Other Atavism Ideas?

[Nyrufa]

Blood of Medusa: Legend says that the mythical Gorgon's blood was so acidic that man made weapons would dissolve instantly upon piercing her flesh. Some Begotten, especially Namtaru, have exhibited a similar blood quality, although in a much more diluted state.


Normal: Your blood contains acidic properties that rapidly break down foreign substances they come into contact with. Whenever a melee weapon inflicts Lethal damage to you, your blood causes it to suffer 2 points of Durability damage. If the damage is inflicted with bare hands, the attacker suffers 1 point of Aggravated damage from acidic burns. The acidic properties of your blood do not affect Chosen Blade weapons!


Low Satiety: When your hunger flares, your blood does too, inflicting an additional 2 points of Durability damage to weapons that cause you Lethal damage. Damaged inflicted by unarmed attacks suffer an additional point of Aggravated damage from acidic burns.


Satiety Expenditure: A dormant bloodline flows through the veins of Beasts who possess this Atavism, and for a brief moment, they can awaken its full potential. By spending a point of Satiety, the Beast can reduce the next attack caused by a Lethal weapon to a single point of damage. The weapon is also destroyed in the process, as its material components are dissolved instantly upon breaking the skin. Lethal damage inflicted by unarmed attacks cause the enemy to suffer 4 points of Aggravated damage and receive an appropriate Tilt in the process. Once again, this does not affect Chosen Blade weapons.

[Vent0]

Blood of Medusa: Legend says that the mythical Gorgon's blood was so acidic that man made weapons would dissolve instantly upon piercing her flesh. Some Begotten, especially Namtaru, have exhibited a similar blood quality, although in a much more diluted state.


Normal: Your blood contains acidic properties that rapidly break down foreign substances they come into contact with. Whenever a melee weapon inflicts Lethal damage to you, your blood causes it to suffer 2 points of Durability damage. If the damage is inflicted with bare hands, the attacker suffers 1 point of Aggravated damage from acidic burns. The acidic properties of your blood do not affect Chosen Blade weapons!


Low Satiety: When your hunger flares, your blood does too, inflicting an additional 2 points of Durability damage to weapons that cause you Lethal damage. Damaged inflicted by unarmed attacks suffer an additional point of Aggravated damage from acidic burns.


Satiety Expenditure: A dormant bloodline flows through the veins of Beasts who possess this Atavism, and for a brief moment, they can awaken its full potential. By spending a point of Satiety, the Beast can reduce the next attack caused by a Lethal weapon to a single point of damage. The weapon is also destroyed in the process, as its material components are dissolved instantly upon breaking the skin. Lethal damage inflicted by unarmed attacks cause the enemy to suffer 4 points of Aggravated damage and receive an appropriate Tilt in the process. Once again, this does not affect Chosen Blade weapons.

Thing scales oddly. Low Satiety can be an upgrade of Normal, but the Satiety Expenditure invalidates both, rather than being an additive.

For point of suggestion, what about applying the Fragile tag to any weapon that strikes the Beast (either for Normal or Low)? For the Expenditure, what about instead the blood sprays, affecting not only the weapon that struck them, but creatures and other equipment nearby?

[GibberingEloquence]

ajf115 I like your Inhuman Panoply, but I feel it is a bit clunky and too detailed. I also think it should be Anakim, since some giants are known for exceptional crafting talent. It was the Cyclopes who created Zeus' famous thunderbolts, for example.

Here is my attempt at a simplified version. What do you think?

Inhuman Panoply (Anakim)
Humans like to think that they know all there is to know about making things. After all, they took tin and copper and invented bronze, took wood and shaped it into bows and ships. But there are older things, things which know the ways of making strange substances and eldritch implements.

Action: Instant (Normal Satiety), Reflexive (Low Satiety)
Roll: Intelligence + Crafts

Normal: The Beast can Craft Equipment using his Lair Traits when within their immediate presence, such as fire for Burning or plants for Undergrowth. The resulting object has the same Size of a mundane equivalent [caps at Lair x 5], Durability equal to [Lair + 1] and Equipment Bonus equal to the penalty chosen for the activation roll [caps at Lair/2 round up]. The resulting object cannot be overly complex and you must select two Lair Traits (Minor and/or Major) that can be affected (this can be changed at the start of each chapter). Your creations vanish when you stop paying attention to them or the scene ends, whichever comes first. This Atavism stacks with traits that increase the Beast's mental faculties, such as Mimir's Wisdom. He may have a number of such items outside of his Lair equal to [Lair x 2]. Inside the Lair, this number is increased to [Lair x 5].

