Project Nemesis is a fan driven website for games that use the One-Roll Engine (like Nemesis, Wild Talents, Reign and Monsters) or Chaosium's Basic Roleplay System (BRP) (like Call of Cthulhu) and the Delta Green setting.
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:
Failed 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 heal1
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.