to pay for the look on a mother’s face when her child emerges unharmed from a
burning building.
[When creating enduring protection, every 3 successes adds 1 Soak Die for a
full day. Used to protect others, each success adds 1 Soak Die each Turn.]
* Mercurial Flight: Forces 3, Prime 2
Using Mercury to invoke the powers of Air and Saturn to counter the grip of
Earth, Antares can fly.
[By accumulating 6 successes, for 1 Scene Antares can fly whenever he wants.
9 successes increases this to a full day.]
* Mighty Fist of Mars: Forces 3, Prime 2
The power of Mars increases the force of Antares’ punches, giving extra dice
of damage. Antares can also use this to increase the force of thrown objects.
[This is a normal Forces attack, linked to a normal punch.]
Background: The Order of Hermes recruited Brian Murray as an apprentice
fresh out of high school. Brian grew up quietly in a whitebread suburban
neighborhood. A consor working in a nearby bookstore noticed Brian’s
intelligence and love of heroic fantasy. Subtle questioning revealed that
although Brian loved fantasy magic, he scorned popular occultism: He could
dissect New Age foolery as skillfully as a Technocrat. The lad showed promise.
Instead of studying accounting at the community college, Brian received a
scholarship to a distant college that was rather more than it seemed. When
other subtle tests confirmed Brian’s latent aptitude for the Hermetic arts, the
Order exposed him to magic that really worked. As expected, Brian jumped at
the chance to become a real wizard.
Brian’s forceful Avatar made itself known the first chance it got. He
Awakened long before finishing his initial training, when a Marauder and its
minions attacked the college. Brian’s protective, hippie-turned-yuppie parents
always told him not to lose his temper or fight back when teased. Under his
Avatar’s guidance Brian not only fought well, he found that he loved combat and
danger. It was like living one of his favorite novels! Brian’s Avatar
described itself as a spirit of Mars, the planet of strife. Brian’s duty and
destiny was to embody the power of Mars in the mortal world, to become a
modern-day god of war.
The combative House Tytalus finished Brian’s training. Brian also took up
bodybuilding and boxing in what spare time his studies left him, though his
teachers disapproved of such brutish hobbies. Once Brian comprehended the
Sphere of Life, he could tailor his workouts for maximum effect. He also
became quite popular with the female apprentices: Life also let him guide
himself and his lovers to greater arousal. After all, Mars governs physical
passion as well as strife.
Eventually Brian graduated without distinction. He took “Antares” (“Rival of
Mars”) as his magickal name within the Order of Hermes. Like most new Tytalan
Hermetics, he joined a series of ad-hoc War Cabals hunting the Technocracy,
Nephandi and such ilk. After a year of this, he met Etherman during a visit to
the great Euthanatos Chantry on Cerberus. They found they both liked tales of
fantastic adventure. Both also received invitations to one of the Halloween
costume parties on Cerberus. Brian planned to attend as a barbarian swordsman
but Etherman talked him into dressing up as a superhero... and when Brian saw
himself in tights and a cape, his Avatar said /yes./ Before the party ended,
Brian worked out his super-strength rote. Within a month, he was ready to
fight crime as the superhero Antares.
Image: 6’1” and muscled like a god, with wavy brown hair and a pleasant (if
ordinary) face. As Antares, Brian wears dark red tights and mask with scarlet
gloves, boots, trunks and cape. On his chest is a golden logo of the
astrological symbol for Mars, a circle with an arrow to the upper right; but
the arrow has the crossbars of the Forces glyph. Gilded wristbands bear iron
plaques engraved with the Prime glyph. The gilded clasp of his cape is
engraved with the sigil of Barsabel, the ruling spirit of Mars.
Roleplaying Hints: Chaaarge! Being a superhero is tremendous fun. Fighting
crime lets you push your body and magick to the limit, giving an adrenalin rush
like nothing else -- and you look so good doing it. Most of the time you act
like a simple costumed jock, relying on your rotes of super-strength,
invulnerability and flight. When you use your full talents as a Hermetic Adept
of Forces, you sometimes surprise even your teammates.
Your Avatar is rather amoral. It wants victory and savors the fear of
captured and defeated opponents. As yet, you lack a really deep moral
commitment to justice and community service, but that will come with time (and
a Seeking or two). The wonder and joy you see when you rescue someone from
harm points to your true path of Ascension.
Quote: “Doesn’t that golden circle look just like a target? Come on. Shoot
me. Ha!”