Low Satiety: With the Horror's growing Hunger, its malice and power leaks into its creations. The resulting objects may have complex mechanisms and do not vanish so quickly. They last for a number of (10 - Satiety at the time of the roll) in hours with a Success, or in days with an Exceptional Success. Supernatural attempts to affect these items trigger a Clash Of Wills.

Satiety Expenditure: The Beast's creations become truly awe-inspiring or terrifying for the scene. When openly wielding them, he may select either the Inspired or Shaken Condition to inflict on all onlookers who fail a Resolve + Composure - Lair roll. Furthermore, he may imbue one item with an Atavism he has, except Inhuman Panoply itself. The duration and effects of the item are determined by the Beast's Satiety at the time of the activation. The user of the item has an effective Lair equal to half of the Beast's (rounded up) and cannot mimic the Satiety Expenditure of the imbued Atavism. The maximum number of such items is listed under the Normal Satiety effect.

[wyrdhamster]

It's a bit ironic that 'dwarven smiths' will now be Anakim! But I love the idea for 'forgemasters Giants'.

[Primordial newcomer]

it ain't too surprising, the smiths in Greek mythology were cyclopses afterall

[ajf115]

GibberingEloquence , I like your mechanics better than my own, though I'll stand by my decision to put Inhuman Panoply with the Inguma. I can see your logic, but I personally feel that the 'thrust' of the Atavism, so to speak, is more about 'they match us in our uniqueness and make tools of things we cannot', rather than 'their crafts surpass us so completely that we cannot hope to match them'. Perhaps the Anakim crafting-Atavism is specifically focused around making better things than humans can? I'm not sure. Perhaps there's space for the Inguma to forge curses into things, ala Andvari and the ring he cursed.

Either way, Inhuman Panoply is definitely something which the Anakim should take semi-regularly - how else would they forge thunderbolts into weapons, as you said?

[Adrasalieth]

GibberingEloquence Perhaps there's space for the Inguma to forge curses into things, ala Andvari and the ring he cursed.

That would be vey fitting IMO. The main pattern of the Inguma's nightmares is the fear that something or someone totally unobtrusive could always turn out to be something evil under camouflage, and what would say it better than cursed items ?

[ajf115]

That would be vey fitting IMO. The main pattern of the Inguma's nightmares is the fear that something or someone totally unobtrusive could always turn out to be something evil under camouflage, and what would say it better than cursed items ?

Well, I mean, there's a Mummy Kinship nightmare that does this, but it feels like something that should have an Atavism as well, now that the Inguma are a thing. With the BPG, it's moved from something they need to borrow other supernaturals' themes to do to something that feels native. That said, I'm not sure what the Atavism would be called, or how it would work without being too Nightmare-ish.

[Wormwood]

Vengeance (Eshmaki)

Everyone knows it: a cornered beast is much more dangerous, for it will fight with even more ferocity. How much more frightening would a mortally wounded dragon be, then?

Normal Effect: Whenever the Beast would suffer from Wound Penalties, they are turned into Bonuses instead.
Low Satiety Effect: The Beast may chose to ignore a physical Tilt like Armwreck for [Lair*2] turns. No matter if their arm snapped in half or their ankle broken; they move just as well. When the immunity runs out, the wounds come back - with a vengeance: the tilt is aggravated (e.g accompanied by a situationally appropriate second tilt, as per ST like gaining another leg wreck) or alternatively, giving the Beast a generic Exhaustion Condition: Beast now moves at 1/2 their speed, loses their defense and suffers a temporary -2 to all physical and mental rolls until resting up properly.
Spending Satiety: For the rest of the scene, losing a Healthbox gives a single bonus die to be used on the next turn.


