Chosen: The Armageddon Part One | Part One | Part Two | Part Three | By Justin Love (jlove@csc.cornell-iowa.edu) Introduction: Lost in the Mists of Time Tuesday, Febuary 4, 1400 A Brief Essay on the Matter of the Armageddon and Events Thereof: Words of Warning to Those Who Come After, Should There Be a Reoccurence of Such. Father Michael Abraham Translated from the latin by Jonathan Saunt. We stand now in the Aftermath of a catastophic battle, the Armageddon. The final battle between good and evil seems inconclusive. The dark forces have been beaten, but not destroyed, and evil remains in the world, though far less potent. It is as if a darkness has lifted from the world. But it is inconclusive. There is some evidence that this has happend at least twice before, and with the shadow of the darkness still lingering, there seems no reason why it should not occur again. The Armageddon is the battle of the few for the fate of the many, for the world. There are a few Chosen for each side, given special powers and knowledge to aid them in their battle. There seems to be little in the grand scheme of their selection: they are fundamentaly good or evil, but not perfectly so. The gifts granted to the Chosen seem heavy tied to the karmic forces guiding them. Each person has a certain measure of forces surrounding them that reflect how that person has acted. The good deeds are at some point rewarded and the evil ones are at some point punished. This however, has been twisted by the forces of Evil to work differently -- their atrocities fuel their vile power, and the corrupt forces guiding these people punish them for straying from the path; evil would not lose its favorite servants. Our strength, however is our goodness, as it should be. The kind acts of our past are redeemed to gain and power the gifts of the just, and turn or, if necessary, vanquish our enemies. Be also wary of avarice; do not let the lust for power guide your charity. Kindness offers the true rewards. Such acts done in greed are not unrewarded, but they are also not unpunished. The gifts are gained through a form of lucid dreaming where one may choose several paths to reach reward. Be warned that the greater the power, the greater your kindness must have been to earn it. Here follows a brief list of the paths and their respective gifts: The Path of Knowledge: down this path lies a spirit usually taking a form shaped by the dreamer's vision of his god. The spirit is bound to answer up to five reasonable questions per visit truthfully, though not necessarily completely. These answers are not without a price. Venturing down this path also grants the dreamer one additional rank in the basic power of the chosen, often dubbed Karma Knowledge or Karma Control. It allows the Chosen basing functions of his task, such as identifying friend and foe, as well as manipulating his own karmic forces. The Path of the Beast: This is the path of physical mutation and change. Its travelers may sprout wings, claws and fangs, or gain a primal connection with one of the magics, among many other things. The Path of Greatness: Self-improvement comes to those who venture down this path, the changing of the body is a greater labor than the improvement of ability. It is also the place to learn the strange and potent Arts. The Path of Chaos: This path asks little for its services, but these are unpredictable. Those whom venture here can come out ahead, behind, or right where they started. The Path of Power: The most expansive path by far, it has three main branches: those to wealth, magical powers, and ancient artifacts of Armageddon past. The distance down the path measures the rank of the gift received. The way of wealth is simple, granting only monetary rewards. The way of artifacts is far too extensive to map completely, as is the way of magic. The way of magic, however has nine fundamental divisions: o The School of Ignis: Fundamentally connected with passion, the chaotic, wavering flames can be brutal and destructive, bringing forth the random forces of chaos itself. o The School of Aqua: This is fire's more tranquil and pacifying bane, with several protective powers, yet its destructive side is not to be underestimated. Aqua raises thought to an art form, commanding the forces of the mind itself. o The School of Terra: This school is founded in courage, stability, and virtually unmatched protection from physical dangers. It is also the way of the hunter and survivor. o The School of Caelum: The antithesis of earth, air is fickle, capacious, flighty, and joking, the master of illusion, movement, and the very skies themselves. o The School of Dissilutio: This is a very simple and base power, connected strongly to anger and malice, the higher ranks for the most part only allow things to be destroyed more completely. It is the master of base descruction in its raw, unshaped form, or calling upon the wrath of nature to do its bidding. I do not strongly recommend it, but it may have just uses. o The School of Corruptio: The most primally evil, I expressly disallow this power of decay and treachery, unless one of the lesser effects is very necessary for the good of the world. Do not fill yourselves with lust or thoughts of seduction when you choose the way of magic. o The School of Procreatio: The counterpart of destruction, this more positive power can undo or remake its madness and those inspired and wonder-filled people who become learned in it may save many a life. o The School of Purgatio: Purification, the most goodly power. Protection and preservation of peace and order are its realm; it is honest, pure, and innocent, though it has some measures to punish those who disrupt the peace. o The School of Tempus: Sngst, regret and worry over the past and future bring forth the magic of time. It can alter and view the movement of the world to it's user's advantage. Preface "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" Chosen: The Armageddon is intended to be run in the White Wolf Storyteller system, although the World of Darkness is not used, as the author sees no reason for interaction with WoD's fantastic inhabitants. This document assumes the reader to be familiar with both roleplaying in general and the Storyteller system in particular. Many sections here are primarily suggestions -- as always, the Storyteller should feel free to experiment. A Note About that Copyright All I really want is credit for the idea(s). You may freely distribute and modify this document to your hearts content, so long you put my name somewhere as the originator of the concept. In fact, I encourage modification, my mind is rocketing forward on an idea that evolved from this, and I don't want to take the time to bring Chosen to it's full and proper conclusion, since the next generation will be so superior anyway. There are a number of known defects, all of which the next game will correct. Background It is the turn of the 20th century, and the Armageddon is real. The little understood forces driving Good and Evil call forth their avatars for the final battle. Of note is that there is not religious significance to this event (of course individual storytellers can take their own view of this), though anyone who follows a religion will most likely believe that their respective god(s) are the cause. The central concept in Chosen is the struggle between Good and Evil, each side choosing from the most pure and the most vile gladiators to champion their cause. This is occurring all over the world, though characters should only be concerned with their own particular battle at least until their own foes have been stopped, covering one city or area. Generally, the facts of this battle will be missed by the media, though a rise in street violence or the like is quite likely to be noticed. The Chosen also receive special powers as rewards for their virtuous (or sadistic) lives. These powers are conveyed through dreams presenting the player with several paths to improvement. What Goes Around Comes Around The Good and Evil in each person is measured by the relative amounts of Karma that person has accumulated, with each point representing one good or bad thing they have done, and one good or bad thing that will happen to them, respectively. The forces of Evil, however corrupt this aspect in their minions, allowing their foul deeds to grant them power instead of punishment. The Code The Code is a statement of the objectives of each side. It is somewhat redundant as most Chosen understand their goals quite clearly, but disobedience may be punished with negative Karma. There is a separate Code for each side, warped reflections of each other. The codes concerning Guides are, of course, only used if one is playing with Guides. The Code of Good Seek Thine Foes: Seek those whom would bring the darkness, and turn them from their task. If they cannot be brought to see reason and kindness, they must be destroyed. Honer Thy Cause: Make an example of your kind behavior and just decisions. Do not engage in the activities that would undo us. The Task of the Teacher: The Guides are not to intervene in the battle itself. They are ralliers and instructors, not warriors. Honer Thy Teacher: Ward shall obey their Guides, for the Guide's knowledge is greater and their wisdom well founded. The Code of Evil Destroy Thine Foes: Seek those whom would bring order to the world, and destroy them. Further Thy Cause: Do not fail to bring about the chaos. Destroy all who preserve the old ways or would advance cause of good in any way, and do not join them in a single act. Gather Thine Wards: The Guides are to quickly gather their wards, instruct them, and strike as soon as possible, while our foes are still disorganized. Obey Thy Master: The wards shall obey their Guide in every command. The Guides have a plan which shall not be deviated from. History The known history of the Armageddon is only concerned with western cultures. Others simply did not keep sufficient records to make any guesses about the battles in their respective parts of the world. The First Armageddon predates known history. It is believed that Good came out the better, and allowed mankind to prosper and grow, though Evil was not entirely destroyed and slowly seeped back into the world. Many early tales of magic were likely inspired at this time, as is possibly true of all Armageddons. The Second Armageddon occurred much later, around the 5th century, and the Evil forces came out the better, plunging the known world into the Dark Ages. Like before, Good, the losing force, was less pronounced, but still present. The Third Armageddon, about the 15th century, marked the end the Dark Ages, as barbarians and knights were summoned together, with the forces of Good gaining the upper hand, thus marking the beginning of the Renaissance. The Fourth Armageddon: Starting now, in the year 2000, the forces of darkness, long in returning and now slowly corrupting the world, once again make their vie for power. Its their turn to win, and no quarter will be shown in the war for it all . . . The Aftermath This is a somewhat more free-form extended play option. After the majority of battles have been fought, either one side comes out victorious, or both sides are greatly weakened and struggling, down to individuals or small, roaming packs. This is much better for inconsistent play groups, because you don't have to worry about having an equal number of people on each side, and a player may simply bring in another character if one dies. If one side is victorious, you may either assume the role of hunters on the victorious side, or hunted on the losing. Under this option, some of the victors may have set up a form of subgovernment or secret society while others go out and do the dirty work. This opens up the possibility of political intrigue. If both sides are struggling, your play group will be a small band, probably not a group from one area, but a motley of survivors, banding together to continue the battle. One point that makes this interesting is that the Chosen lose their powers if they are not within the same area as a member of the opposite side. This not only make it virtually impossible to catch someone completely by surprise, but provides incentive for the hunt. Game Terms Aftermath, The: A time when most of the battles of The Armageddon have been fought, but some Chosen still remain and struggle on. Armageddon, The: The event which calls forth the forces of Good and Evil to battle for the fate of the world. There have been several battles, but as of yet, neither has won the war. Art: A special type of ability a Chosen may receive. Artifact: A physical, magical, object that the chosen may receive. Aspect: A subdivision of one of the schools of magic, as single rated power. Bad Karma: A Karma point received for doing an evil act, something which physically or emotional harms another person. Bane: The downside to an aspect of magic; a negative effect which comes with the power. Chosen: One of the few chosen to fight for the cause of good or evil. Code, The: A statement of the goals of each side. Many Chosen do not know of The Code, as few would even think to break its principals in the first place. Dreams, The: When The Armageddon occurs, the Chosen have a form of lucid dreaming in which they have the option of choosing between five paths. Fallen, The: Chosen whom have failed in their task and defected to the other cause. Force of Good/Evil: The Chosen have two types, the champions, or forces, for good, and the champions, or forces of evil. This is the designation of which type a particular Chosen is. Good Karma: A Karma point received for doing a charitable act, something which helps another being somehow. Guide: A special type of Chosen given advance warning of The Armageddon, so that they may gather and instruct the others. Karma: The representation of a person's past actions, classified as good or evil. At some point, it intervenes and rewards them for their deeds. Karma Knowledge: A very important special ability that the Chosen possess. The lower levels of it are considered absolutely necessary to their existence. Some non-Chosen have been know to possess the lowest rank. Negative Karma: The type of Karma that a Chosen receives for straying from the path. It is the opposite type as they are a force of. Path: There are five paths, reached in the dreams which grant the chosen their powers. They are Knowledge, Power, Greatness, Chaos, and Beast. Positive Karma: The type of Karma that a Chosen receives for furthering their goals, and the type they use to gain power. It is the same type as you are a force of. School: A subdivision of the magical powers of the Chosen. There are nine schools and each school has five aspects. Ward: A name given to those under the care of a Guide. Whelp: A name used, most often by evil aligned Guides, for a recently awakened Chosen. Character Creation The Chosen use the standard supernatural creature starting stats except for starting willpower of one, and freebie points of 21, reprinted on the sheet in case you've forgotten. Freebie point spending uses a modified version of the standards. freebie points. Attributes 5 points per dot Abilities 2 points per dot Willpower 2 points per dot Backgrounds 1 point per dot +1 positive Karma 1 point per box -1 negative Karma 1 point per box A character will typically start with ten negative Karma. The amount of positive Karma one starts with will vary depending on the type of campaign being run. If the players start with no powers, they should start with 30-50, probably depending on if you have experienced players (who will do good deeds from the onset and need to be given less to start) or inexperienced, who may not