-----------------
ETHERMAN
Super-Scientific Sword of Justice
Son of Ether
Essence: Dynamic Nature: Visionary Demeanor: Architect
Attributes: STR 2, DEX 3, STA 3, CHA 2, MAN 2, APP 2, PER 3, INT 4 (Ingenious),
WITS 3
Talents: Alertness 2, Awareness 1, Blatancy 2
Skills: Demolitions 2, Drive 1, Firearms 3, Research 3, Technology 4 (Kludge)
Knowledges: Computer 2, Enigmas 2, Investigation 2, Science 4 (Physics)
Spheres: Forces 3 Foci: Tesla Coils
Matter 2 M-Ray Generator
Prime 2 Ether Batteries
Backgrounds: Arcane 2, Avatar 1, Dream 2, Node 1, Resources 1, Sanctum 1
Arete: 3
Willpower: 5
Quintessence: 1
Merits & Flaws:
Enemy: Technocracy Administrator “The Bio-Mechanic” (-3)
Obsession: Puts /everything/ in comic book context (-2)
Favorite Rotes:
As with Antares, these are merely the basic rotes Etherman uses to act as a
superhero. He can do whatever other technomagick his Sphere ratings permit.
(For that matter, he’s remarkably skilled at mundane science and technology.
When it comes to machines, he can do pretty amazing things even without
magick!)
* Etheric Reinforcement: Forces 2, Matter 1, Prime 2
An etheric charge redirects damaging energies away from the armor and makes it
effective against the attacks of spirits.
[Every 3 successes adds 1 Soak Die for 1 day.]
* Etheric Strength Augmentation: Forces 3, Matter 1, Prime 2
Pulsed etheric and M-ray signals running through the armor make it mimic the
motions of its wearer, but with much greater force. This enables the wearer to
lift and strike with greater strength.
[Works like Antares’ strength rote, but since it is aligned to the armor
instead of to Etherman himself, Etherman suffers a -1 DEX penalty when he uses
this rote.]
* Concussive Ray: Forces 3, Prime 2
This is a gadget built into the gauntlets of the battlesuit. It generates a
beam of electro-etheric plasma that strikes with great force.
[Beam does normal Forces damage.]
* Transmutor Ray: Matter 2 (+ optional Prime 2)
This is another gadget built into the battlesuit’s gauntlets. It projects a
beam of M-rays that can turn any inorganic matter into any simple substance,
depending on how Etherman tunes and polarizes the M-rays. The etheric
component in the life-force renders living tissue immune to the basic M-ray
beam, but by supercharging the beam with ether the beam can inflict harm to
living things directly.
[Follows normal rules for Matter transmutation. The beam can cause harm
indirectly by changing the target’s clothing or the air nearby into something
damaging, in which case the beam inflicts normal Matter damage. If Etherman
uses Prime 2 to infuse a point of Quintessence into the beam, it does lethal
damage to living creatures and aggravated damage to supernaturals.]
* Ether Missiles: Prime 2
These are ordinary gyrojet missiles infused with ether so they will affect
paranatural entities.
[The missiles themselves are mundane, but the Quintessence charge lets them do
aggravated damage to supernaturals. Etherman never carries more than 4 of
these.]
* Electro-Etheric Jets: Forces 3, Prime 2
By running contrary currents of ether and electricity in a Tesla coil within
the armor’s backpack, Etherman ionizes the air into a propelling plasma jet.
The powerful gyroscopic effect of the ether current keeps him stable in flight.
[Works just like Antares’ flight rote.]
Background: Jefferson Winlock worked toward an engineering degree because of
his love of comic-book super-scientists. At first real science disappointed
him, but as he learned more he found that maybe some comic-book fantasies
weren’t so impossible after all! Some scientists really did work on space
warps, cloning and plasma beams. Jefferson wrote a fan magazine article
comparing comic-book science and real science -- and a Son of Ether noticed.
Jefferson had doubts about the crackpot theories his recruiters told him, but
their gadgets seemed to work. He gave them a chance to convince him and...
they convinced him. Jefferson Awakened on his first visit to an Etheric
laboratory.
As an apprentice Scientist, Jefferson deliberately took the comic-books as his
guide to Etheric Science. In developing his personal paradigm of Matter, he
chose the obscure theory of transmutative M-Rays. Although Jefferson has made
no new breakthroughs, he has published a few novel designs in the Etherites’
auxiliary journal, PARADIGMA LETTERS.
