Quoting here because it's mostly off topic and maybe we can start a discussion on something that doesn't start flame-wars, but doesn't Promethean have splat-influenced vampires, where some mad scientist did one-off experiments of 'vampire corpses, vampire corpses everywhere' to create unique characters? And other splats similarly getting unique Prometheans that aren't them, but have their shell based on it? Or am I remembering wrong.
I remember looking it up once, but I can't remember what I saw, only the vague impression I'm giving.
The Promethean things in Saturnine Night are not splat hybrids. They're just new Promethean lineages that happen to have some theming from another splat. So the vampire-made one can extract Pyros from blood (which doesn't mean much considering how easy it is to get Pyros from normal power sockets with a 2-dot Transmution that I'd never build a character without), and so on.
(Honestly, the mage-made lineage is
basically just an Osiran/Galatean hybrid - there's very little "mage" about her.)
Saturnine Night basically brought up that new lineages being created isn't necessarily that rare - it's just them being sustained which is the rarity. In fact, heh, back in... sigh, back in 2007 (fuck, I feel old), I wrote-up a new ice-based lineage as an alt-Osiran.
(Okay, the basic concept was "Lol, Nora Fries as a Promethean")
Lineage - The Cryonics
Other names - Snowmen, The Frozen, Popsicles (derogatory)
History - The Cryonics are a recent Lineage, dating their history back to the 1960s. However, there are rumours (nothing more) that the current version is merely a revival of a much older Lineage, of Incas, mummified in the ice of their mountains. A German doctor, Franz von Flahurt, was a leader in the nascent field of cryonics (the preservation of corpses through low temperatures), and had invented several of the techniques himself. Hired by a wealthy foundation in the US in 1965, he appeared to be on the verge of managing to achieve the goal, at least for small animals. It was at that point when his wife was hit by a drunk driver, putting her into a coma. So sure was he of his success, he managed, through personal connections to the owner of the hospital, to, against the law, have her put in cyro-storage while she was still alive, killing her, but keeping the body in perfect condition.
It was shortly after that that he found that a lab assistant had faked the results which had lead to so much promise in the field. At that point his mind snapped; he had killed his wife, from a coma which she may have recovered from, all for fool's gold. He stole and obtained as much equipment as possible, and managed to set up a functional lab in his home, transferring his wife to there. He delved into occultism, becoming especially fascinated by the myths of Osiris. He became convinced that the myth was a garbled retelling of an advanced civilisation who had mastered cryonics, and so ideas on how it was to be mastered were hidden within the texts. This led him to, unintentionally incorporate aspects of the Osiran creation ritual into his own Demiurgy. During the winter of 1968, he immersed his wife's corpse into his vat of liquid nitrogen, after some unusual preparations. As the body warmed, it began to twitch, in a way it had not before, and the Doctor broke down in tears. Once he had assured himself that his wife had warmed up enough, he ran down, to embrace her. She repulsed him, seemingly unaware of who he was. As he tried to coax her though her "brain injury", and accompanying memory loss, he found himself cease loving her, as her cold flesh seemed to sink an icy dagger into his heart. On Christmas Day, pushed beyond belief, and fearing she would remember he had killed her, he decided the most logical thing would be to kill her. She broke his neck after he had shot her twice in her frozen heart, and ran east, trying to find the nearest cold place. She got to a meat storage plant on the outskirts of LA before stopping. She still walks the earth, and has made more of her kind. Only one has reached Mortality, and completed the Magnus Opus, but they have no great barrier in their way, compared to the Zeka, who are the closest in age to them.
Element - Ice
Humour - Phlegm
Appearance - The Frozen are created by taking the corpse of an individuals who has died in the cold, and bringing life to them. This affects their appearance even when the disfigurements are hidden. Regardless of their original eye colour, when they awaken the eyes have always become an icy blue. The skin is often also bleached by their creation; Caucasian skin becomes almost transparent, while even darker ethnicities become paler than they were.
