Homebrew Variations and Scars

[The MG]

So this is more of a houserule than homebrew, I guess, but I'm posting it anyway.

Optional Rule: To the Pain
Normally, a character dies when she suffers aggravated damage to her last Health box. Under this rule, her player may stave off that fate by accepting a new Scar instead, leaving the character unconscious and horrifically injured, but alive. This can sustain her even in the face of damage that couldn't be healed by Adaptations or Variations, but it can only be done once, and can't save a character suffering the End Stage Condition.

The new, unentangled Scar follows all the rules for Scars gained due to Instability (Deviant The Renegades KS Manuscript Complete Preview, pp. 128-129), but must be Persistent. Usually, this would be a Physical Scar like Missing Limb, Sensory Deprivation, or Conspicuous Appearance, but the player could also choose for the character to develop a Dependency on painkillers, a Phobia relating to her near-death experience, or any other lasting trauma that could be represented by Persistent Scars and Deviations.

If a Baseline or other non-Deviant character develops an unentangled Scar via this rule, it can't be used to entangle or develop Variations, nor does it grant access to any other property of the Remade template. For such characters, the Scar is only game-system shorthand, and nothing more.

[espritdecalmar]

Soul Shocked isn't in Deviant, because Deviants can't get Soul Shocked (due to their broken souls). For the most part, if a Deviant would "die in a dream" (having an astral projection destroyed or something similarly non-physical), the result is a minor Instability. If they would "die in real life" (such as by teleporting or phasing into a solid object), that's a medium Instability, instead.

Oh, good to know. I like that. Thanks for the clarification.

[Primordial newcomer]

Just wanna say espritdecalmar that I loved your Mutant External example!

Unless om forgetting an existing one or an approximation has already been brewed I would like help with this Scar idea "The Void Stares Back". The main idea is that the Deviant is a vector of insanity, unknowable truths, alien senses, etc. I cant decide if it would effect others or the self, however. I do have the general idea that it would inflict mental conditions. I do have the flavor text ready.

The Void Stares Back

The Deviant's eyes reflect alternate realities, subconsciously emits an unknown frequency, or is in a state of dimensional flux. This causes issues ranging from relatively harmless quirks to crippling psychosis.

[The MG]

Unless om forgetting an existing one or an approximation has already been brewed I would like help with this Scar idea "The Void Stares Back". The main idea is that the Deviant is a vector of insanity, unknowable truths, alien senses, etc. I cant decide if it would effect others or the self, however. I do have the general idea that it would inflict mental conditions. I do have the flavor text ready.

I feel that, if you're going to have a Scar that primarily affects others (and I've considered the idea myself), you still need to focus on how it blows back to fuck up the Deviant.

The Magnitude 1 effect is easy: just allow the player to take a Beat to have a social interaction go awry due to the other party glimpsing the otherworld/psychic projections/whatever. Something like the cashier at the gas station flipping out as you hand her a dollar, or the conspiracy negotiator getting unstable in a way that's very and only bad for you.
At Magnitude 2 and up, the ST should be able to force a roll to trigger this once per session/scene). For higher Magnitudes, I see two possible routes (not necessarily mutually exclusive):

• The alien visions make NPCs obsessed with you, whether because they need to see more of them and seek to understand them or because they're just plain addicted.
• You can no longer trust people around you, because they just don't see the same world as you, and it's making you doubt your own senses.

If you want to go with a more internal Scar instead, you need to find a way to make it distinct from Glitch. My suggestion would be to focus on that religious fervour or the relentless need to know: you keep seeing things, and you are unable to let them go. You need to dig deeper, you need to find the answers, you need to know more.

In short:

[Tessie]

If it's to primarily affect others I think it would work best as a Form rather than a Scar. I recommend reading about the new Forms in Dark Eras 2 for inspiration if that's the route you want to take.

