Sadly Arcane does not work that way, is not a thing one does, it is an aspect of destiny.
Green Flame Rising (Exalted vs Dresden Files)
- Thread starter DragonParadox
- Start date
- Crossover Fantasy
Sadly Arcane does not work that way, is not a thing one does, it is an aspect of destiny.
Are you sure? Exalted/sidereal Arcane is. The example given in the above quote includes nanotech sensory disruptors, or ability to cloud people's minds.
fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
On the flaws it seems weird to pick things that Mercy in Servitude doesn't help with. Especially Taint of Corruption (7 pt. Flaw). Its odd to pick something that makes her a powerful destructive nightmare if she stops serving us.
Last edited:
This is an important point.
This also should be considered regarding the more visible flaws, for example missing ones shadow or reflection can be manageable for a normal person, much less so for an actor who has records of their performances and is expected to be in professional makeup (done by other people in front of a mirror) regularly.
We should remember that her main argument against cybernetics were their visibility.
- Location
- Dallas Texas
Also I thought she can't have her Invisibility past 3 dots, and the other 2 dots have to go somewhere else? I think maybe speak her towards mobility a bit more rather doubling down on stealth, so she can also run away and reposition easily for a hit-and-run guirilla warfare style combat? No idea where to find the books, but things that distract, confuse, or forcefully attention also would be good.
Last edited:
Arcane is controllable as far as mage is concerned if i read it correctly. The loss of records might be a problem tho.
Mage Arcane is too, that is where it comes from, even if the technocracy has to be weird about it and add technobabble.
To me it seems like this is the most "natural" flaw for her. Because Molly's power is infernal. It feels infernal, tainted, of Yomi Wan. And Olivia's ancestry is that of a raksha, another source of corruption.
That's true. I hope mark is manageable. If not, I'll switch to 1 dot higher rating of bizarre hunger with hungering for blood, I think. Not necessarily human blood, though.
I am unsure. @DragonParadox ?
Ok then. I'll have to remove that. I'll have to think what to replace that with then.
She has Psychic Invisibility 3 as a mandatory Path, which already buffs her Stealth.
I dont see why you are trying to add Arcane on top of that.
Especially since one of her issues is explicitly being forgotten and fading into the Background.
fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
Demon Plagued (2 points) seems like it would be a proper thematic flaw. When Oliva is serving us it causes no problems, but if she stops it starts causing her problems. Also fit with getting a familiar.
Last edited:
Hmm... I am tempted to replace Arcane background with Familiar background. @DragonParadox if Olivia was to take Familiar background, would she be taking Mage Familiar background, or Exalted Familiar background? Those two are completely different things.
Turn weakness into strength. If she's to be a circlemate, she needs to be at least somewhat competitive. That means specialization. To exalted level of power.
It would make her very much not a human, no more so than the average White Court Vampire. This is taking the darker parts of her soul and making a bespoke symbiotic demon out of them.
Just Infernal Things (TM)
- Location
- Dallas Texas
I would say focus on her potential as a Sniper/Tracker, which being Invisible is highly synergistic with, rather then doubling down on stealth. Not sure there are any abilities that would be specifically synergistic with firearms, but a strong mobility power would help as replacement, the only thing better then being invisible is being invisible and fast, making you impossible to pin down a solid location,
Buying better stats is one thing, but can she
make pact without giving up MiS?
A demon doesn't have to be a dick to their thralls, or demand universal obedience, but it does make the human a spiritual subordinate to the demon. They get privileged access to their thralls souls in a similar manner to someone who's been selling parts of it to the thousand hells and everything.
Seems like an infernal exaltation would be jealous about that kind of thing.
fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
How about give her both the Demon Plagued (2 point flaw) together with the Familiar background. So as part of the process we have bound a inner demon into our service. Which serves Olivia as an extension of serving Molly. It's a neat thematic with Mercy in Servitude.
So say Olivia shadow now serves her as a Familiar.
Last edited:
She would get the mage one, she is not an Exalt.
It is a bit unclear. She has to have 3 dots in the Invisibility path due to her background, but we can assign a total of 5 dots.
If those 2 dots has to go into something else or can also be thrown into the same path is a bith unclear @DragonParadox at the very least we should be able to buy those dots in any case.
fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
Or we are binding an inner demon and giving it form.
Oh yeah, you can just put those into the same path.
See above @Yog you can bump invisibility path up to 5
She isnt an Exalt, so presumably she doesnt get the Exalt Familiar background.