I admit, this is inspired by the good ol' 'Turning Red' of enemies in games, where hitting an enemy made them faster and/or change their movements and thus more dangerous.
This is to help all those batman-like nemesis emulate their hero even more, with a Heroic Second Wind-like ability. Also encourages quickly putting a Beast down in a fight, since a death-of-a-thousand-cuts approach here is even more dangerous. (Cue Heroes going totally overboard, to be on the safe side.) Needs an addendum to the Normal effect, as-is it is kinda underpowered imo. Maybe something to encourage reckless behaviour like an 8-again on something like untrained physical skills?

[GibberingEloquence]

Digital Gargoyle [Ugallu]
In their arrogance, humans surround themselves with ever more advanced technology, not paying attention to how vulnerable it makes them. All it takes is one surgical strike at the right infrastructures to make their empires of steel and silicon fall apart.

Normal Satiety: The Beast can roll Wits + Computers to perceive the surroundings and active usage of any digital technology within [Lair x 10] meters. If he has another Atavism that enhances his senses (such as Needs Must) or mental faculties (such as Mimir's Wisdom), he may combine the relevant effects. Merits such as Investigative Aide and Connected Lair may also apply at ST discretion. He retains awareness of his own surroundings while doing this and may thus benefit from Defense and so on.

Low Satiety: The range becomes [Lair x 50] meters and the Beast gains Rote Quality on all mundane Computers rolls. He can roll Intelligence + Computers as an Instant Action to take full control of a device within range for a number of hours equal to Successes during this scene. He can turn it on/off, use programs, edit files, delete information, implant false clues and so on.

Should the devices have extensions that can physically interact with their surroundings, the Beast may hi-jack these extensions as if they were part of the Horror. He uses his own Skills, but replaces Physical Attributes with the equivalent Mental Attributes. Switching between viable devices requires an Instant Action. He may only switch devices a number of times equal to [Lair] each scene. Mundane attempts to detect or counter his hi-jacking suffer his Lair as a penalty, while supernatural attempts trigger a Clash Of Wills. If the Beast is detected or countered, he gains the Shaken Condition.

Satiety Expenditure: Once each scene, the Beast can use digital technology within range as a gateway into his Lair. You achieve an automatic Success on the roll to open the Primordial Pathway, and add your Computers to your Resolve to determine how many turns it lasts.

[Strictura]

Digital Gargoyle [Ugallu]
In their arrogance, humans surround themselves with ever more advanced technology, not paying attention to how vulnerable it makes them. All it takes is one surgical strike at the right infrastructures to make their empires of steel and silicon fall apart.

Normal Satiety: The Beast can roll Wits + Computers to perceive the surroundings and active usage of any digital technology within [Lair x 10] meters. If he has another Atavism that enhances his senses (such as Needs Must) or mental faculties (such as Mimir's Wisdom), he may combine the relevant effects. Merits such as Investigative Aide may also apply. He retains awareness of his own surroundings while doing this and may thus benefit from Defense and so on.

Low Satiety: The range of the Normal Satiety effect is now measured in kilometers. The Beast rolls one automatic Success on all Computers rolls, plus the actual results on the dice. Furthermore, he can roll Intelligence + Computers to take full control of any such device for a number of hours equal to Successes during this scene. He can turn it on and off, use programs, edit files, delete information, implant false clues and so on. If the device is connected to others through a network or a similar setup, he may affect any and all connected devices simultaneously. Attempts to detect or counter this suffer his Lair as a penalty.

Satiety Expenditure: The Beast can use digital technology as a means of manifesting Lair Traits during this scene. Should his Satiety be Normal, choose one device within range as a manifestation point and use two Minor Traits or one Major Trait. Should his Satiety be Low, you manifest the aforementioned Lair Trait(s) around any or all connected devices. Do not make separate rolls or spend Willpower points: you achieve an automatic Success and add your Computers to your Resolve to determine how many turns it lasts.