grasp the necessity of niceness at first. If they may start with powers, up 100 may be used, with the players buying any powers out of this amount at the normal cost. Almost Comprehensive Karma Cost Table Path of the Beast * Path of Greatness: Attributes x4 Abilities 3/x2 Karma Knowledge 1 point per dot Path of Chaos 1 point per spin Artifacts 4 points per dot Wealth 1 point per dot Arts: Aid 5/x3 Balance 3/x2 Channeling 2/x1 Common 5/x3 Concentration 9/x6 Exertion 3/x2 Haste 10/x7 Hinder 5/x3 Patience 7/x4 Magic (school) Aspect Emotion 7/x1 Everything else 7/x4 *Varies, see full description Storyteller Advice Integration Notes Should someone want to run Chosen in the World of Darkness, the following relationships are suggested. First of all, it is not recommend that one of the other fantastic inhabitants become a Chosen, as this would give them immense power. Vampires will disregard the phenomenon at first, and then grow to fear it. The blood of the Chosen has no special potency for them, but many will probably want to try it out for themselves. Though intrigued at first, the Vampires will probably ignore the Chosen in the beginning. However, as the battle escalates and the power that the Chosen can possess becomes evident, they will see them as a threat, and attempt to destroy them before they can outstrip their own power. Though domination and blood bonding are possible of the Chosen, nothing can deter them from their mission, thus allowing limited disobedience of their masters. Werewolves will likely see the servants of Evil as agents of the Wyrm bringing about the Apocalypse, and attack them if given the opportunity. Though they may mistake the agents of Good for similar things at first, any well meaning Garou who gains knowledge of their nature will most likely aid them, or at least not attack them. Mages may have had the power to predict the Armageddon, and may also feel jealous of the powers that the Chosen have, though they are less likely than the Vampires to see them as a threat. Instead, they may try to capture and study them, attempting to fathom their powers and wield them themselves. They should perhaps have more fear of the Chosen, who are but a dream away from the power to break their bonds. Wraiths, being mostly disconnected with the living world, will have little concern with Chosen, except that the ruthless slaying by the forces of Evil may create many new Wraiths. Changelings see the Chosen as recently awakened prodigals, long lost to banality. Like most non-fae, the Chosen are fairly banal, but less so than the average mortal, as they break the bounds of 'normal' reality and wield fantastic powers. Most Changelings will probably side with the good Chosen if they gain knowledge of them, the evil ones would impose a reign of despair that would smother the Changeling's precious Glamour. Some of the more disruptive Changelings, unseelie Redcaps in particular, may even side with the darker powers, to aid them in instilling fear in the mortals. Experience The standard experience system is not strictly necessary since the system includes the ability for much more drastic self-improvement, and most chronicles should tend toward the battle for one area, not representing the longer periods of time generally needed to advance by practice. It may still be used as a role-playing reward, and is left up to storyteller discretion. Supernatural powers must be bought with Karma. Guides as a Plot Device Guides are a special type of NPC Chosen who receive advance powers, so that they may better show their wards the way. There is one guide for each side of the battle in a specific area, a city for example. It is the guide's job to gather and instruct their fellow Chosen, but not to participate in the battle itself, though those of the evil side are not known for following rules in general. The use of Guides is a storyteller decision; they are an excellent way to get the PC's together and pass information, but they can pass too much information, especially if you are going for a feeling of amazement and discovery. If used, the PC's Guide should at some point die (probably concurrent with the death of the opposing Guide, to keep things even), leaving them without their 'crutch'. The sooner the better, nce they have been gathered, given a sanctuary, and some preliminary instruction, though waiting can increase the emotional value of the death scene, and the feeling of sudden helplessness. Choosing Sides It is expected that most games will be run with the PC's as the good guys, though running the other side can make for an interesting change of pace. Even more interesting, if you have enough willing players, would be to have PC's playing both sides, with about two to four or so, ideally anyway, on each side. This method may also require more than one Storyteller, as keeping up with two groups of secret plots to undo each other can be quite complicated. The evil side may have an advantage in the greater ease with which it can gather Karma: just walk around killing people with your neat new powers, whereas the good guys have to go out and do genuinely kind deeds to earn their daily bread. While motivating bad guys to evil is generally unnecessary, don't be afraid to have the evil doers go on a killing spree if your troupe of good is hiding out in their sanctuary. For this reason, the sanctuary, if any, should have a TV or at least a radio (a daily paper at bare minimum.) And don't forget to 'drop hints' (ie. 'Is anybody watching the news?') to tune into the local broadcasts when necessary. Getting Started The recommended method, especially for a 'discovery' chronicle, is to start with individual preludes with each character, playing up until the time when they would meet another PC. This should start with one or two days of their life 'before', perhaps including a chance and seemingly meaningless encounter with one of the NPC's on the other side. Later, the Chosen has the first of their dreams, probably, with subtle hints by the storyteller, gaining the ability to see auras, and briefly seeing the character they saw before, with their aura exposed. Any sort of major confrontation should be avoided at this point. If you decide to use Guides, their Guide should show up later that day. Otherwise, they should be instructed in the dream to go to a specific place at a certain time to meet the others. This is a 'standardized' method for introducing a character to the world of the Chosen. Don't be afraid to introduce one (or more) new twists to this method, or reinvent it altogether. If you just want to do a one-shot, it is best to use pregenerated characters. Choosing one power each night takes far too long and allows the acquisition of far too few powers. Better to grant players a fixed set of mysterious new powers the first time they dream, or perhaps, if dealing with an experienced troupe that designed their own characters, let them choose their own set, using total Karma acquisition cost as a limiter. All characters should have Karma Knowledge five in this situation, though you may allow them to 'sell' it at one point per dot if they need just one or two more for some certain power. Level one is considered absolutely mandatory, and level two is highly recommended. The Middle Ground As the game progresses, the characters should feel the necessity and desperateness (despite their ever increasing powers) of their task. Their foes should be a constant, looming threat to their existence and their vision for the world (be it peace and justice or war and chaos), dogging their every move and ruthlessly pursuing their own agenda. If one of the characters is consistently low on positive Karma, high in negative, or especially both, their foes should make a play to turn the character. It's best only to try this with characters with whom you know will be receptive to the