My plan involves building her a transforming 3-5 dot Arcana as her Familiar, though.
Essentially an Alanson R25 hardsuit fluffed as an Iron Man suit.
Or Blue Beetle.
If we're doing the Power Ranger reference, lean into it.
Last edited:
Ok
Hmm, on one hand still interesting. On another, much less useful. Ok. Let's do this a bit differently then.
Willpower 9
Attributes
Abilities
Paths:
Backgrounds:
Merits and Flaws
Attributes
| PHYSICAL | SOCIAL | MENTAL | |
| Strength ●●○○○ | Charisma ●●○○○ |
| |
| Dexterity ●●●○○ | Manipulation ●○○○○ | Intelligence ●●○○○ | |
| Stamina ●●○○○ | Appearance ●●●○○ | Wits ●●●●● |
Abilities
| TALENTS | SKILLS | KNOWLEDGES | |
| Animal Ken ○○○○○ | Academics ●○○○○ | |
| Athletics ○○○○○ | Crafts ○○○○○ | Computer ○○○○○ | |
| Awareness ●●●○○ | Drive ○○○○○ | Finance ○○○○○ | |
| Brawl ○○○○○ | Etiquette ○○○○○ | Investigation ○○○○○ | |
| Firearms ●●●○○ | Law ○○○○○ | |
| Expression ●○○○○ | Larceny ●●○○○ | Medicine ○○○○○ | |
| Intimidation ○○○○○ | Melee ○○○○○ | Occult ●●●○○ | |
| Leadership ○○○○○ | Performance ●●●●● | Politics ○○○○○ | |
| Streetwise ○○○○○ | Stealth ●●●●● | Science ○○○○○ | |
| Subterfuge ○○○○○ | Survival ○○○○○ | Technology ○○○○○ |
Paths:
While some mages take advantage of Arcane to walk
unnoticed through society, psychics can make use of this
Phenomenon. A sort of mass hypnosis, it projects "don't
notice me" into the minds of everyone nearby. It isn't
true invisibility: the psychic still shows up on cameras
and electronic surveillance equipment in general, animals
are unaffected because their minds are so different, etc.
Even some people might shrug it off because they can
tell something is wrong indirectly. Those looking for
something amiss can roll Perception + Stealth against
the psychic's roll, and if they have more successes, they
can see the psychic with no difficulty.
The number of successes on the roll determines how
thoroughly hidden the character is: one success makes the
characters still noticeable but people will tend to avert
their eyes, whereas with three or more successes almost
no one will noticed them. Mind Shields, of any sort, do
protect against this. The levels of this power dictate how
the psychic can behave and still remain hidden, and at
the higher levels, they can interact with select others and
even disappear from memories.
Cost: One Willpower.
Roll: Wits + Stealth
Duration: As long as the psychic actively maintains
the effect (this counts as an action).
Cost of Failure: On a botch, the psychic instead sends
out a "look at me!" signal to everyone in the vicinity.
Effects
• Hide: The character must remain completely still
to remain unnoticed. If they move, speak or do anything
else, the effect ends.
•• Slow Movement: Now the psychic can move while
maintaining their invisibility. However, they can only
move slowly, and cannot do anything that would draw
attention to them while maintaining the effect.
••• Invisibility: Now the psychic can walk and behave
normally, so long as they are not attempting to disappear
while being directly observed.
•••• Selective Invisibility: At this level of control,
the psychic can be invisible to some people but not to
others. This requires a Wits + Empathy roll (difficulty
7) and each success allows another person to see them
while everyone else is fooled by the Psychic Invisibility.
••••• Forget You Ever Saw Me: At the peak of power,
the invisible psychic is able to make a group of people forget
seeing them. The group's highest Perception + Alertness
pool is rolled (at difficulty 7) against the psychic's roll. If
the psychic gets a single success more than the observers,
they simply vanish from view. If they get at least three
successes more, they not only vanish but the observers
forget the psychic was there, losing memories one turn
back for every two successes.
Associated Spheres: Mind
unnoticed through society, psychics can make use of this
Phenomenon. A sort of mass hypnosis, it projects "don't
notice me" into the minds of everyone nearby. It isn't
true invisibility: the psychic still shows up on cameras
and electronic surveillance equipment in general, animals
are unaffected because their minds are so different, etc.