When the disfigurements are visible, the manner of their death is quite obvious. Their hair, their eyelashes, their eyes; all are think with frost. All colour leaves their skin, and clouds of condensed air can be seen billowing from their mouths when they breath. Their hands and toes, if they are visible, turn the black of terminal frostbite and swell. Some dessicate, taking on some of the appearance of an Incan ice mummy, while others have their skin rupture, as the ice that forms within them bursts their cell walls. Often Cryonics lack fingers and toes, from frostbite. If their stomach is visible, the stitch lines from their creation can be seen.
Creation Method - For a new Cryogen to be made, the corpse from which it is made must have died from the effects of extreme cold. However, most of the Frozen choose to obtain (or make) a corpse in fairly good conditions, with as many of the extremities as possible still attached, as using a bad quality corpse increases the risk of a Mockery. The Promethean must first disembowel the corpse, backing the insides with cold substances, before returning the intestines to their proper position, and sewing up the gut. The corpse must then be fed a saline solution, which the Cyrogen has spat into, transferring some of his Azoth to it. The frozen corpse must then be placed in a place where the temperature is less than -196 degrees Celsius (the temperature of liquid nitrogen) , and left there for an hour. At the end of the time, the Frozen removes the corpse from the cold place. As the body warms up, it begins to twitch, showing the first signs of a new Promethean... or a new Mockery.
Bestowment - Cold Hearted
Cost - None or 1 Pyros
Action - Reflexive
Transmution Cost - Composure x 7
The Promethean benefits from the 9-again rule on any Composure roll. In addition, if he fails he can expend 1 Pyros to re-roll (these rolls do not benefit from the 9-again rule, but they do get 10-again, as usual.) He also doubles his Composure when it would serve as a Resistance Attribute against a supernatural power.
Finally, the Promethean can raise his Composure above the normal human limit of 5, using experience points.
Although it is not part of their creation, other Prometheans can learn this Bestowment as a Transmutation. This changes the metaphysical balance of the Promethean, making them unemotional, and potentially cruel due to his restricted emotions.
Alternate Bestowment - Bearer of the Ice
Cost - 2 Pyros
Action - Instant
Transmution Cost - Azoth x 7
Dice Pool - Presence + Science + Azoth vs Stamina + Azoth
Some Cryonics have been known to take the ice with their from their deaths. They can gift this to others, freezing them into place as they were frozen. The Cyrogen must first grapple the target; assuming the target does not escape the power can then be activated. The target is turned into a solid object, akin to ice sculptures. Their durability is the same as their Stamina (meaning they have the same dots of Structure as they do Health dots). This form lasts for the same number of minutes as the Promethean rolls successes. If the target is attacked during that time, it can return to normal with a successful Resolve + Composure roll.
Although it is not part of their creation, other Prometheans can learn this as a Transmutation. This ability changes their appearance, based on their Lineage. The metal plates of a Frankenstein become frosted over, while the edges of the rents in the flesh of one of the Riven are criss-crossed with shards of ice. The mud of a Tammuz gets little trapped pockets of ice, and crackles as he moves, while the Galatids may even appear to be made of fine, crystal-like ice. The Osirans take on the appearance of a mummy made through freezing, rather than heat and salt, while the Zekas' skins take on a pinched, frostbitten touch.
Wasteland - The element of the Cryonic Wasteland is Ice, as that is what killed them and brought them back, and it manifests itself wherever they go. Children and old people die of the cold, as do crops and livestock, until only a cold and dead snowstorm remains with them in the centre. In the Shadow, Ice and Snow spirits gain power, Water spirits are tainted by frozen Essence and Fire Spirits must feed constantly to avoid dying.
Level 2 – The weather is unseasonably cold, and a bitter wind blows much of the time. Heating seems to fail more than is usual.
Level 3 – It begins to snow, with it settling on the ground and drifts beginning to form. Heating devices require constant maintenance to avoid burning out. The old and very young begin to suffer and die. The roads are always covered in ice
Level 4 – It snows constantly now. All liquid water left outside will freeze almost instantly, and nothing but the most crude heater will work. The healthy begin to suffer from the cold, and deaths of infants and elderly are daily occurrences. Wildlife and plants will all be dead, unless they are adapted to the environment.