I hope you don't mind. I love this Atavism and this idea is perfect for a Beast character of mine. I changed it quite a bit to use it for him:

Digital Gargoyle [Ugallu]
In the time before man tamed electricity and built his great cities, he lived on the edge of the wild. In that era the monsters were found between the dark trees of the forest. How many stories did they tell to scare each other, to impart lessons, that featured the words “into the woods.” Now, in their arrogance, humans surround themselves with ever more advanced technology. Technology which outstrips the ability of most of them to understand. In lack of understanding there is fear. The new woods are digital. Modern man fears what’s at the end of the wire; be it the government, AI, Aliens or something less definable. In chat rooms and private networks, the modern cautionary fable often features “clicked on the link.”
Dice Pool: Wits + Computer (Normal Effect); Intelligence + Computer (Low Satiety)
Action: Instant
Normal Effect: The Beast’s Horror is not constrained to the Beast’s own physical body, he can roll Wits + Computer to suffuse his Horror into any technological network that has at least one active device in a location he is occupying. The Beast can inhabit any connected devices in this location, plus those in an additional location per dot of Lair he possesses. This can represent rooms connected by a security system, computer labs currently connected via the internet or streets on the city’s traffic grid. They only need to be connected via technology, physical distances between parts of this network do not matter.
While connected to this network the Beast can extend his senses through it. This is a strange form of perception. To the Beast the screens of monitors are like dozens of hazy eyes, the cables vibrate like bones in an ear. If a device connected to the network has a camera or audio receiver the Beast can access it and gains any benefit it possesses on top of the Beasts usual perception. For example, he could access a stream of night vision camera footage, and even copy it. He may download and retain information from connected devices within his own mind as if he was a computer with storage capacity equal to his Lair x 10 in Gigabytes. He may later download this stored information to a compatible device with another use of this Atavism.
Low Satiety: The hungry Beast is restless, his Horror trying to stretch to its prey even if its limbs are made of data and electrical wiring. If he is networked into a device the Beast can roll Intelligence + Computers to take full control of it. He can turn it on and off, use programs, edit files, delete information and so on. If the device is connected to anything that can have a physical impact on the environment the Beast can use this as well. A clever Beast could use a factories robot assembly line to dismember a hero in seconds or delete an entire schools academic record (including the ‘fool proof’ backup.) This is beyond simply using the technology, to the Horror it is the Beasts body. Attempts to detect or counter the Beast’s actions suffer the Beasts Lair as a penalty. This includes defense against attacks made with the technology the Beast inhabits. If another Beast using this Atavism, or a creature with a similar power, tries to override or counter the Beasts actions it triggers a Clash of Wills.
Satiety Expenditure: By spending a point of Satiety the Beast can use the network he inhabits as a means of manifesting his Lair Traits. When using this ability, the affected locations count as having one of the Beasts Minor Lair traits in effect for the purpose of manifesting additional Lair Traits. When the Lair Trait(s) manifest the effect seems to spread outward from the device(s) the Beast is inhabiting. The Normal Effect allows the Beast to manifest his Lair Traits, up to his usual maximum, within one of the network locations for a scene. At Low Satiety the Lair Traits simultaneously manifest within every location affected by the Atavism for a scene.

SIDEBOARD: If the Beast has another Atavism or power that enhances his senses (such as Needs Must) or mental faculties (such as Mimir's Wisdom), he may combine the relevant effects with this one. Merits such as Investigative Aide or Connected Lair may also apply at the Storytellers discretion.

[GibberingEloquence]

Flesh Artisan [Namtaru]
The human body, for all of its flaws, is a sacred temple. The Gorgon contemptuously violates such sanctity and uses others' forms as his canvas for wicked and revolting experiments.

Normal Satiety: The Beast adds his Lair to all mundane Medicine rolls and needs no tools. He numbs pain, stops bleeding and unfurls the flesh like a lotus. Furthermore, he never needs to perform extended actions no matter the seriousness of the wounds or illnesses: his rolls always take a turn each. This requires him to touch the target first, so Defense will apply if they are unwilling.

Low Satiety: The Beast gains Rote Quality on all Medicine rolls. He may thoroughly alter the victim's appearance as an Instant Action. This can only make changes that could naturally occur in a human, such as changing their age, sex, ethnicity and such. This lasts for (10 - Satiety at the time of the roll) days on a Success, or weeks on an Exceptional Success. This may cause a bonus or penalty to all relevant Social rolls equal to [Lair]. Doing this inflicts the Leveraged Condition, which can represent the victim wanting to stay as their ideal self or return to their previous form.