Even some people might shrug it off because they can
tell something is wrong indirectly. Those looking for
something amiss can roll Perception + Stealth against
the psychic's roll, and if they have more successes, they
can see the psychic with no difficulty.
The number of successes on the roll determines how
thoroughly hidden the character is: one success makes the
characters still noticeable but people will tend to avert
their eyes, whereas with three or more successes almost
no one will noticed them. Mind Shields, of any sort, do
protect against this. The levels of this power dictate how
the psychic can behave and still remain hidden, and at
the higher levels, they can interact with select others and
even disappear from memories.
Cost: One Willpower.
Roll: Wits + Stealth
Duration: As long as the psychic actively maintains
the effect (this counts as an action).
Cost of Failure: On a botch, the psychic instead sends
out a "look at me!" signal to everyone in the vicinity.
Effects
• Hide: The character must remain completely still
to remain unnoticed. If they move, speak or do anything
else, the effect ends.
•• Slow Movement: Now the psychic can move while
maintaining their invisibility. However, they can only
move slowly, and cannot do anything that would draw
attention to them while maintaining the effect.
••• Invisibility: Now the psychic can walk and behave
normally, so long as they are not attempting to disappear
while being directly observed.
•••• Selective Invisibility: At this level of control,
the psychic can be invisible to some people but not to
others. This requires a Wits + Empathy roll (difficulty
7) and each success allows another person to see them
while everyone else is fooled by the Psychic Invisibility.
••••• Forget You Ever Saw Me: At the peak of power,
the invisible psychic is able to make a group of people forget
seeing them. The group's highest Perception + Alertness
pool is rolled (at difficulty 7) against the psychic's roll. If
the psychic gets a single success more than the observers,
they simply vanish from view. If they get at least three
successes more, they not only vanish but the observers
forget the psychic was there, losing memories one turn
back for every two successes.
Associated Spheres: Mind
Sorcerers are unable to shape the raw essence of cre-
ation like mages can. They need a slightly more refined
energy to aid in their work. This energy, called chi, ki,
essence, mana, orgone, prana, ionized electrolytes or
any number of other things, can be harnessed to aid
the techniques that sorcerers use. The ability to use it is
referred to as technê, or practice/the craft.
Sorcerers find this energy, most commonly called
mana (despite most sorcerers not being Polynesian) diffi-
cult to obtain. Those who are particularly skilled can draw
it from Nodes with resonance matching theirs, though the
Path of Mana Manipulation gives more options. They can
roll Perception + Meditation at difficulty 7, each success
restores a point of mana, but each point of mana drawn
will drain two points of quintessence from the Node.
Mana can be spent to decrease the difficulty of sorcery
rolls, by up to -3, on a one-for-one basis.
X You have to get by on your skill alone.
• May store a pool of/expend one Mana
•• May store a pool of/expend two Mana
••• May store a pool of/expend three Mana
•••• May store a pool of/expend four Mana
••••• May store a pool of/expend five Mana
ation like mages can. They need a slightly more refined
energy to aid in their work. This energy, called chi, ki,
essence, mana, orgone, prana, ionized electrolytes or
any number of other things, can be harnessed to aid
the techniques that sorcerers use. The ability to use it is
referred to as technê, or practice/the craft.
Sorcerers find this energy, most commonly called
mana (despite most sorcerers not being Polynesian) diffi-
cult to obtain. Those who are particularly skilled can draw
it from Nodes with resonance matching theirs, though the
Path of Mana Manipulation gives more options. They can
roll Perception + Meditation at difficulty 7, each success
restores a point of mana, but each point of mana drawn
will drain two points of quintessence from the Node.
Mana can be spent to decrease the difficulty of sorcery
rolls, by up to -3, on a one-for-one basis.
X You have to get by on your skill alone.
• May store a pool of/expend one Mana
•• May store a pool of/expend two Mana
••• May store a pool of/expend three Mana
•••• May store a pool of/expend four Mana
••••• May store a pool of/expend five Mana
Your mind is mystically empowered. So much so, that
instead of being restricted to use mana only on sorcery,
you can use it to reduce the difficulty of any mental task.
This has the same restrictions as spending mana to aid
sorcery. The specific form this takes depends on the task,
perhaps making the sorcerer more insightful, perceptive,
or quicker to solve puzzles.
instead of being restricted to use mana only on sorcery,
you can use it to reduce the difficulty of any mental task.