[The MG]

Paranormalism (Universal Variation; ● to ●●●●)
Subtle
Perpetual, Tiered
The Remade commands an array of minor supernatural powers, ranging from aura reading and the invocation of spirits to unearthly luck and a bond with a living weapon. These are represented by Supernatural Merits, normally available only to Baselines, which can be found in books such as Chronicles of Darkness and Hurt Locker.
The Deviant need not meet the Attribute or Skill prerequisites for Merits provided by this Variation, but she must meet any Merit or Specialty prerequisites. If any effect of a Merit requires the expenditure of a point of Willpower, the first activation is free, while further activations in the same scene instead require the use of an Adaptation. All of the character’s Supernatural Merits count against the same per-scene restriction, and she can’t use Adaptations to override usage restrictions innate to the Merits themselves.
At Magnitude ●, the Broken gains dots of Supernatural Merits equal to half Scar Power (round up), assigned when she develops this Variation.
At Magnitude ●●, choose one:

• Power: Increase the number of Merit dots granted by this Variation to 1 + Scar Power.
• Versatility: Once per chapter, the Deviant can reassign one or more dots granted by this Variation to other Supernatural Merits, either permanently or until the end of the scene (player’s choice).

At Magnitude ●●●, choose one:

• Balance: The Deviant enjoys the benefits of both Magnitude ●● options.
• Growth: Increase the number of Merit dots granted by this Variation by 1. In addition, the Remade can purchase additional Supernatural Merits with Experiences (or assign them during character creation). Merits attained this way still count as ones granted by this Variation and, if entangled with a Controlled or Involuntary Scar, are only accessible while it is active.

At Magnitude ●●●●, the Deviant enjoys all lower-Magnitude effects.

Hybridized with a goat-headed devil, the Chimeric can call upon the black magics it once doled out to its cult (Conspicuous Appearance; Persistent).

The Invasive’s brain is connected to that of a potent, slumbering psychic via a spinal antenna, but that connection is both tenuous and dependent on the conspiracy’s private network (Concentration; Controllable; Wits; Deviation: Identifier).

The living, parasitic gun Calamity refuses to leave the Mutant’s side, at great cost to her sanity and health (Sluggish Metabolism; Persistent; Deviation: Nightmares).

Design Notes
Early drafts of Deviant allowed the Remade to access Supernatural Merits (via Computer-Aided Processing, I believe). This Variation is my attempt to bring that functionality back.
It’s a little anemic at low Magnitude, but that’s because the Magnitude 1 effects of several other Variations derive directly from Supernatural Merits, and I didn’t want to obsolete them.
Strictly speaking, Paranormalism only deals in explicit Supernatural Merits, but I’d allow it to grant access to other, lowercase-s supernatural Merits for mortals (such as the Tell Merit from Werewolf) on a case-by-case basis.

EDIT: Just a few minutes after posting this, I realized that Versatility should have been a Deviation. It doesn't change things quite enough to justify a rewrite, though, so I'll leave it as-is unless I find reason to do a more comprehensive revision.

[lladas]

Paranormalism (Universal Variation; ● to ●●●●)
Subtle
Perpetual, Tiered
The Remade commands an array of minor supernatural powers, ranging from aura reading and the invocation of spirits to unearthly luck and a bond with a living weapon. These are represented by Supernatural Merits, normally available only to Baselines, which can be found in books such as Chronicles of Darkness and Hurt Locker.
The Deviant need not meet the Attribute or Skill prerequisites for Merits provided by this Variation, but she must meet any Merit or Specialty prerequisites. If any effect of a Merit requires the expenditure of a point of Willpower, the first activation is free, while further activations in the same scene instead require the use of an Adaptation. All of the character’s Supernatural Merits count against the same per-scene restriction, and she can’t use Adaptations to override usage restrictions innate to the Merits themselves.

This is a great addition. I was hoping that the Deviant power rating would allow them to qualify for Supernatural Merits, but this Variation works perfectly.

At Magnitude ●●●, choose one:[LIST][*]Balance: The Deviant enjoys the benefits of both Magnitude ●● options.[*]Growth: Increase the number of Merit dots granted by this Variation by 1. In addition, the Remade can purchase additional Supernatural Merits with Experiences (or assign them during character creation). Merits attained this way still count as ones granted by this Variation and, if entangled with a Controlled or Involuntary Scar, are only accessible while it is active.

I wonder if Growth could be split into two magnitude effects. One that builds off of Power that allows the Deviant to add their Acclimation to a Supernatural Merit Roll and/or effective dot rating. Growth could then grow from Versatility. Just a thought.

Strictly speaking, Paranormalism only deals in explicit Supernatural Merits, but I’d allow it to grant access to other, lowercase-s supernatural Merits for mortals (such as the Tell Merit from Werewolf) on a case-by-case basis.

One idea I had to handle the Supernatural Merits from minor splats or Supernatural Merit splats would be to treat this Variation like Computer Aided Processing, where Magnitude determines which pools of Merits the Remade can choose from and switch around.