Disquiet - The Cryonics are kin, in some way to the Osirans, and, in an act of bitter irony, the Cryonic Disquiet produces the same effects as the Osiran Torment. People infected with the Frozen disquiet tend to find her cold and arrogant the first time they meet her. Despite this, they are often attracted to her, without knowing why. They begins to see the advantage of acting that way; distancing yourself from other to remove the problems that emotions bring. They become frigid to their spouse, thinking of their love as a silly infatuation. They begin to take the most elegant root to solve a problem, regardless of ethics; a politician might use influence to start a corruption inquiry at a local traffic department, because he didn't like the attitude of a warden who gave him a ticket. Eventually, they become completely amoral and sociopathic, considering only their interests, and removing those who get in their way by any method that stops the blame landing on them. Inevitably, too, they see the Cryonic as a problem, and try to remove her.
Torment - When one of the Frozen are overwhelmed with Torment, the light of their unnatural life grows dim. They wish only to return to the grave where they should be. They make a straight line to the nearest dark, quiet, secluded place, furiously attacking everything in the way, and lie down there, acting dead. If something disturbs them, they attack it, and try to find the next place. If they know a place that will be certainly safe, they go there instead of an unknown place. The frost thickens on them, making it more difficult to move, so while it lasts, for any action except from getting to a place to "be" dead, they are at -1 Dexterity.
Pyros Recovery - The Frozen must sleep in a place where the temperature is below 0 degrees Celsius, where ice can form. A Frozen may sleep outside during cold weather, in a meat-packing plant, or hollow out a full size freezer and sleep in it. As long as the temperature remains below 0 Celsius for the first hour the Pyros is gained, even if it warms up later.
Mockery - Icicles (Cryonic Mockery)
While the frozen hearts of the Frozen drives them onwards, hoping for warmth even as they live in the cold, the Icicles are cruel, jagged fiends, which care only for what they desire. And what they desire is the Pyros of a Promethean. They love to crush their victims in engineered avalanches, tearing off strips of flesh from the mangled flesh, leaving just enough life to heal so more can be taken, or freezing it with its Bestowment, shattering it and eating the small shards of frozen flesh.
Dormant Form – The Icicles will take a myriad of different forms, from icicles in cold conditions, to peculiar steel shapes, to a dead bush covered in thorns. The forms always are sharp in some way; able to draw the blood of the careless.
Bestowment – Crucible of Flesh Pandoran Transmutation (oooo). In the case of the Icicles, unlike the Torch-Born, the damage is done by intense cold; endothermic reactions within the Pandoran drawing the heat away from the target.
Subliminati – Icicle Sublimati are cold, distant, arrogant creatures, that take a joy in using the "warmings" in often excessively convoluted plots to capture their prey. They will quite willingly let go an injured Promethean who they have torn a limb from, just for the joy of hunting it down again.
Weakness – The warmth of the Divine Fire pains the Icicles just as they need it; for each 2 points of Pyros they steal from a Promethean, rounding up, they take a point of bashing damage which may not be healed with Pyros. In addition, they take an additional point of Aggravated damge from any fire used against them.
Stereotypes
Frankenstein: Try to be more composed; those outbursts are most undignified.
Galatea: Your behaviour is most illogical.
Osiris: We are kin; indeed you are almost an elder brother.
Tammuz: Okay... don't say anything, then.
Ulgan: Just as I thought: too much mysticism rots the brain.
Zeka: We both bear the future winter upon us; but the nuclear winter is even less desirable than mine.
Vampires: You have a cold, dead heart, as do I. But mine has the chance of thawing.
Werewolves: You do not know the feels of being surrounded by ice; you have your pack.
Mages: You have so much power, and so much potential, so I ask you; why do you act so irrationally?
Mortals: You're so warm!