This has the same restrictions as spending mana to aid
sorcery. The specific form this takes depends on the task,
perhaps making the sorcerer more insightful, perceptive,
or quicker to solve puzzles.
Your physical senses are unusually sharp, capturing nuances
that few people ever notice. In game terms, your character
reduces the difficulty of her Perception-based rolls by -2.
At the 3-point level, all five physical senses are equally sharp.
that few people ever notice. In game terms, your character
reduces the difficulty of her Perception-based rolls by -2.
At the 3-point level, all five physical senses are equally sharp.
Even without employing your Arts, you have a preternat-
ural gift for seeing things as they are, not as they appear to be.
Illusions, disguises, cloaking spells, and other forms of trickery
rarely deceive your eyes.
In game terms, you can make a Perception + Awareness
roll to see through metaphysical deception powers: vampiric
Disciplines, faerie cantrips, werecreature Gifts, Sphere-based
illusions, and other powers that are based on deceiving a wit-
nesses' perceptions. This roll works only against powers that deceive
the target's perceptions, not against any other form of Gift, Discipline,
cantrip, and so forth. (Vampiric Obfuscate, for example, but not
Presence or Dominate.)
The difficulty for that roll is generally 5 + the highest Sphere
Rank or other level involved in that power; a Forces 2 /Prime
2 illusion, then, would be difficulty 7, while a vampire's Mask
of a Thousand Faces (Obfuscate 3) would be difficulty 8. If a
character could normally get a roll to see through the illusion
(as shown in How Do You DO That?, pp. 129-132), then your
character subtracts -3 from her difficulty when trying to do so.
Your clear sight also reduces your difficulty by -3 when you
try to see through a disguise, a cloaking spell or device, or other
attempts to conceal the truth from an onlooker. It does not,
however, allow you to see through darkness, notice stealthing
or invisible characters, or otherwise perceive something that
you would not be able to see without this Merit; combining this
Merit with the physical Merit: Acute Senses, however, could
make you a formidably perceptive character.
ural gift for seeing things as they are, not as they appear to be.
Illusions, disguises, cloaking spells, and other forms of trickery
rarely deceive your eyes.
In game terms, you can make a Perception + Awareness
roll to see through metaphysical deception powers: vampiric
Disciplines, faerie cantrips, werecreature Gifts, Sphere-based
illusions, and other powers that are based on deceiving a wit-
nesses' perceptions. This roll works only against powers that deceive
the target's perceptions, not against any other form of Gift, Discipline,
cantrip, and so forth. (Vampiric Obfuscate, for example, but not
Presence or Dominate.)
The difficulty for that roll is generally 5 + the highest Sphere
Rank or other level involved in that power; a Forces 2 /Prime
2 illusion, then, would be difficulty 7, while a vampire's Mask
of a Thousand Faces (Obfuscate 3) would be difficulty 8. If a
character could normally get a roll to see through the illusion
(as shown in How Do You DO That?, pp. 129-132), then your
character subtracts -3 from her difficulty when trying to do so.
Your clear sight also reduces your difficulty by -3 when you
try to see through a disguise, a cloaking spell or device, or other
attempts to conceal the truth from an onlooker. It does not,
however, allow you to see through darkness, notice stealthing
or invisible characters, or otherwise perceive something that
you would not be able to see without this Merit; combining this
Merit with the physical Merit: Acute Senses, however, could
make you a formidably perceptive character.
The Muses work their will through you, or so it appears.
Whenever you employ your artistic talent (as in, the Talent:
Art in Mage 20, p. 275), reduce the difficulty of those rolls by -2. As
with other Merits of this kind, this Merit does not reduce the difficulty
of magick-casting rolls, but may reduce the difficulty of Attribute
+ Ability rolls that are involved with magickal acts. (For more details, see
Abilities Enhancing Magick, Mage 20, pp. 533.)
Whenever you employ your artistic talent (as in, the Talent:
Art in Mage 20, p. 275), reduce the difficulty of those rolls by -2. As
with other Merits of this kind, this Merit does not reduce the difficulty
of magick-casting rolls, but may reduce the difficulty of Attribute
+ Ability rolls that are involved with magickal acts. (For more details, see
Abilities Enhancing Magick, Mage 20, pp. 533.)
They've hurt you, and now they'll pay! Someone has committed
a crime you cannot and will not forgive, and whenever you get
the chance, you'll shower them with red-hot vengeance. This
grudge has become your highest priority in life – everything else
is merely a distraction. You may put this quest for revenge aside
temporarily if you spend a Willpower point in order to do so.