Satiety Expenditure: The Beast rolls [highest between Dexterity + Medicine - Stamina as an Instant Action to warp and twist the flesh of his victims into impossible shapes, which lasts for the scene. For every dot of Lair, select one of the following. Other modifications may be chosen at ST discretion.

• Natural Weaponry: Brawl attacks deal +2L with Armor Piercing 2.
• Tough Hide: Armor 2/2.
• Redundant Organs: Ignore one type of Physical Tilt altogether.
• Bestial Perception: A new type of sense, such as thermal vision, tracking by scent and echolocation.
• Bestial Swiftness: A new type of locomotion, such as wings, breathing underwater, camouflage or digging through the ground.

[GibberingEloquence]

Nyrufa I decided to rewrite one of your Atavisms, what do you think?

Blood Of Medusa [Namtaru]
Legend says that the mythical Gorgon's blood was so acidic that man made weapons would dissolve instantly upon piercing her flesh. The Beast inherits this defense mechanism, making her a walking chemical hazard.

Normal Satiety: Your blood contains acidic properties that rapidly break down foreign substances they come into contact with. Whenever a melee weapon inflicts Lethal damage to you, your blood causes it to suffer [Lair/2 round up] points of Structure damage, ignoring Durability. If the damage is inflicted with bare hands, the attacker suffers [Lair/2 round up] points of Lethal damage.

The Beast can cover a weapon with her blood without damaging it by suffering 1 Resistant Lethal damage. The corrosion effect lasts for her (10 - Satiety) in days. The Beast is immune to mundane poisons and diseases, and decreases the Toxicity rating of supernatural equivalents by her Lair, down to a minimum of 1. This Atavism does not affect Chosen Blades of Heroes.

Low Satiety: When your Hunger flares, your blood does too. You deal your full Lair in Structure damage and the blood sprays outward into the immediate vicinity, affecting all objects caught within and characters who fail a Dexterity + Athletics - Lair roll. Your blood can also melt through supernatural barriers and protections with a successful Clash Of Wills. She can suppress this effect at will without a roll if she wishes to avoid hurting bystanders.

Satiety Expenditure: A dormant curse flows through the veins of the Beast, and for a brief moment, they can awaken its full potential. Reduce all attacks caused this turn by a Lethal weapon to a single point of damage. The weapons are also destroyed in the process, as their material components are dissolved instantly upon breaking the skin. Lethal damage inflicted by unarmed attacks cause the enemy to suffer [Lair] points of Lethal damage and receive an appropriate Tilt in the process.

[Nyrufa]

GibberingEloquence Seems to be a marked improvement. I don't think I'm very skilled at creating a mechanically balanced Atavism, anyways.

[GibberingEloquence]

Phantom Thief [Eshmaki]
The avaricious always seek to closely guard their material belongings with a love they seldom show to other people. The Beast demonstrates the folly of their vices by casually taking away all their most prized treasures.

Normal Satiety: The Beast adds his Lair to all Larceny rolls and needs no tools when they would normally be required. Locks, safes and so on quickly twist open with his touch alone. Furthermore, he never needs to perform extended actions no matter the level of security: his rolls always take a turn each. This requires him to touch the target, so he may still be detected. The Beast may stack this Atavism with traits like From The Shadows and Sleight Of Hand. This Atavism does not work on the Chosen Blades of Heroes.

Low Satiety: The Beast gains Rote Quality on all Larceny rolls. He may also perform Larceny rolls at a distance of [Lair x 3] meters, but must still be able to directly perceive the item or its container. This represents the Horror ignoring intervening distances and directly manifesting stolen items in the Beast's hands. Mundane attempts to notice or counter this suffer his Lair as a penalty, while supernatural attempts trigger a Clash Of Wills.

Satiety Expenditure: For the rest of the scene, the Beast can enter and exit the Astral frequency of Twilight. This is done as an Instant Action if Satiety is Normal, or reflexively if Satiety is Low. During this, he can directly take a number of items equal to [Lair x 2] into his Lair, or from the Lair into his hands. The objects must be valid targets for Larceny and have a maximum size of [Lair + 5].