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"Cultural Monsters" in Reign PDF Print E-mail
Written by Pierre-Philippe   
Wednesday, 23 January 2008

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I've always love the absence of monsters in the Reign setting (ok, there IS some beasts and demons) all conflict come mainly from political clash and wars. At the same time i really enjoyed the explanation for demon in the Unknown Armies setting (and i won't spoil it) and since i enjoy magic, i've try to introduce the "cultural monster" in my campaign. 


When a sorcerer fail to attune himself he dosen't just die, he get transformed by a surge of magical power coming from his cultural belief. He's a PC no more but he become the equivalent of a "monster" human once but overwhelmed by is pulsions now. 

Instead of immediately dying of unsuccessful attunement attempt the sorcerer is slowly transformed (in hours, day, weeks or month) in a "creature/monster" version of himself that become a kind of scary and dangerous to his home culture. (Note that i've house rule that the character become non-playable and is more a monster than a character)

I would like to use this little article as a compilation and description of the failed attuned creature. I would, if possible, try to give some power to the creature. The easy way to do it is to let them cast some spell from the actual spell list at an easier difficulty or as a "granted power".

So far for the failed sorcerer i've thinked more clearly about:

Truil failed Nighthunter- Werewolf "Disformed by the rage and the wrath of the moon goddess, the sorcerer become a berserking half-wolf, half-man that can command and summon natural wolfs, that gos on crazy berserking rampage during full moon and that his bite cause his victim to enter frenzy. The bite dosen't give any form of lycanthropia. It is said that the Werewolf have a taste for the black flesh (the flesh of the invaders) and that if it has a choice it will attack the dark skinned people first. Wolfsbane repulse them and silver may have some effect."

Darkened Path failed apprentice - Shadowplotter
"The shadowspirit gain complete possession of the host body and immediately start hiding and scheming against it's former master/school/political group using a great stealth capability and some dark power OR the spirit take possession and his quite happy of it's new state, his main goal is now to attract more shadowspirit in variable hosts spreading like a disease mainly among sorcerer who are tricked. Those creature are extremely sensitive to light. Some still have former thought of their previous self and some goal. It is said that the Sunless plain king life was attempted by at least one of those creature in the past"

But there may be:

  • Pahar conjoining priests - that cursed a piece of land that then have a tendency to mutate thing that live on it (or become malicious!)
  • Stoneheart guardien- that permanently shut their heart and change into statue without any feeling at all.
  • Way of the wood failed apprentice- That turned into trees-creature or sentient surrounding.
  • Equine unity failed sorcerer- That turn into war monging, fast running, centaure creature
  • Ironbone blessed priest- That turned into hard golem patrolling the border of the land (or the lake?) attacking invaders and people trying to flee without distinction.
  • Maniac FlameDancer- That become a kind of will-o-wisp "flaming" creature that can't stop dancing at all.
  • Lost to the wind Stormtongue sorcerer- Turned into half bird-half sorcerer who think they master the sky and get very territorial.

 

 So far, here's my rules: 

werewolfFailed Attuned « Monster » quick rules

 Roll as normal to try to attuned the sorcerer, failure doesn’t mean death, failure mean you transform yourself (slowly or rapidly) in a “cultural monster” a creature overwelmed by magic that loose control of itself (especially at your primal pulsion, in a strict human fashion).

You get your initial transformation for free (along with some benefit and weakness as stated in my “Truil werewolf” ememple)

 Keep in mind the number of dices you’ve rolled to attune your sorcer, these are the number of points of powers you can have as a creature. Power range from special abilities to poison or inhate spell like power

 Each power cost 1 pt and that’s it(GM may wants to buy the same power multiple time that’s up to him, i wouldn’t recommand a Werewolf with AR3 + regeneration power!)

My first monster!

Truil Werewolf (failed Kugmit)

Lost sons and daughter of Raungmut

Transformation (free): Charm fall to zero and your coordination raise by that amount (max 6), Same thing with Command score except it raise Body, Knowledge drop to 1 and your sense raise by the same amount. You gain a MD in scrutinize.

Claws:Width Killing+1  

Bite: Width Killing (+ poison if you have the power)

Weakness(free):

-Silver does more damage (add 1K to weapon made of silver)

-Severly repusle by wolfsbane (wolfsbane give –1D on all action, and 1 shock damage to the head each round you stand in it’s presence)

Powers:

-Natural Armor: You gain AR 1 all over as your now made of a really thick fur.  

-Poison: Potency X(X is the dice rolled when trying to attune to the goddess) victims resist using Body+Vigor

Minor: Your enraged, your vision blurry and your heart pound fast –1D on all action.

Major: Frenzy, attack nearest target (human or animal) for 1d10 minute you can only use Body+Fight to attack unarmed (bite, punch,kick) and may dodge, nor use martial path.

-Regeneration: You heal 1 shock per round you choose the location, 1 night of sleep turn 1K in each location into shock.

-Unstoppable: The werewolf always act as if under the full benefit of the kratig (the Blue Face drug). To kill him you must fill the toro or head of killing damage.

-Some werewolf have the power “Call the pack” for free (see Truil spell)

-Some werewolf have the major effect “Lupine Curse”(Truil spell) in their bite (hence the rumor of the werewolf curse spreading).

-Shapeshift power: (just as Lupine form spell) for a duration equal height in hour (or 1D or who cares) you can take the form of your former human self, your werewolf form or a wolf form (gain wolf running speed). During that period you can change at will.


GM Notes:

Inabited by the rage of the godess, the werewolf run in the Truil waste hunting at night. The werewolfs are the Truil cultural Nightmare.  The werewolf is especially fonds of two things: having sex(as in raping) and canibalism on a living victim (stuhimmen). Entusiast werewolf practice both activities at the same time. His first target are always people with black skin but, during the night of the full moon the werewolf go into a rabid rampage attacking and killing humans and animals alike.

Rumors say some old werewolf have developped intelligence and actually make prisonner form the Truil explorer in remote region, that’s it, making slave of them... this may actually be a spook story serving the purpose to fuel the Truil love of freedom. 

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Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved.

 
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