concept, roleplaying the betrayal of their comrades. Also, the dreams might immediately notify the others of this disaster, and grant them some advance power to help try and turn the character back. On a similar note, don't be afraid to reward someone who puts forth a genuine and long term effort to turn one of their foes. The Wrap up Ideally, the PC's side should come up victorious. Of course, if they consistently make poor decisions, it's your job to provide the appropriate outcome and teach them to be more careful next time. The final victory is best only achieved if the players come up with a good, strategic plan to trap and defeat their opposites. If they come up with such a good plan after sufficient struggle, you should probably play into it and give them a well earned victory. If they have been merely surviving despite innumerable odds, you may also want to have their foes make a critical error, as a reward for persistence, especially if the campaign is going a bit too long. Systems Karma: The Stuff Power is Made of The Chosen characters sheets use Karma meters, originally adapted from the Changeling sheets, to measure the amount of good and bad Karma an individual has accumulated. One dot on the meter represents 10 boxes, with each box representing one point of Karma. Whenever the 10 boxes are full, they may be erased for one dot. Whenever they are empty, one dot may be erased to fill them all. The dots, however do have some greater significance. The highest any trait of a character can be is five or the total number of dots of Karma (both good and bad) (though if a character ever has five or more dots of the opposite type, conversion of sides is almost assured), whichever is higher. Thus by saving up 80 good (or 70 with 10 or more bad) Karma, a character may increase their strength from five to six on the path of greatness. This is a precarious position, however, as any permanent rating that exceeds the dots of Karma may not be used, thus if the example character spent a point to chuck a fireball, therefore having five dots and nine boxes, they would lose their newly acquired strength. If a 'Karma roll' is ever required, the number of dice is the number of dots of the appropriate type, usually standard difficulty (6). Such a roll may never be botched, and the Karma die (explained below) is not used. If you are playing that players may design their characters with a large amount of starting Karma to purchase staring powers, any dots in anything above five must be purchased with Karma. Karma is gained by doing an appropriate deed, an act of kindness for good, an act of cruelty for bad. If the storyteller suspects raw greed for power as the motive of a good player, one good point and one bad point, for greed, should be awarded. Obviously, players will do good deeds with the knowledge of their ultimate reward. The general guideline for what counts as greed is seeming over-anxious to do a good deed, or asking immediately afterwards "Do I get a point of Karma for that?" (though allowances should be made for polite reminders if you did overlook a good deed.) Karma Dice 'Karma dice' are one method of consistently having the forces of Karma intervene at the time least expected. Before any roll, the player declares one die as the Karma die. This should probably be the same die for all rolls, to avoid confusion. If the Karma die comes up a ten, good Karma intervenes. The player loses one point of positive Karma and the roll is either successful or gains 1 extra success, depending on weather the roll is for simple success or if numbers count. If a one is rolled on the Karma die, one negative point is lost and the roll fails. If you want Karma to interve less often, use one die for positive and one die for negative. A character with Karma Knowledge four may elect not to allow the use of positive Karma through the Karma die on a case by case basis, and the autosuccess from the Karma die is not cumulative with the autosuccess gained by using this power. A character with Karma Knowledge five may similarly disregard interventions of negative Karma, and since they have final say in both respects, may not even bother with Karma dice at their discretion. Temptation A Chosen is subject to several temptations, and the forces of the dark (or light) side can be quite earnest in their persuit. Negative Karma checks may be required if temptation presents itself. Also, whenever a character gains a point of negative Karma through some act, a negative Karma check is required, each success is one extra point gained (these extra points are not from an direct act of the character, and thus do not trigger this effect again). Once it gets a foothold, the forces of temptation can work swiftly. Whenever a character has exhausted their supply of positive Karma, they may choose to instead gain Karma of the opposite type. Of course, as explained above, each such instance requires a Karma check. The opposing forces also tempt with power; a character may gain a point of negative Karma (the roll for extra is of course required) to gain one extra die on a roll for each dot of their negative type they possess. Karma Knowledge The essential talent of the Chosen, Karma Knowledge gives them the tools to manipulate their own karmic forces. Level one of this power is considered absolutely necessary to a Chosen's existence, and level two is highly recommended. Extra Backgrounds Acts of Charity/Cruelty This is actually two separate backgrounds, having the same systems effect, but for different sides. Once per day, it adds one extra of the characters dominate Karma type, assuming their was any way for the character to do such acts during the course of the day. Though character generation points are spent to acquire it, the storyteller is the final judge. If the character is not living up to her Acts rating, reduce it. By the same note, reward characters who go beyond their rating. Acts of Charity * You give occasionally. ** You have done volunteer work, maybe help old ladies across the street. *** You are active in the community. **** You are a community leader. ***** Saintly. Acts of Cruelty * You hurt other peoples feeling often. ** You are some form of abuser. (child, sexual, spouse, etc) *** You have murdered at least once. **** You are a serial killer. ***** Demonic. Fallen Reincarnate (To be used only at storyteller discretion.) You have fought the Armageddon before and have fallen from your duties and joined the other side. You have been returned to earth to redeem yourself, and, at the commencement of the Armageddon, regained some of your previous knowledge, some of which relates to the Armageddon itself. For each dot in Fallen Reincarnate, you gain some special freebie points, one starting point of Karma Knowledge, and 10 (one dot) of your opposing Karma type for your former treachery. Additionally, your starting rating for Acts may not exceed 5 minus the rating of Fallen Reincarnate, and your rating in Fallen Reincarnate is added to your dots in negative Karma whenever you make a temptation roll with it. When spending the special points, keep in mind that these points come from experience in long past lives, and thus are unlikely to grant skills in computer or firearms, whereas you are quite likely to pick up an extra language or archery, for example. These extra points may also not be used to buy Karma like normal. Be very careful, the more negative Karma you have, the more likely you are to succumb again, and the more likely the storyteller is to bring it to bear on your actions. Note that the Armageddons given assume your are playing in the Fourth Armageddon. If you run a historical campaign, adjust the names and highest rating accordingly. Rating Armageddons Karma Addiontal Maximum Additional Knowledge Negative Acts Freebies Karma * One Armageddon * 10 **** 10 (Third) ** Two Armageddons ** 20 *** 