Until the guilty parties have been punished, though, vengeance
drives you to become that most dangerous of creatures: a mage
on a mission that ends only with blood.
a crime you cannot and will not forgive, and whenever you get
the chance, you'll shower them with red-hot vengeance. This
grudge has become your highest priority in life – everything else
is merely a distraction. You may put this quest for revenge aside
temporarily if you spend a Willpower point in order to do so.
Until the guilty parties have been punished, though, vengeance
drives you to become that most dangerous of creatures: a mage
on a mission that ends only with blood.
A pact or some other metaphysical occurrence has left you
with what old-school witch-hunters consider a "devil's mark": a
minor but noticeable deformation that remains insensate to pain
and yet allows a creature to draw your Quintessence out through
your body in physical form. Despite preconceptions, the origins
of this mark might not have come from a pact with some infernal
entity. That fact doesn't keep people – Sleepers and otherwise –
from looking askance at you if and when this mark can be seen,
especially since there's often something disconcerting about the
way it appears – a third nipple, a red or black growth, a vaguely
demonic face or sigil embedded in your flesh, and so forth.
Thankfully, you don't have to worry too much about
witch-hunters in the technologically industrialized world.
(Other regions are a different story; even rural areas of so-
called advanced nations still hold people who will harm or
kill someone who's "different.") The mark's disconcerting
appearance, though, may lead you to cover it up anyway. Folks
who do believe old-fashioned ideas about "witches" will not take
kindly to that devilish brand, so it could become a real problem
under the wrong circumstances. On the plus side, however,
you actually can nurture a Familiar (as in the Background
Trait of that name) on the mark, and do so without physical
discomfort. Of course, the idea of a talking, midnight-blue
winged tarantula taking hits of Quintessence off your body
may be uncomfortable in its own right.
with what old-school witch-hunters consider a "devil's mark": a
minor but noticeable deformation that remains insensate to pain
and yet allows a creature to draw your Quintessence out through
your body in physical form. Despite preconceptions, the origins
of this mark might not have come from a pact with some infernal
entity. That fact doesn't keep people – Sleepers and otherwise –
from looking askance at you if and when this mark can be seen,
especially since there's often something disconcerting about the
way it appears – a third nipple, a red or black growth, a vaguely
demonic face or sigil embedded in your flesh, and so forth.
Thankfully, you don't have to worry too much about
witch-hunters in the technologically industrialized world.
(Other regions are a different story; even rural areas of so-
called advanced nations still hold people who will harm or
kill someone who's "different.") The mark's disconcerting
appearance, though, may lead you to cover it up anyway. Folks
who do believe old-fashioned ideas about "witches" will not take
kindly to that devilish brand, so it could become a real problem
under the wrong circumstances. On the plus side, however,
you actually can nurture a Familiar (as in the Background
Trait of that name) on the mark, and do so without physical
discomfort. Of course, the idea of a talking, midnight-blue
winged tarantula taking hits of Quintessence off your body
may be uncomfortable in its own right.
You prefer – maybe even need – to eat weird shit… quite
possibly in a literal sense of that expression. Perhaps you've
sworn a vow, suffered a curse, been treated (or created) with
unhallowed rituals or arcane hyperscience, or initiated into
an occult fellowship with… interesting admission demands. In
any case, you must consume substances that may be degrading,
unpleasant, expensive, or downright illegal.
The more inconvenient the substance, the more this Flaw
is worth:
• (2 points) Easy to procure, though not as easy to devour
(paper, fresh eggs, poop, etc.).
• (3 points) Unpleasant, hazardous, and perhaps illegal
to consume (rotten meat, swamp water, raw cannabis,
and so forth).
• (4 points) Specialized, foul, criminal, and /or expensive
chow (human blood, custom-brewed potions or meals,
and the like).
• (5 points) You really shouldn't eat such things… but
you must (live humans, toxic sludge, gold dust, highly
specialized food-like concoctions, and other similar
forms of sustenance).
For each dot in your Stamina Trait, you can go one day
without satisfying your special dietary requirements. After that,
you lose one health level per day until you either consume
your particular substance, or else die of hunger or thirst, suf-
fer the punishment of a vow unfulfilled, or otherwise endure
whichever other consequences might result from denying your
bizarre hunger.