[The MG]

Thank you for your feedback.

I wonder if Growth could be split into two magnitude effects. One that builds off of Power that allows the Deviant to add their Acclimation to a Supernatural Merit Roll and/or effective dot rating. Growth could then grow from Versatility. Just a thought.

The big change I'd make right now regarding Versatility would be to take it out of the normal progression and make it a Deviation, since it represents something perpendicular to the linear growth of the other options.

An option to improve the associated dice pools might be worth adding, though I'd have to check how many of the Supernatural Merits actually require rolls. I'm more inclined to use Scar Finesse as a dice bonus over Acclimation, if only to make such an option a little more useful for starting characters.

One idea I had to handle the Supernatural Merits from minor splats or Supernatural Merit splats would be to treat this Variation like Computer Aided Processing, where Magnitude determines which pools of Merits the Remade can choose from and switch around.

One problem with a blanket inclusion of the Merits of minor templates is that a lot of them appear to represent social rather than innate qualities.

The Supernatural Merit templates of Hurt Locker, on the other hand, are already compatible with Paranormalism thanks to how they're written. In fact, the provision that you can't use Supernatural Merits more often than usual via Adaptations is entirely because of Damn Lucky.

[lladas]

I agree with the use of Scar Finesse over Acclimation. Quite a few use rolls (e.g., Aura Reading uses Wits + Empathy - Composure) and others use the Merit rating to determine effect (e.g., Telekinesis uses dot rating to determine effective strength), but I can see how that would also push characters to favor those compared to those that don't.

I had the same issue with the Merits from minor templates. I tried thinking about how to use a stat in the place of the social benefits or prerequisites (e.g., a lot of Ghoul Merits require having a Regent). It might just make more sense to have a Form or some sort of houserule that allows Deviants to be minor templates as well for some sort of cost (e.g., more Instability taken each chapter).

[Tessie]

As a general rule Scar Finesse is not supposed to be used as a separate rating; it's only ever used once outside Scar Finesse rolls. If you want a bonus to a dice pool I think it should either be Scar Power or the Magnitude of the Variation.
Personally I think you should just use Scar Finesse rolls whenever activation dice pools are required.

[Primordial newcomer]

Guys I want to update and say I dont think I'll be able to put up the Scar. Some difficult times for my friends (and a particular friend's family). I hope I'll be able to get it next week if not late this weekend

[lladas]

Guys I want to update and say I dont think I'll be able to put up the Scar. Some difficult times for my friends (and a particular friend's family). I hope I'll be able to get it next week if not late this weekend

No worries at all. Hope you, your friend, and their family get through this time with grace. Take care.

[The MG]

As a general rule Scar Finesse is not supposed to be used as a separate rating; it's only ever used once outside Scar Finesse rolls.

I'm aware, but it doesn't matter.

Using Magnitude is inappropriate, as this would make the option weaker if taken at Magnitude 2 than if you took it at a higher Magnitude. Acclimation doesn't fit either, as it would make the option weaker for a starting character than for a late-game one. Normally, this would leave Scar Power, but I have already used that for the Merit ratings, in accordance with other Variations that emulate Merits, and I don't think it would be good design to call the same value twice. Thus, Scar Finesse, which is nonstandard but hardly wrong.

This is all academic anyway, as I'm not even sure that a dice bonus to Merit activation rolls is sufficiently useful to warrant inclusion.

[Tessie]

Double dipping in Scar Power isn't uncommon in the manuscript. Scar Power as a rating is there to be used whenever Magnitude (or Scar Resistance) doesn't fit.
See Shadow Selves that creates up to Scar Power clones with a Retainer dot rating equal to half of Scar Power; Pyrokinesis that uses Scar Power for Size and Heat of the target, Speed when influencing it, as well as how much you can reduce damage; or Enhanced Speed which adds Scar Power to Initiative, half of Scar Power to Defense, and multiplies Speed by Scar Power plus one.

In this case I'd recommend either using Scar Power straight up, or the higher of Scar Power or Magnitude. The latter especially if it's a one dot Deviation rather than one of several options you could choose within the Variation.

[The MG]

Hmm, true. I'd still prefer to call another stat, but I should at least consider it.

The latter especially if it's a one dot Deviation rather than one of several options you could choose within the Variation.

How to include it, if I include it, hinges on if I can find some benefit to apply to unrolled Supernatural Merits alongside the bonus dice. If not, it should probably be a Deviation.