From the beginning Jefferson sought a way to become a superhero using Etheric
Science. He began using ether-gadgets to fight crime as soon as he finished
his apprenticeship. At first he acted alone and in secret, fearing Paradox.
Then a mugger saw him flying with his jetpack and gasped “Jeez! What are you,
some kinda superhero?!” Paradox did not strike! Jefferson had an Epiphany on
the spot. In a flash, he understood how the Mythic Threads of costumed heroism
could protect a mage -- /any/ sort of mage. This could be the break the
Traditions needed. To prove his theory, though, he needed more mages willing
to become superheroes. First he integrated and upgraded his gadgets to build
the Etherman armor and then he searched for other mages to join the Cabal of
Flamboyant Justice.
Appearance: Jefferson Winlock is a slender black man in his middle 20s with a
coffee-and-cream skin tone and bland, forgettable features. He stands 5’9”
tall. The Etherman armor is made from a flak suit, molded to fit his body more
closely and make him look more muscular. Cables connect the suit’s gauntlets
to a jetpack strapped to Etherman’s back. A belt holds the holster and
ammunition for his gyrojet pistol. A motorcycle helmet with an antenna tops
off the armor. The armor is mostly sapphire blue with gold trim.
Roleplaying Notes: If you are on the brink of going Marauder, you don’t care.
The Mythic Threads of superheroism obsess you. You talk like a comic-book
hero. Whatever happens, you interpret it in comic-book terms. Hostile
supernaturals, you call “supervillains.” Even your Dream Background operates
through your knowledge of comic-book plots: You can often remember a story
that resembles your current situation.
Quote: “Halt, criminal! You can’t escape the power of... Etherman!”
DShomshak
---------------
NIGHTSTAR
Voluptuous Vigilante
Euthanatos
Nature: Judge Demeanor: Gallant Essence: Pattern
Attributes: STR 2, DEX 3, STA 2, CHA 3, MAN 3, APP 4 (Sultry), PER 2, INT 3,
WITS 3
Talents: Alertness 2, Athletics 2, Brawl 2, Dodge 2, Streetwise 3, Subterfuge
2.
Skills: Etiquette 1, Firearms 4 (Disabling Shots), Lockpicking 2, Stealth 2,
Technology 1.
Knowledges: Enigmas 1, Investigation 3, Law 1, Linguistics 1: Italian.
Backgrounds: Arcane 1, Avatar 1, Contacts 3, Resources 2.
Spheres: Correspondence 1 Foci: Prayer
Entropy 3 Images of Shiva & Kali
Forces 2 Pistols
Life 1 Bone
Arete: 2
Willpower: 6
Merits & Flaws:
Enemy: Nephandic Drug Dealer “Dr. Joy” (-3)
Ward: Parents (-3)
Intolerance: Organized Crime (-1)
Mentor’s Resentment: “If it’s her destiny to do this, then it’s my destiny to
have none of it!” (-1)
Favored Rotes:
Nightstar is the only Cabal member without Blatancy, because she doesn’t need
it. Virtually all her magick is subtle and coincidental anyway.
* Breaking and Entering (Cor 1, Ent 1, For 1, Life 1)
Nightstar can gain uncanny insight into security arrangements, sensing
electric eyes and currents, the location of guards and so on, and figuring out
the weaknesses of the system. This makes it a snap to infiltrate locked
buildings and other places she isn’t supposed to go.
[Every cumulative success either adds 1 die to Nightstar’s dice pools for
beating a security system, or reduces the difficulty by 1.]
* Crash the System (Cor 1, Ent 1, For 2)
Once Nightstar identifies the weak points in an electrical system, she can set
the current surging and wavering to blow fuses and shut the system down. She
usually does this by shooting a gun at a “sensitive spot” such as a power line
-- or a juncture box on the other side of a wall.
[4 successes to black out a building.]
* “Imperial Stormtrooper Academy of Marksmanship” (For 2, Life 1)
By sensing and twisting the natural energy flows in an opponent’s body (such
as the light passing through his eyes or the nerve signals to his muscles),
Nightstar makes her opponent very clumsy.
[Each 2 successes lowers all the the target’s attack rolls by 1 for the next
scene.]
* Little Accidents (Ent 3)
Nightstar can make objects break down in precisely the way she wants: Guns
jam, catwalks collapse, and so on. It gives her an edge, and it’s usually
coincidental if she shoots at an object before it breaks.