For a related (and probably essential) companion Trait,
see the physical Merit: Cast-Iron Stomach, p. 36. And for a
potentially related focus-instrument, see the Chapter Three
Expanded Instruments entry for Cannibalism, pp. 206-207.
possibly in a literal sense of that expression. Perhaps you've
sworn a vow, suffered a curse, been treated (or created) with
unhallowed rituals or arcane hyperscience, or initiated into
an occult fellowship with… interesting admission demands. In
any case, you must consume substances that may be degrading,
unpleasant, expensive, or downright illegal.
The more inconvenient the substance, the more this Flaw
is worth:
• (2 points) Easy to procure, though not as easy to devour
(paper, fresh eggs, poop, etc.).
• (3 points) Unpleasant, hazardous, and perhaps illegal
to consume (rotten meat, swamp water, raw cannabis,
and so forth).
• (4 points) Specialized, foul, criminal, and /or expensive
chow (human blood, custom-brewed potions or meals,
and the like).
• (5 points) You really shouldn't eat such things… but
you must (live humans, toxic sludge, gold dust, highly
specialized food-like concoctions, and other similar
forms of sustenance).
For each dot in your Stamina Trait, you can go one day
without satisfying your special dietary requirements. After that,
you lose one health level per day until you either consume
your particular substance, or else die of hunger or thirst, suf-
fer the punishment of a vow unfulfilled, or otherwise endure
whichever other consequences might result from denying your
bizarre hunger.
For a related (and probably essential) companion Trait,
see the physical Merit: Cast-Iron Stomach, p. 36. And for a
potentially related focus-instrument, see the Chapter Three
Expanded Instruments entry for Cannibalism, pp. 206-207.
Evil has an intimate hold on you. Your spirit has been
corrupted – possibly since birth, as with the reborn Nephandi
known as widderslainte – and you are, as the werewolves put it,
"of the Wyrm" whether you wish to be or not. This doesn't
necessarily mean you behave in an evil manner – you can
choose to resist the evil inside you. On a metaphysical level,
however, you bear an innate corruption which tests the ideal
of Enlightened self-determination. You may, perhaps, defeat
it, but it'll be a hard struggle before you do.
(Need we mention the Tragedy section again? I guess we just did.)
From a story perspective, this Flaw could come from de-
monic possession, the aftermath of an awful Quiet or a badly
botched high-level Seeking, corrupt Resonance, one too many
deals with malignant Umbrood, a curse, a vile past life, wicked
karma, Nephandic heritage, poor life-choices, the influence of
the Wyrm, a collection of tainted texts or artifacts, time spent in
a hell, or other forms of metaphysical poison. It almost certainly
shapes your magickal focus, and the things you do in pursuit
of your magicks (that is, your practices and instruments) may
well perpetrate this corruption. (Hey, now, hey now now…) To
entities who recognize such soul-stains, you are either a mortal
enemy (as far as most werewolves are concerned), an object of
pity and potential salvation (the nicer sorts of mages), or – most
likely – both. ("Hey, it's a mercy killing, right?")
Meanwhile, inside your skin, you wrestle with the urges
born from that corruption. Whether or not you give in to them
(which would, of course, just deepen the decay), your dreams
and impulses hold a distinctly unpleasant edge. Working malig-
nant magick is frighteningly easy for you (-2 to your difficulties,
up to the usual modifier limits), but your "good" spells are
harder to cast (+2 difficulty, as above) and have a tendency to
leave traces of corruption even when you succeed. Your aura
crackles or swirls with leprous stains, and your Merits, Flaws,
Backgrounds, and other Traits reflect the damnation you carry
inside. A truly epic quest might purge this evil (and buy off
this Flaw), but maybe it's just easier to go with the flow, even
if that flow leads you straight into the gutter and beyond…
corrupted – possibly since birth, as with the reborn Nephandi
known as widderslainte – and you are, as the werewolves put it,
"of the Wyrm" whether you wish to be or not. This doesn't
necessarily mean you behave in an evil manner – you can
choose to resist the evil inside you. On a metaphysical level,
however, you bear an innate corruption which tests the ideal
of Enlightened self-determination. You may, perhaps, defeat
it, but it'll be a hard struggle before you do.
(Need we mention the Tragedy section again? I guess we just did.)