25 (2nd & 3rd) *** Three *** 30 ** 45 Armageddons (1st, 2nd, 3rd) **** Four Armageddons **** 40 * 70 (the forgotten age, 1st, 2nd, 3rd) ***** Five Armageddons ***** 50 X 100 (the forgotten age, 1st, 2nd, 3rd) Imps and Annoyances If a character has a lot of negative Karma, approximately 15+, (and they are not a Fallen Reincarnate) the Storyteller may 'gift' them with an annoyance. The annoyance cause the loss of one point of negative Karma per day of presense, but makes a complete pain of itself. They are usually imps, small devils for good that cause great deals of mischief, (It's amazing how much fun a storyteller can have by saying 'poke' at random intervals) while dienzens of evil will probably gain a small cherub who spreads love and kindness everywhere. Annoyances cannot be harmed. They only go away when the character reduces their negative Karma below ten or so. Aggravated Damage Aggravated damage is something so horrendously damaging that it cannot be repaired through normal healing. Aggravated wounds are therefore noted differently in the health meter, such as a slash for normal damage and an X for aggravated. Natural examples include loss of limbs or other major body parts that cannot completely regenerate themselves. It may also be caused by things that destroy the nearby tissues, leaving nothing to regrow the missing parts. Such damage may be returned to a normal wound by ripping out or surgically removing the nearby damaged tissue, causing at least one extra health level of damage in the process. Some special powers also cause aggravated damage. The Hand of Madness and The Hand of Justice are two examples. These fall under the second category of wounds. The Dreams Before waking on the first day of the new millennia, and each night thereafter until their task is completed, each Chosen finds themselves in a dreamrealm. They are standing on a disk of undiscernible material, with five pathways leading off into the distance, evenly spaced, about in the same pattern as a five pointed star. If they have Karma Knowledge of at least one, they will be able to see a pattern on the disk which will give them an indication of which path is which. They will start out facing the Path of Knowledge, but until their character has appropriate experience, all attempts should be made to either go straight forward not knowing what they will find, or choose another path randomly. If the Chosen is a force of Good, the disk and its paths float in a void, but everything is well lit with a pleasing, soft glow. If the Chosen is a force of Evil, they are instead among burning flames, lighting everything with a harsh light, flickering from reddish to black. When they walk down a path, the seemingly infinite distance they could see will quickly come to one of the following. One may choose not to take any path. They may then take more than one path on a future date. Path of Knowledge Walking down this path, one comes to another disk, with a being standing in the center. The image of this being is shaped by the viewers vision of god, if any for the good, and the devil for the evil. He appears as a stereotypical wise and ageing man for the godless, or the stereotypical man with red skin, horns, tail, etc. Regardless of the form, he has a white (or black) aura, visible to anyone with Karma Knowledge one. For one positive Karma one question, to a maximum of five per visit, may be asked of this being. The questions, provided they are reasonable and within the storyteller's power to answer, must be answered truthfully, though not necessarily completely. The storyteller is advised to be prepared to answer questions that may reveal more than they would like. Either make plans ahead of time or further restrict the questions. Additionally, each visit to the Path of Knowledge grants the visiter one higher rank in Karma Knowledge. This costs one positive Karma per dot of the level being gained. Path of the Beast Physical mutation and change is the way of the beast. As the Chosen walks down the path, the storyteller should ask the player what her character is feeling or thinking about, attempting to shape this response into one of the powers listed below. If the player has an idea which is appropriate for the Path of the Beast but is not listed, go ahead and assign it a cost and decide the appropriate systems. Any noticible physical mutation will also likely cause penalties in social situations. Power Cost Description Erasure 1 Removes a Path of the Beast power, a Mutation, a merit, or a flaw. Fangs 2 You may make a bite attack for str+1damage. You also gain +1 die on intimidation rolls. Reflexes 2 You gain plus one die to inititive rolls. Lizard Limbs 3 You may voluntarily detach your limbs, although they must be regrown through some means not supplied by this power. Each limb detached causes one aggravated wound. Long Fingers 3 You have exceptionally long fingers, allowing you to make related dex checks at +1 die Acute Senses 3 Separate version for each sense, -2 difficulty to related rolls. Conditions causing excesses in the appropriate area may cause discomfort or pain. Double-jointed 3 -1 difficulty for appropriate dex checks. Infravision 3 You see by heat, and no longer need light to see people or other temperate objects. Speed 3 You may run at rates up to twice what you could do normally. Tail 3 You gain plus one die to any attempt to maintain your balance. Webbed 3 Your feet and hands become webbed, allowing you to move 50% faster in water. Fountain of Life 4 Your healing times are as if you had one health level less. Bruised is healed in but a single hour. Disgusting 4 By spending one turn concentrating and spending one point of Karma and one point of temporary willpower, you may make your body do unnatural things, eyes bug out, tongue stretches, etc. Roll your wits + intimidation vs their willpower, for each remaining success a witness is at -1 die next turn. Berserker 4 At will, you may fly into a berserker rage, ignoring all health level penalties. You will ruthlessly attack enemies in this state, and are unable to flee. Control may be regained if a willpower point is spent and a willpower roll succeeded in. Danger Sense 4 You have a forbidding sense of upcoming danger. Huge Size 4 You gain 1 extra hurt health level. Slimy 5 2 extra successes are needed to grapple you, and rolls to soak fire damage are made at -2 difficulty. Tough Hide 6 +2 die to soak, not usable vs. fire. Claws 6 Str+3 brawl attack, All dex checks involving fine hand movements are at +1 difficulty Palpita 6 You have leathery flaps of skin under your arms which may be used to glide. Gills 6 You gain gills on your neck in addtion to your lungs, allowing you to be just as at home below water as above it. Retractible 8 When extended, you may make a str+2 brawl Claws attack, although any fine finger control checks are at +1 difficulty when out. Animal 9 You may transform into an animal chosen at the Transformation time the power is acquired. Each transformation costs one positive Karma, returning is free. Slow 10 You regain one non-aggravated health level per Regeneration day. Wings 10 You have fully functional wings, and may fly. Your choice of feathery, leathery, or bat-like. Mist 10 You may transform into a mist for 1 Karma, returning is free. Animal command 12 You may attempt to command any animal to do your bidding, provided you make a successful opposed wits+intimidation or willpower roll. Eye Rays 12 You may spend one Karma to fire a stun ray at a foe. per + eye rays (a special talent) or per + one half of firearms to hit. If hit, victim makes a willpower check, difficulty of six plus one for each previous time they were hit this scene, if it fails, they are stunned. Wereform 15 Like animal transformation, except you have a 'half form' also which retains abilities of both your human and animal seemings. Fast 15 