[1-3 successes for small malfunctions, more for bigger or less plausible
accidents.]
* Run in Heels (Ent 1, For 2, Life 1)
While this rote has a more practical use -- perfect body control for
spectacular feats of acrobatics -- Nightstar also uses a subtler form to run in
high heels without tripping and falling on her face.
[3 successes let her run in heels for an entire day. Only 1 or 2 successes
are needed to make remarkable feats of athletic dexterity possible; for
instance, tightrope walking or bouncing off awnings and flagpoles.]
* Spot Clues (Ent 1)
Entropic magick can guide Nightstar to physical evidence at a crime scene,
especially evidence the police missed, because she gets lucky. The magick does
not work well for random, motiveless killings such as thrill kills, but it
works great at detecting frame-ups or attempts to conceal evidence: The more
intentional a pattern of evidence, the more easily she finds the flaw in the
pattern.
[A few successes are needed to see through a simple frame or cover-up.
Nightstar needs more successes to find important clues to a crime of passion.
Random killings might require Nightstar to accumulate 6 or more successes to
get a clue to the perp’s identity.]
* Targeting (Cor 1, Ent 1, Life 1)
Nightstar can use her magick to compensate for small targets, or to hit
especially vulnerable points. Her shots can therefore inflict extra damage, or
even disable specific body parts. For instance, she can shoot a thug through
the hand so he can’t hold a gun, or in the knee so he can’t run.
[1 or 2 successes are enough for most purposes. If she accumulates successes
and adds them to gun damage dice, Nightstar can wreck a van or a HIT-Mark with
a single shot.]
Background: Nightstar is Elisa Jacovelli, the daughter of a Mafia boss. Don
Jacovelli, a progressive sort, sent Elisa to college to study law. He expected
she would join the “Family business.” This caused Elisa great distress, for
although she loved her father, she hated his ugly business. This drove her
into suicidal depression. Fortunately, the counselor she called was actually a
Euthanatos. The counselor helped Elisa break away from her father’s plans and
become a social worker instead. He also introduced her to Thanatoic ideas
about chance, destiny and the need to straighten twisted lives. Elisa liked
what she heard, and eventually graduated from acolyte to mage herself.
Elisa tried to avoid giving the Good Death, even though she saw that some
people not only twisted their own lives beyond repair, they drew in and ruined
other lives too. When all else failed, though, she could arrange a traceless
murder through her magick.
One of her father’s rivals, a drug dealer called Dr. Joy, thought that she
could kidnap Elisa and use her to threaten Don Jacovelli. Dr. Joy hired an
enforcer called Spiral Slash to do the job. Spiral Slash and Dr. Joy’s thugs
kidnapped Elisa as she left a formal party, where she had just argued with her
father again. The thugs took her to a warehouse. As luck would have it,
Etherman and Antares attacked the warehouse as part of a campaign against Dr.
Joy... just as Elisa slipped her bonds and grabbed a gun. When Etherman saw
this black-clad beauty coolly shooting thugs, he immediately decided that she
was a vigilante hero -- which was almost the truth.
After the fight, Etherman invited Elisa to join the Cabal. She agreed to work
with them just long enough to capture or kill Spiral Slash and Dr. Joy. In
return, she wanted their help in dismantling her father’s organization and
guiding him into an honest life -- /not/ jail. He was still her father, after
all. As Nightstar, she became the Cabal’s third member.
Spiral Slash proved harder to keep in jail than to capture. Dr. Joy not only
Awakened as a Nephandus, she wrecked the Jacovelli’s marriage and has
enthralled Elisa’s father. Nightstar also found herself attracted to the moody
Wild Huntsman; after a month of hesitation, they became lovers. By now,
Nightstar admits that superheroism is her destiny, and she likes it.
Image: The phrase “drop-dead gorgeous” becomes peculiarly appropriate for
Nightstar. With her face and figure, she could easily become a movie starlet,
model or centerfold. She has shoulder-length, curling black hair and dark
eyes. In her secret ID as Elisa the social worker, she wears business suits
and pulls her hair into a bun. As Nightstar, she wears black Spandex with a
deep cleavage, high-heeled black leather boots and a black domino mask.
Nightstar carries two large pistols holstered on her black leather belt; she
calls them “Shiva” and “Kali,” and each bears a picture of the appropriate god
inlaid on the handles. Her belt buckle is carved from human bone. Cool, crisp
and professional as Elisa, Nightstar becomes daring and seductive when she puts
on her mask, laughing as thugs trip over their own tongues.
