[2E] Researching supernaturals in game

[wyrdhamster]

So I prepare to run my Mage/Promethean crossover plotline. And I'm almost sure my beloved mage PCs will hit local Atheneum for the lore - or maybe Created himself. So we will need some Research actions, best prepared in advance. I just wonder on few topics:

1. How much stuff from Silver Ladder book's section works with 2E Research engine?
2. Use of Academics or Occult Skill?
3. Tie it to Investigation rules, somehow?
4. Maybe some penalties or bonuses on action?

[Malus]

That's cute and all, or a given character could have some kind of Familiar embodying weakness, to which such things would be plain to regard with their senses.

[wyrdhamster]

General Rule:Every supernatural being is treated as known to characters with each Success Threshold of those fact lists - unless they are high penalties on the rolls ( -3 and more ), then they are treated as known on next Occult dot. Specialty in particular kind gives information like Success Threshold higher. So Occult 1 character knows 5 success facts and Occult 3 up to 15 successes. If there are complication on Research rolls ( like with Created ), Occult 2 character knows up to 5 success lore and Occult 4 up to 15 success. But if character have Speciality, even with penalty, character knows on Occult 2 up to 10 success of lore.

On Prometheans - I fixed a bit table, moving every info on the row lower, as basic info on Prometheans is scattered, even for mages.

Special Rule: Until there is Promethean Specialty on character Skill, Advanced Library or she is Created herself - all Research rolls are made on -3 penalty, just from how rare those beings are.

Successes	Information
5	There are creatures made from the flesh of dead humans or inanimate materials, filled with a divine fire in place of a soul and they can absorb colossal amounts of damage before being killed. Called Created – or Prometheans by themselves – they constantly wander, apparently in search of enlightenment.
10	Ironically, even though Prometheans are filled with the divine fire of creation, normal fire is the most expedient method of killing one.
15	The fire of a Promethean is so intense that, combined with something indefinable about its very nature, the presence of a Created is enough to cause the very Earth to reject it, blistering and blighting in its wake. Other people, even mages, aren’t any more immune to this effect than the Earth is and form irrational and intense feelings of hatred and animosity toward Prometheans.
20	Prometheans travel in order to reach what they term the New Dawn, an experience of enlightenment so profound it lets them grasp the nature of humanity. Those travels are somehow connected with metals. At the end of this pilgrimage, if successful, a Created claims a new soul for himself and becomes human.
25+	A number of Prometheans believe their pilgrimages are guided by entities comprised wholly of the divine fire. They dub these beings qashmallim and say they are messengers of a god-like being referred to simply as the Principle. These qashmallim are inscrutable, with their own plans and missions that will sometimes aid and other times hinder a seeker. Whatever else they may be, the qashmallim are extraordinarily powerful entities with the ability to change reality if it serves their needs.

[wyrdhamster]

General Rule 2: Mortals and Hunters have even more problems on researching truth about monsters because millennia of their misdirection and lies. Hunters from organizations need next 5 successes or 1 dot of Occult higher for each Success Threshold. Mortals from outside those groups ( Hunters included ) need twice as much. For example, to get 5 success lore Hunter from Conspiracy need 10 successes. Hunter without help will need 15 successes. Same mortal would need 20 successes to get 5 Success Threshold on Prometheans.

And so we have vampires lore table:

Successes	Information
5	Vampires drink blood, are allergic to sunlight and live forever. Opinions vary on the effectiveness of crosses, garlic, wooden stakes and silver and plain old bullets.
10	Stakes in the heart work. Crosses, garlic and other common myths are largely myth. They like to call themselves Kindred.
15	Sunlight, fire and slashing weaponry are most effective against vampiric opponents.
20	Vampires are divided into both clans – large, archetypical bloodsuckers families - and covenants made on their unlife goal with political infighting and backstabbing featuring as common events.
25+	Names and descriptions of the common clans and covenants are found along with minor explanations of how they interact.