You regain one non-aggravated health level per Regeneration hour. Elemental Form 20 For 1 Karma you may transform into an elemental of one of the 9 magics, chosen when this power is gained. You may then use any power from this school at the additional cost of 1 Karma per level of the power being used. See the individual descriptions for appearances and special powers of the elementals. All elementals are effectively immune to damage by normal physical attacks, except for Tempus elementals. A character may make an appropiate Aspect Counter roll to damage an elemental. While in elemental form, an elemental will automatically use its Aspect Counter at level five at no cost to oppose an appropiate spell which effects it. While in elemental form, an elemental experiences the banes of all of its school's aspects as if the powers were one rank higher. The bane is treated at level one if the character does not posses the power seperatly. Electroform 20 You may transform into solid electricity, more like static than lightning, but you may enter electronic networks. This costs one Karma to activate. The Path of Greatness Upon Walking down the Path of Greatness, one sees two patterns upon the floor: the sign of the Path of Greatness proper, the body inside a circle with the hands and feet upon the edge of it, and the pattern representing Arts, special abilities that can only be learned here. They are described below. Standing upon the circle of greatness a character is asked "How shalt thou grow?" The 'correct' answer to which is the name of an attribute or ability. Though a small amount of leeway is allowed; greatness shouldn't be able to advance the tenets of other paths. If an attribute is named (or the storyteller determines that the answer given is closest to an attribute,) that attribute gains one dot and the character loses four times the former rating in positive karma. If an ability is chosen, follow the same procedure, but the cost is two times the former rating, three for a new ability. Arts are special abilities the Chosen may use. Upon stepping into the 'z' the signs of the Arts appear around the character, hovering above it in space in a circle. Touching a sign grants the player level one of the art, or advances an Art one rank. The cost for each Art varies and is listed with the title in the format A/xB; A is the cost to gain the first dot, every dot thereafter costs current rank times B. Art of Balance Cost: 3/x2 Description: For each dot you possess in Balance, you may, at the beginning of every round, move any dot in an attribute to another attribute in the same category (physical, mental, social) until the end of the round. This may not cause any attribute to go below one or above you normal trait max. Art of Haste Cost: 10/x7 Description: For each dot you possess in Haste, you may choose to take one extra action. For each action that you take in this manner, you have one less die on all of your rolls this round. This penalty may never be reduced. Art of Patience Cost: 7/x4 Description: You may focus up to one round (or an equivalent amount of time to what the roll will represent) per dot you possess in Patience, adding one die to the roll of your choice on the first round afterwards. For example, if you focused for three turns on an attack action, you could add two dice to your to hit roll, and one to your strength roll on one hit. Art of Concentration Cost: 9/x6 Description: For each dot you possess in Concentration, you may, at the beginning of every turn, add one dot to any attribute or ability (you must possess the ability already) for the remainder of the round. This may not allow a trait to go above your normal trait maximum. Art of Exertion Cost: 3/x2 Description: For each dot you possess in Exertion, you may spend up one extra willpower to gain an auto success on roll. When you exert yourself, the merit 'Self Confidence' has no effect. Art of Channeling Cost: 2/x1 Description: For each dot you possess in Channeling, you may cause one health level of damage to yourself to gain one auto success on a roll; the wound penalties gained in the process do not effect that roll. Art of Common Cost: 5/x3 Description: With this Art you may transfer resources between yourself and others to maximize their effect. Physical contact is always required and the other person must be willing, unless otherwise stated. * You may transfer memories between yourself and another. The memories are not moved, but copied. ** You may transfer karma between yourself and another. *** You may transfer willpower between yourself and another. **** You may transfer health levels between yourself and another. ***** You may temporarily transfer an attribute point between yourself and another willing subject. This transfer may last or up to a day. ***** * You may attempt to perform a transfer on an unwilling subject. Roll your willpower, diff. 7, opposed by their willpower, diff 6. The net success in your favor is the number of units which may be transferred. ***** ** You may make a transfer on any willing subject within sight. ***** You may attempt an unwilling transfer on any subject within *** sight. The roll is the same as above. ***** You may make a transfer with any willing subject anywhere. **** You must of course have some familiarity with the subject to form a mental image of them. ***** You may attempt a transfer on any unwilling subject ***** anywhere. You may focus on an individual you know or attempt to steal from a random person. Art of Aid Cost: 5/x3 Description: Aid allows you to help another succeed. For each dot you possess in Aid, you may add a die from your pool to theirs. The amount of dice added may not be greater than your total dice for the same action. If you are attempting to perform an action on the same turn, it counts as a split action, with the pool being Aided being taken into consideration for the smallest pool. You are at minus one die for each die by which you have Aided them if you do such. Thus if someone was attempting to rally a crowd with charisma + leadership, and you have four in Aid, you may add four dice to her roll. If your charisma + leadership was only three, you could only add three to her roll. Art of Hinder Cost: 5/x3 Description: This Art works similar to Aid, except that it subtracts that number of dice from the subjects pool. It can also be used in reaction, for instance Hindering an attack roll instead of a dodge. The Path of Chaos Walking down the path of Chaos makes one feel different, and not necessarily in a good way. Roll three dice, and refer to the charts below. The Path of Chaos may not cause a trait to go below zero or above the characters normal trait maximum. Each trip down the Path of Chaos costs one positive Karma. First Die: Area 1-3: Attributes 4-5: Talents 6-7: Skills 8-9: Knowledges 0: Other traits* *Extra abilities, arts, etc. Chaos may not effect Karma Knowledge. If none, reroll or randomly select a special ability from a Player's Guide or other appropriate source to be possible gained. You may also choose to include Willpower in this category. Second Die: Trait Attributes: 1 Strength 2 Dexterity 3 Stamina 4 Charisma 5 Manipulation 6 Appearance 7 Perception 8 Intelligence 9 Wits 0 Reroll Abilities: Count down a number of traits equal to the die roll. ex: in Talents, 1 is Alertness, 2 is Athletics, 0 is Subterfuge, etc. Special Abilities: Make an appropriate roll to determine which trait (if there is more than one) will be affected. Third Die: Change 1: -2 2-5: -1 6-9: +1 0: +2 The Path of Power By far the most expansive path, the Path of Power has three main subdivisions: Wealth, Magic, and Artifacts. When someone walks down the path, they come upon three pedestals, above which hover three orbs. A person has the option of attempting to touch one, going forward (or back). Going forward presents the same three