Roleplaying Notes: You do love the Cabal of Flamboyant Justice, even though
it cuts you off from most other Thanatoics. Not only do you fight evil
directly, you open people to the possibility of hope; you care more about other
people’s Ascension than your own. And if the Mythic Threads won’t let you
permanently destroy Dr. Joy and other villains, at least the villains stay too
busy trying to kill /you/ to spread their evil further.
But what to do about your parents? You hate organized crime more than ever,
having seen how it ruins lives -- but you don’t want to kill your father or
send him to jail, either. Somehow, you need to free your father from Dr. Joy,
reunite him with your mother and find him an honest line of work. Your
greatest fear is that you will have to give your father the Good Death.
Quote: “Ooh. What a big... /gun/ you have. Are you going to make my day?”
------------------------
WILD HUNTSMAN
Feral Athlete
Verbena
Nature: Praise-Seeker Demeanor: Bravo Essence: Primordial
Attributes: STR 3, DEX 3, STA 4 (Tireless), CHA 2, MAN 2, APP 2, PER 3, INT 2,
WITS 3
Talents: Alertness 3, Athletics 3, Awareness 1, Blatancy 2, Brawl 2, Dodge 2.
Skills: Archery 4 (Small Targets), Melee 2, Stealth 3, Survival 3.
Knowledges: Cosmology 1, Garou Lore 2, Medicine 1, Naturalism 2.
Backgrounds: Arcane 2, Avatar 3, Destiny 1 (to help the Garou), Resources 1.
Spheres: Correspondence 1 Foci: “Fetish” Bow
Life 3 Animal Relics
Mind 2 Animal Sounds
Spirit 1 “Fetish” Bow
Arete: 3
Willpower: 6
Merits & Flaws:
Special Flaw: Transformation: Animal features, berserker temper whenever use
more than 1 Sphere level of magick (-3)
Enemy: BSD hitman, “Spiral Slash” (-3)
Echoes: Animals respond extremely (-1)
Favored Rotes:
* Animal Senses (Life 3, Mind 1)
Wild Huntsman gives himself the keen senses of various animals: He can give
himself keen long-distance vision like an eagle, tracking scent like a dog,
night vision like a cat, and so on. As his collection of animal relics grows,
he might become able to perform sonar like a bat, sense heat like a snake or
give himself other exotic senses.
[Every 2 successes grants 1 specific augmented sense for 1 scene. Life causes
the physical change in Wild Huntsman’s senses; Mind enables Wild Huntsman to
make sense of the information. This is usually coincidental because no one can
see anything explicitly supernatural.]
* Animal Vitality (Life 3)
By calling on the animal spirits through the teeth and bits of fur in his
costume, the Wild Huntsman makes himself stronger, quicker and tougher.
The Wild Huntsman can also perform more obvious changes such as growing claws,
looking even more animalistic than he usually does when using magick.
[Every 3 successes accumulated lets him add 1 dot to a physical Attribute for
1 day. He cannot raise Attributes above 5 for very long -- that requires a
separate act of magick -- and for each dot over 5, Wild Huntsman gets a point
of Paradox until he lowers his physical attributes to human levels again.
[Other changes also cause a point of Paradox until Wild huntsman reverses
them; variable number of successes needed.]
* Archery Tricks (Cor 1)
Using his Correspondence Sensing, Wild Huntsman can increase his targeting
skill even further to shoot arrows with uncanny precision. This lets him
perform feats such as shooting the gun out of someone’s hand, hitting targets
at great distances, pinning someone to a wall by their sleeve, or shooting over
a wall at a target he can’t actually see.
[Each success reduces the difficulty of the normal archery attack by 1, or
adds 1 to the successes rolled; it works out about the same either way. Wild
Huntsman can thus perform absurdly difficult feats of marksmanship. This rote
is virtually always coincidental, because the act of shooting a bow is not
itself magical -- and Wild Huntsman could just be very skillful and very
lucky.]
* Commanding Voice (Mind 2)
By speaking firmly and then giving a menacing growl, Wild Huntsman can force a
person to babble what’s on their mind at that moment -- very probably, the
answer to a question Wild Huntsman just asked.
[This is precisely equivalent to telepathically “reading” surface thoughts;
the target merely happens to speak aloud. A person with a strong will and
disciplined mind can hide their thoughts. Only 1 success is needed.]