[wyrdhamster]

And here is mages lore table:

Successes	Information
5	Mages can make reality any wish they want – if they are experienced enough. They call themselves Awakened.
10	Normal people forget their magic, but also make it weaker.
15	They are different kinds of mages, one per 5 general styles, related to various occult practices. They call them Paths. If mages are not safe with magic, they summon horrible monsters.
20	Mages join network of cults from Atlantis dedicated to study truth about magic, called Orders. Those groups fight secretly over reality and humanity.
25+	Orders are divided over those that want to free humanity and those that want to enslave it. Basic concepts of Orders.

[wyrdhamster]

So we have werewolves table...

Special Rule: Uratha strict lore is for the character with Specialty in them or characters that have 1 Occult dot higher - so character with Occult ( Uratha ) 2 or Occult 3 get information that Uratha have five forms. Werewolf phenomena is very diverse, especially because of Wolf-Blooded and related beings.

Successes	Information
5	Werewolves are in the world and some part of their condition makes them allergic to silver. It is also generally agreed that the shapeshifters seem to share some special kind of relationship with spirits and they travel in packs. Proper werewolves call themselves Uratha
10	Werewolves may shift form independent of the phase of the moon. Uratha have five forms, compared to other shapeshifters.
15	The sight of a werewolf transformed causes madness in mortals that forces them to forget or misremember what they’ve seen. Uratha must hunt and can easily be provoked to become raging monsters.
20	The bite of a werewolf does not cause lycanthropy – most of the time. There are tales that seeing or experiencing Uratha can ‘infect’ you with werewolf lesser related phenomena.
25+	Werewolves form into Tribes and packs, with subdivisions based on the phase of the moon. There seem to be two separate factions of werewolves and they will usually attack each other on sight. Basic information on Tribes.

[wyrdhamster]

I added metals association to the Created, as our last crossover game shown it's weird without this general idea to be mentioned.

[Mangaholic13]

This reminds me of those bardic lore results charts they'd give for prestige classes and organizations in Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 edition.

[wyrdhamster]

After some criticism in Kindred fighting Uratha topic, I revisioned werewolves table, to better reflect rules and lore as it is...

Special Rule: Uratha strict lore is for the character with Specialty in them or characters that have 1 Occult dot higher - so character with Occult ( Uratha ) 2 or Occult 3 get information that Uratha have five forms. Werewolf phenomena is very diverse, especially because of Wolf-Blooded and related beings.

Successes	Information
5	Werewolves are in the world and there are many versions of them. ‘True’ werewolves have condition that makes them allergic to silver. It is also generally agreed that the shapeshifters seem to share some special kind of relationship with spirits and they often work in packs. Werewolves can assume human, wolf-man monster and wolf forms – but it depend on local legend.
10	‘True’ werewolves may shift form independent of the phase of the moon. Largest population have five forms, compared to other shapeshifters, that may only have part of this five.
15	The sight of a ‘true’ werewolf transformed causes madness in mortals that forces them to forget or misremember what they’ve seen. Those monsters must hunt and can easily be provoked to become raging monsters.
20	The bite of a werewolf does not cause lycanthropy – most of the time. There are tales that seeing or experiencing werewolf can ‘infect’ you with werewolf lesser related phenomena.
25+	‘True’ werewolves call themselves Uratha. Werewolves form into Tribes and packs, with subdivisions based on the phase of the moon. There seem to be two separate factions of werewolves and they will usually attack each other on sight. Basic information on Tribes.

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[wyrdhamster]

Lore on the Begotten beasts of your nightmares…

Successes	Information
5	There are creatures literally born of nightmares – and they feed on humans fears.
10	They call themselves Beasts. Those monsters are covering in human bodies, sating their alien desires. They reflect human stories and as they are monsters – they call the Heroes in general population.
15	Each beast have its nightmare realm it can return and disappear to.
20	Beasts calls themselves as Begotten, as they believe they are spiritual Children of monster goddess – the Dark Mother. They believe they are also ‘blood-related’ with other monster races.
25+	Various examples of Anathema that can slay the Beast.

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[Mateus]

sorry if I'm thread necroing this, but this is going to get some very good use from me! thank you for the effort!