options at a rank one higher, and the path ends when they have reached their maximum trait rating. The way of magic is not present beyond rank one unless the person has achieved at least one rank lower, and then only those Aspects for which they have achieved at least one rank lower are available. The Way of Wealth The orb to the left gives of feelings of greed, luxury, and power. It has a yellow or green color, and scintillates like sparkling gold coins falling through sunlight. A person touching it loses one Karma per step taken down the path and gains an appropriate amount of money, the same as the liquidated value for resources. The wealth is in an easily usable form, though gems and gold coins are quite appropriate for the path, they are quite useless if they raise 'questions' from the person they are being traded with. * $1,000 ** $8,000 *** $50,000 **** $500,000 ***** $5,000,000 The Way of Artifacts The orb to the right appears made of some manner of stone or metal, and is ornately carved with runes. It gives a feeling of ancient power which demands respect. Touching this orb, the storyteller should inquire as to what the character's feelings, wishes and desires are. If she does not specify a particular type of artifact or a desired effect, an attempt should be made to work with any other indications, but at this point it is somewhat arbitrary. The cost of an artifact is four times the rating of the desired artifact. X: This sign indicates a variable rank (number of dots.) It may be any value appropriate, with the effect of each dot used in place of the X specified in the artifacts description. Weapons use notation: x/+y. Difficulty x to use, str+y damage. Normal Melee Weapons Table Sap 4/+0 Club 4/+1 Knife 4/+1 Katana 5/+2 Foil 5/+3 Saber 6/+4 Broadsword 6/+5 Armor notation: x/+y/+z. Adds y soak dice and has a dex penalty of +z to the difficulty of any body movement roll. x is the class of the armor, on the table below, which includes the base ratings for normal armor of that type. Normal Armor Table 1/+1/+0 Reinforced clothing. 2/+2/+0 Armor T-shirt, leather tunic. 3/+3/+1 Vest, hardened leather. 4/+4/+1 Flack jacket, chain mail. 5/+6/+2 Full suit, plate mail. X Generic Weapon Using a normal weapon as a base, assign a minus one to the difficulty or an additional +1 to damage for each dot of X. X Generic Armor For each dot in X, either move the armor up one class, which starts at zero, up one rank, or, if you are createing armor over five dots, add one to the soak bonus. X Generic Enhancer A specified attribute or ability gains +X while in use, abilities gain +3 for every two dots, instead of +2. X Living Armor On Command, this suit of living armor will wrap itself around its user, at that time conferring its benefits. Living Armor regenerates its own wounds given time. When creating it, the total dots of powers below should equal X, any power below may be taken more than once, but this is redundant for some. * Enhance: +1 to a physical attribute. * Eyes: If the character's alertness is less than five, it is treated as five; otherwise it gains +1. ** Hyper-Swords: The armor has swords on its elbows which do str+3 damage, dex+brawl to hit. Repeated takings of this feature add +3 damage. ** Chitinous Hide: The armor provides exceptionally protection, adding +3 to your soak roll for each taking of this feature. ** Spiked Hide: Any brawl attack against you which succeeds by only one success causes the person to take its own strength in damage, in addition to damaging you. Each repeated taking of this feature increases the number of successes by one which someone must hit you with to avoid taking damage. ** Small laser: A small laser appears in your forehead, or on a wrist, etc.. Roll dex+body lasers (a special talent, dex+ one half of firearms, rounded up, may be used instead of this skill.) It does four dice of damage if the hit is successful. You may only activate such a laser once each round, (unless you are using Tempus or similar time warping powers to get your extra actions) but you may take multiples of this power to allow you consecutive shots on extra actions. *** Gravity Control: A small metal orb at your waist gives you the ability to fly at will. ***** Gravity Cannon: By spending one round charging, you may make a dex+body lasers roll the next round to fire a powerful gravity cannon. It does eight dice of damage if the hit is successful. ***** Regeneration: The armor regenerates you at a rate of one health level per hour, as long as some part of it or you remains. ***** ***** Hyper Blaster: By dislodging and opening up the armor's chest plates, you reveal two large lasers. You must spend one round opening and one round charging to fire on the third. This releases a huge swath of destruction, with both a wide width (which does not increase appreciably with distance), and long range, stretching off into the distance, doing 30 dice of damage to anything that it hits. It may be avoided by succeeding in a dodge roll at diff. 9, or by getting out of the way when one sees the chest open. X Temporal Hourglass When turned upside down from its original state, the world around the bearer speeds rapidly by, at a rate of X+1 rounds to the holder's one. When turned back the other way, the holder experiences X+1 rounds to everyone else's one. X is recommended to be only one in most cases. * Firesand A small bag of sand. This sand has an incredible amount of friction, and feels extremely hot when it rolls or is rubbed. May cause damage. * Valor Sword a 6/+5 broadsword. It gains one level and a minus one to difficulty each time its owner proves extraordinary valor. It loses one of these levels (and its associated bonus) each time its wielder shows cowardice. * Pendant of the Erie Eye A small, round, pendant, made out of stone but looking unnervingly like a real eyeball. The wearer gains a supernatural sense of approaching danger, at the responsibility of the storyteller to provide. * Crown of Transgression A golden crown with a single emerald in it. Upon close inpection, an hourglass is inscribed on the back of the gem. The wearer experiences time as if under the effect of a level five Transgress (see Tempus Aspect Warp) and ages at a rate 10,000 times less than normal. * Astral Clothing This pile of cloth, upon aquisition, takes on whatever shape and coloration the owner desires. It heals all damge to it automatically, except for magical attacks targeted against it. It is completely fire and stain resistant, although it offers absolutely no protection of any sort to its owner, except against the heat or cold of the climate. Unlike normal clothing, Astral Clothing remains with you whenever you undergo any form of transformation, thus allowing you to stay decent at all times. * Ring of Chaos The wearer of the Ring of Choas is affected with the bane of Ignis Aspect Chaos at three levels higher than she possesses it, at level three if she did not have Ignis Aspect Choas at all before. She may also activate the level one power, Chaos Surge, as if she had it. *X Sword of the Tides A [6-A]/+[4+(X-A)] sword, with A set a the beginning of each of your turns to a number between 0 and X. It has a small spade inscribed on it. *X Great Defender A 6/+4 sword with -X difficulty to all parry rolls. ** Amulet of the Knowing Eye A small, flat gold amulet carved in with a simplified likeness on an eye on one side. The wearer has greatly heightened senses, resulting in -2 difficulty to perception rolls. ** Lenses of Clarity A pair of eyeglasses which give the wearer perfect eyesight and the ability to see through all manner of illusions. ** Cloak of Invisibility Makes the wearer invisible when the cloak is tightly wrapped around him. Any action which protrudes from the cloak cancels the effect. May be detected on per+alertness, diff. 9 *** Charm of Summoning This small, neck-worn