* Far Tracking (Cor 1, Life 1, Mind 1)
Wild Huntsman can find anyone in a city block by “catching their scent.” (As
Wild Huntsman’s skills grow and he gets Cor 2, he’ll be able to locate people
anywhere in a city.)
[The number of successes needed depends on how well hidden the target is, and
what measures he uses to mask his scent. A guy who locks himself in a cellar
full of spices is harder to find than a guy standing on a roof.]
* Talk To the Animals (Mind 2)
Just like Dr. Doolittle, Wild Huntsman imitates an animal’s sounds and
gestures, and the animal responds. The animal understands what Wild Huntsman
wants, and Wild Huntsman understands the reply. Note, however, that animals
generally have rather different priorities than humans. They might not notice
details that humans would deem important, and might require some persuading
before they’ll do what Wild Huntsman asks.
Background: Don’t bring children on camping expeditions... at least not when
you camp near a long-buried Wyrm horror that some demented cultists intend to
release.
The sept of Lupines arrived too late. They slaughtered the cultists, but the
Horror was already loose and it wanted blood. The werewolves caught up with it
at the campground. Little Jason Norvell’s parents were already dead, but the
werewolves tore the Horror apart before it could kill him too.
Now what to do about Jason? Some argued that the child was not their concern,
but the Lupines’ theurge argued otherwise. They had stayed to finish off the
cultists instead of pursuing the Horror at once; because of that choice, the
boy was an orphan and catatonic with terror. They must bring back his
fear-lost soul and see him safely back to civilization and any relatives he
might have.
Bringing Jason back to his senses took longer than the theurge expected. He
also found that Jason had no close, living relatives. The boy faced no future
but an orphanage. Each week, it seemed less urgent that the child leave.
Weeks became months and then years.
The theurge taught his adopted son the lore of the wild, as much as he could
without revealing what he was or other secrets of the Garou. Jason figured it
out anyway: The Delirium held no grip on someone who had already seen the
ultimate in terror. Jason asked his foster-father to make him a werewolf too.
Unfortunately, this was not possible: Jason was not Kinfolk. He could be a
friend and helper to the Garou, but he could never be one of them.
Jason didn’t accept that. If his foster-father could not change what he was,
maybe the spirits themselves could. He’d learned some of the Lupines’
shamanism. On his 16th birthday, Jason tried calling the spirits to assist him
in the Rite of First Change. It worked, but not quite the way he expected:
Instead of becoming a Garou, Jason Awakened as a mage. Jason believes that
Grandfather Thunder gave him this gift, though he’s never made the spirits
respond again. (Jason’s working on developing his skill with the Spirit
Sphere.)
The whole sept knew of Jason’s helf-successful attempt almost at once. The
rest of the sept demanded that the theurge finally send Jason away. As a
sympathetic human, Jason was barely tolerable. As a mage, with an uncontrolled
and incomprehensible power, he was a menace. He belonged with other mages.
The theurge tried to break it to Jason as gently as he could, but their parting
had both grief and bitterness. As a final act of kindness, the theurge took
Jason to the only mage he knew, a Verbena, for training.
Jason made a good Verbena, except for two things. Whenever he used magick for
more than sensing, his body... changed. He wasn’t a Garou, but his body still
tried to become one. He also carried the fierce rage of the werewolves, and
using magick called it to the surface. His teachers and fellow students found
it all slightly unnerving.
Even though the werewolves exiled Jason, he still shared their hatred of the
Wyrm and its minions and deeds. He hoped that if the Garou saw how well he
fought the Wyrm, he could at least become an ally again. His attempts to wreck
a Pentex factory brought him into conflict with Etherman. Things got ugly for
a while, until a squad of fomori showed up and tried to kill them both. Then
Etherman understood the real situation and -- of course -- the two heroes
teamed up to fight their common enemy. After that they became friends -- What?
They wouldn’t? Etherman was shocked. When superheroes fought over a
misunderstanding, they /always/ became friends afterward!
Despite this snub, Etherman looked up Jason again a few months later, to
invite him to join their new group. Jason thought they were all nuts, but
reckoned he might steer them into helping him fight the Wyrm. To his surprise,
Jason found himself enjoying superheroics -- and besides, he gets away with
stuff Paradox would /never/ let him pull as an ordinary Verbena! As the Wild
Huntsman, Gaia’s Avenger, he became the fourth (and so far final) member of the
Cabal of Flamboyant Justice.