From a story perspective, this Flaw could come from de-
monic possession, the aftermath of an awful Quiet or a badly
botched high-level Seeking, corrupt Resonance, one too many
deals with malignant Umbrood, a curse, a vile past life, wicked
karma, Nephandic heritage, poor life-choices, the influence of
the Wyrm, a collection of tainted texts or artifacts, time spent in
a hell, or other forms of metaphysical poison. It almost certainly
shapes your magickal focus, and the things you do in pursuit
of your magicks (that is, your practices and instruments) may
well perpetrate this corruption. (Hey, now, hey now now…) To
entities who recognize such soul-stains, you are either a mortal
enemy (as far as most werewolves are concerned), an object of
pity and potential salvation (the nicer sorts of mages), or – most
likely – both. ("Hey, it's a mercy killing, right?")
Meanwhile, inside your skin, you wrestle with the urges
born from that corruption. Whether or not you give in to them
(which would, of course, just deepen the decay), your dreams
and impulses hold a distinctly unpleasant edge. Working malig-
nant magick is frighteningly easy for you (-2 to your difficulties,
up to the usual modifier limits), but your "good" spells are
harder to cast (+2 difficulty, as above) and have a tendency to
leave traces of corruption even when you succeed. Your aura
crackles or swirls with leprous stains, and your Merits, Flaws,
Backgrounds, and other Traits reflect the damnation you carry
inside. A truly epic quest might purge this evil (and buy off
this Flaw), but maybe it's just easier to go with the flow, even
if that flow leads you straight into the gutter and beyond…
This is a stealth and counter-specialist build, or a start of one. For non-combat power I am taking dancing to the extreme.
1) Psychic invisibility rolls are made with Wits + Stealth, so I am maximizing Wits to 5 dots. Very tempted to take a Legendary Attribute merit, but it costs 5 points, and that's too costly. I am also maximizing Stealth.
3) Techne at 5 dots for access to her own essence-equivalent + Strength of Psyche for a DC adjuster on all mental tasks, including all perception tasks.
4) Acute senses for a further -2 DC reduction on all perception rolls with Clear sighted for ability to roll against glamours and such. That's potentially up to -5 DC reduction if she's willing to burn her mana in one go (we'll have to make jade talisman equivalents for her)
5) Performance up to 5 + Artistrically gifted. Art in Mage is direct equivalent of Performance, so it should translate. This means that, prior to Lash's upgrades, she should have 8 dice at -2 DC. That's comicbook "peak human" artistic ability. The legendary kind.
6) Awareness and Alertness up to 3, and I'll be buying them up to 5 in the next stage with XP
7) Supernatural flaws are the ones I consider story-appropriate. She's bearing our mark, which is devil's mark. She has raksha ancestry and our power is boosting her, so that's taint of corruption right there. And raw meat hunger is, again, appropriate for her background, I feel.
8) Vengeance is how I am portraying her motivation for why she wants to act, to strike back at supernatural predators. If someone has something more appropriate, please tell me.
Point balance is:
4 points to willpower
4 points to stealth
4 points for Performance
11 points for merits
-2 points for flaws
21 points total
1) Psychic invisibility rolls are made with Wits + Stealth, so I am maximizing Wits to 5 dots. Very tempted to take a Legendary Attribute merit, but it costs 5 points, and that's too costly. I am also maximizing Stealth.
3) Techne at 5 dots for access to her own essence-equivalent + Strength of Psyche for a DC adjuster on all mental tasks, including all perception tasks.
4) Acute senses for a further -2 DC reduction on all perception rolls with Clear sighted for ability to roll against glamours and such. That's potentially up to -5 DC reduction if she's willing to burn her mana in one go (we'll have to make jade talisman equivalents for her)
5) Performance up to 5 + Artistrically gifted. Art in Mage is direct equivalent of Performance, so it should translate. This means that, prior to Lash's upgrades, she should have 8 dice at -2 DC. That's comicbook "peak human" artistic ability. The legendary kind.
6) Awareness and Alertness up to 3, and I'll be buying them up to 5 in the next stage with XP
7) Supernatural flaws are the ones I consider story-appropriate. She's bearing our mark, which is devil's mark. She has raksha ancestry and our power is boosting her, so that's taint of corruption right there. And raw meat hunger is, again, appropriate for her background, I feel.
8) Vengeance is how I am portraying her motivation for why she wants to act, to strike back at supernatural predators. If someone has something more appropriate, please tell me.
Point balance is:
4 points to willpower
4 points to stealth
4 points for Performance
11 points for merits
-2 points for flaws
21 points total