pendant takes whatever form the owner desires. If given into the keeping of another person, that person needs only speak the owners name and wishes upon the charm to bring that person there immediately. The summons must be obeyed, but the summoned person may delay it a few minutes to take care of 'compromising situations.' *** Forge Sword This is a hollow 6/+4 broadsword. On careful examination, one notices a small plug near the base of the blade, which opens up the hollow interior. If the sword if filled with firesand (one dot artifact, see above), it gains +5 to damage from the intense heat created by moving it around. A single grain of the sand may fall out when opened the first time as a clue. It has a small heart inscribed on it. Knowledge of how to combine the two parts should only be gained through role-playing. *** Sword of the Four Winds A 5/+2 katana with a small club inscribed on it. If the wielder makes only attack actions during her turn, she gains an extra action, which may only be used to attack. *** Mask of Falsehoods The wearer of this mask may appear as any other person to the eyes and ears. She will even appear to have different body dimensions, but this change will not be apparent to the touch. The person being copied must be known in some way. *** Staff of flame A long, ornately carved staff with a ruby orb at the end, and a heart carved in the bottom. The bearer may cast any Ignis Aspect Elemental effect at the additional cost of one positive karma per level of the power being used. *** Cane of Tides Made from a gnarled old piece of driftwood, this cane has an spade inscribed on it. The bearer may cast any Aqua Aspect Elemental effect at the additional cost of one karma per level of the power being used. *** Branch of Many Stones A long branch almost untouched except for a series of small stones inset into it, and a diamond inscribed. The bearer may cast any Terra Aspect Elemental effect at the additional cost of one karma per level of the power being used. *** Wand of Wind A simple looking magicians wand with an club inscribed in the base. The bearer may cast any Caelum Aspect Elemental effect at the additional cost of one karma per level of the power being used. **** Ring of Invisibility An improvement over the Cloak of Invisibility, this ring never has its protection compromised by how tightly it is grasped. **** Pendant of the Void This gold pendant is shaped like a flat disk. The back is smooth and solid. In the mirror-like front, however, one sees a swirling vortex going off into an extra-dimensional void. Any magic effect cast in the presense of the pendant is automatically opposed by a five die Counter-Magic, (Aqua Aspect Mind) as is any enchantment that enters the pendant's presense. ***** Tome of Incantations The holder of this powerful tome may enact a ritual to use any power from the nine schools of magic at an increased cost. He must spend one round per level of the ritual chanting and such, expending one point of positive Karma for each round spent doing this. When this is complete he may activate the power as if he had it himself as long as he remains in concentration. Performing any other action not related the spell breaks his concentration. ***** The Book of the Dead Any character opening this book loses one point of positive Karma and becomes infused with a random soul from an Armageddon past. These souls are those of the Fallen, who betrayed their cause and joined the other side, and thus may not rest until they have assisted their true cause. The character changes to all traits of the soul, except willpower, health, and Karma. Pre-made character sheets are the easiest way of doing this. The spirit leaves in a day or when dismissed at will. ***** Thunder Sword A large 6/+5 broadsword with a small diamond inscribed upon it. If driven into the ground, all foes of the wielder are knocked to the ground. ***** Sword of Etherial Darkness A 6/0 sword made of pure shadow. It has no effect on normal things, but it does ten dice of damage to good aligned things ***** Sword of Shining Light A 6/0 sword made of pure light. It has no effect on normal things, but it does ten dice of damage to evilly aligned things. The Way of Magic The middle orb gives off a multitude of emotions, with fantastic and strange feelings of power. If a person goes beyond the first rank on the Path of Power, she will not see this orb unless she has achieved a rank of at least one lower than the rank at which she now stands in at least one aspect. The emotions given off at these higher levels will only be appropriate for the powers for which they have achieved at least a rank of one lower than this one. Touching the orb, the player is asked by the Storyteller what the character is feeling, choosing one of the following schools based on that, and then an aspect of that school. The specific power granted may also be based on what the character is interested in. The cost of these powers is listed in the format A/xB, where A is the cost to gain the first dot, and B is the multiplier of the current rank for additional dots in that aspect. Each aspect has a 'bane,' a negative effect of learning its ways. Most banes will grow with the rank of the power. Most banes are not terribly debiltating, but can make someone think twice before grabbing large amounts of power. If a player wishes to use a split action to activate a power for which no roll is required (and would thus suffer no penalty from being split) he must divide (round up) his willpower by the number of actions he is splitting it into and roll that number of dice. If a net success is achieved, he may activate the power; if a net failure is scored, he does nothing that action (but dice from it may still be used to dodge,) if a net botch is scored, the Karma (if any) is spent with no effect. Each power also involves a primary attribute. All rolls for which an ability is only listed are that attribute plus the given ability. Difficulty 6 is assumed unless otherwise noted. Activation notation: a listing with 'xk', where x is a number, means that x positive Karma must be spent to activate the power. If (xk) appears, it means that the power does not need Karma to be used, but an extended form of it does require an expenditure. This notation requires one action to do, unless otherwise noted. If a roll is required to use the power, the associated ability is listed at the top, along with the difficulty, which is S if a special difficulty is defined in the description. A '++' at the end indicates an extended roll. Aspect Emotion: Each power is primally connected with one or more emotions and one of their powers is to temporarily (until end of scene) instill this emotion in another. There are some systems associated with this, but all attempts should be made to roleplay some change in attitude and possibly behavior. A willpower point may be spent to ignore all effects from such a power, if you do so, the same such power may not affect you again this scene. Each effect also has an Aspect Enhance effect which increases its patron's attribute. These increases last for one scene, may only be used once per scene, and are not taken into account when making magic rolls that depend on that attribute. If more than one power is listed at the same rank under the same Aspect, both are gained at that rank of the Aspect. Some effects are identified as enchants. This is to clear up any possible confusion about what something that affects 'enchantments' effects. Mostly, being an enchanment means that it may be countered after it is has been cast. This also specifies what the power may effect. Those that specify person may also effect animals or other beings. An italicized word indicates the name of a power, the full description of which may be found elsewhere. Unless otherwise specified, the power is in the same school as the mention.