Image: Jason is an athletic young man with blonde hair, gray eyes and a
scowl. He usually wears plain, sturdy clothes suitable for hiking. As the
Wild Huntsman, he wears a leather vest, boots and trousers, with a belt and
wristbands set with animal teeth, feathers and carved wooden buttons. Jason
made them all himself, right down to tanning the leather from animals he
hunted. He also wears a brown domino mask with silver eyeslits. The Wild
Huntsman carries a compound bow of yew, horn and sinew, a quiver of arrows
slung over his shoulder and a large hunting knife strapped to one thigh.
When the Wild Huntsman uses magick, his hair bushes out like a mane, his teeth
become fangs, his nails become short claws, his ears lengthen into points and
his body becomes hairier. When he enhances his physical attributes, and his
body swells to become more muscular. All in all, he looks very much like a
werewolf in ‘glabro’ form. Since this is a permanent Paradox Flaw caused by
his Awakening, these changes do not themselves cause further Paradox; in fact,
they contribute to his Blatancy when he’s in costume.
At all times, animals have extreme responses to Jason. Either they like him a
lot, or he terrifies them, and an animal’s reaction can change from minute to
minute. Birds and animals often follow him around.
Roleplaying Notes: You still want to rejoin the Garou, despite your
bitterness at exile. You hope that your magick will eventually let you become
enough of a Garou to rejoin them -- and your magick would be so useful to their
cause!
Many people see you as harsh and hostile. You make no secret that you blame
humanity for the damage to the Earth’s environment. Deep down, though, you
fear that if you get too close to anyone, they may reject you too -- or you
might hurt them. Your Garou Rage feels good when you let it out against a
Wyrm-ridden foe, but what if you hurt a friend, or an innocent bystander? You
could be cast out again.
Nightstar works to break down your armor of reserve and resentment, and helps
you gain more sympathy for your fellow humans. You begin to accept that most
humans are victims too. Maybe your true path of Ascension is not rejoining the
Garou, but bringing their spirit to humanity -- teaching people to rage against
evil instead of submitting to it.
Quote: “My friends want you in jail. I want you dead. Make your choice...
bub.”
Bruce Baugh
--
Bruce Baugh <*> bruce...@spiretech.com
Tom Knight
Truly classy, I'll agree. A great idea for their archenemies would be a
group of barrabi Technocrats, one from each, ah, department (what were
the internal groups called again?). You could have the crazy Iteration X
guy, with an army of Terminatoresque skeleton - droids and an obsession
for grafting machinery onto unwilling subjects. The Progenitor, who's
cooking up all sorts of Cthulhuoid monstrosities in his Clone Vats, the
Void Engineer who's seen far to much and is now a harbinger for
Something Beyond The Void (and who's satellite fortress acts as a base
for the group), the mysterious N.W.O. Man In Black with his unspeakable
mind control methods and never-removed sunglasses (HIS EYES,OH GOD! HIS
EYES!) and the corpulent Syndicate crimelord seeking ever-new depths of
decadence. God, I'm getting the strangest urge to write these guys up.
Now I all I need a nifty name...
--
I can only assume these are the names of a lovable pair of talking
dachshunds from a children's television show. C+
- An Infinite Number Of Monkeys
Cyberpunk: Putting the funk into dysfunctional
"the kind that does not typically drive itself so deeply into the
behavior choice warehouse of the adolescent who is aflame with
prepubescent or pubescent fire as does the popular style of steely cold
violence inflicted with orgasmic satisfaction." - capalert
DShomshak
<kni...@theplanetoftheapes.freeserve.co.uk> writes:
>Truly classy, I'll agree.
Thankew, thankew. (Sorry this is late; I've been busy.)
>A great idea for their archenemies would be a
>group of barrabi Technocrats, one from each, ah, department (what were
>the internal groups called again?).
Conventions.
>God, I'm getting the strangest urge to write these guys up.
Ooh, do it!
The Technocracy actually fits many comic-book Mythic Threads embarrassingly
well. How many superheroes and supervillains get their powers from 'secret
government programs' in cyborging, 'super-soldier serums' and the like? Or
from big monstrous megacorporations? Or look at super-scientific organizations
like Project Pegasus (Marvel) or S.T.A.R. Labs (DC). Quite a few
super-scientist heroes and villains could be Technocrats themselves.
Dean Shomshak