PenDragon's Homebrew Hub

[PenDragon]

Inspired by The King's Raven and my ever growing list of disparate homebrew projects (and the dramatically smaller signature size limit) this page shall serve as a hub for those who prefer not to have to bookmark a dozen different pages. It will remain up to date as projects are completed.

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General System Hacks

• GMC House Rules
• PenDragon's nWoD Setting Overview

Vampire: The Requiem

• Vampire House Rules
• Bloodline: Assamites and Quietus
• Bloodline: Bohagande and Sunnikuse
• Bloodline: Gethsemani and Stimatica
• Bloodline: Lasombra and Umbra
• Bloodline: Morbus and Cachexy
• Bloodline: Norvegi and Bloodworking
• Bloodline: Ravnos and Chimerstry
• Mystery of Divinity
• Coil of the Ascetic
• Praestantia (B&S Conversion)
• Blood Sorcery Conversions
• Kindred Vodoun
• Subvolo: Discipline of Flight

Werewolf: The Forsaken

• Werewolf House Rules
• Unofficial Werewolf Gift Errata (1e)
• Rites and Rituals - Alternative System (1e)
• Acclaim - Alternative Experience System (1e)

Mage: The Awakening

• Mage House Rules
• Half-Awake Hub Thread
  • Proximi (1e)
  • Proximi (2e)
  • Thaumaturgy
• Time as a Series of Tubes

Changeling: The Lost

• Wyrd Sorcery (Cooperative with The King's Raven)

Hunter: The Vigil

• Malleus Maleficarum: Gospels

Geist: The Sin-Eaters

• Geist Houserule (Alpha Doc)

Mummy: The Curse

• Mummy GMC Update and House Rules

Demon: The Descent

• Demon House Rules

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Character Sheets*

• Proximi 1-Page Character Sheet
• Thaumaturgy 1-Page Character Sheet
• Geist Modified Character Sheet

*Character Sheets by Arlecchino

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Many thanks to all those who test, play, comment and otherwise help me refine homebrew for optimal playability.

[PenDragon]

Just made a MAJOR change to my Mage: the Awakening House Rules. Featuring radically altered casting and paradox rules, both of which are a significant departure from the core Awakening Material.

The old version of the doc still exists for those not fond of such an extreme departure. You can find it here.

As always feedback is appreciated. If there's enough interest in discussion I'll make a thread on the M:tA subforum about it.

[Griautis]

Lost Visage hosue rule seems quite redundant, since it brings the old lost visage closer to what is now by default.

[PenDragon]

Removed, good note.

Also added changes to Siring rules, because I don't like auto-humanity loss and siring sprees are a cool story hook. That, of course, also meant I needed to tweak Coil of the Voivode, which I think is better for the change.

[PenDragon]

Updated Werewolf Forms and Healing based on Idigam Rules spoiler, read the full spoiler here: http://theonyxpath.com/the-changing-man/#comment-53249

Notably Primal Form got a rather significant boost.

[PenDragon]

A canny observer will notice a new addition to my increasingly rainbow like signature. Mummy: The Curse hacks!

While not entirely complete this represents my best effort to update many of the Mummy system to GMC standards, as well as tweak the general power level to be more in line with what we see in recent games. Changes include:

• Alterations to the base template, experience costs, and starting statistics.
• Replacements for Virtue and Vice
• Major improvements to Mummy durability (in case you thought they weren't already tough enough)
• Changes to Sekhem, Sybaris, and a few new innate tricks
• Revisions of almost every Utterance in the core book, and two new Keywords.

Affinities haven't been touched yet. I'll get to them in time. I may also make a thread in the Mummy subforum for discussion, if there is enough interest.

View it in the first post, my signature, or right here.

[hellovg]

Nothing for promethean? How sad...

[PenDragon]

Nothing for promethean? How sad...

Dude, my Prommie homebrew could fill a small book. I might write them all out at some point, but it'd be quite the project.

[hellovg]

Dude, my Prommie homebrew could fill a small book. I might write them all out at some point, but it'd be quite the project.

We'll I'm glad Promethean isn't being left out. Honestly I think that game line doesn't get the attention it deserves sometimes. Is it your work personally, or a collection of other people's work?

[Raistlin]

Dude, my Prommie homebrew could fill a small book. I might write them all out at some point, but it'd be quite the project.

Any idea to make the disquiet a bit more... bearable for the PCs?

[PenDragon]

Alright, since there seems to be interest, I'll give a brief overview of my Promethean Hacks:

• Replace Humanity with Simulacre (by Metamurpho, here): Simulacre defines how close a Promethean is to being human, and how human-like his body has become. At low Simulacre he's basically just an animate mass, no vital organs, no need to breath or eat, human in appearance only. As Simulacre rises those natural advantages begin to fade as more and more the Promethean acquires human needs, however, higher Simulacre also slows the growth of Wasteland and Disquite.
• Wasteland & Disquiet: Wasteland and Disquiet are intrinsically tied, one to the other. As a Promethean's wasteland grows so too does others' paranoia. Disquiet itself is no longer rolled for individuals, instead it is managed as a global track side-by-side with Wasteland. Both increment based on Simulacre, with low Simulacre incrementing in days, and high taking weeks, months or even years. However, certain events, like Transmutation usage, revealing of disfigurements and torment can cause immediate rolls.
  • How individuals respond to Disquiet falls more on the shoulders of the Storyteller, no longer is it assumed every NPC will turn against them. Indeed, a mortal of sufficient Integrity can rough past Disquiet and see the Promethean for who he truly is. Conversely of course, low Integrity mortals have the opposite response, developing a profound and lasting obsession that endures even once the Promethean is gone.
  • Supernaturals are not affected in the same way as mortals, they feel disquiet certainly, but aren't compelled by it. Therefore it falls to that specific character to respond in a manner appropriate. That could mean that they can talk it out with the Prommie, but often other Supernaturals will mistake the feeling of unease for a sign that the Promethean is one of their natural enemies. A Werewolf may assume he's some sort of Host, a Changeling might mistake him for Fae, or a Sin-Eater could assume he's an immortal abomination. Ample room for both understanding and misunderstanding.
• Bestowments: All physical/mental bestowments are gone, instead a Promethean gets two attributes, one based on Lineage and the other on Refinement. Add one dot to each Attribute (which can take them over 5) and gain 9-again on all related rolls. Each Lineage has a number of advantages which take the place of other Bestowments, all lineages get 3, which are chosen during character creation (if unfleshed). These fade as Simulacre rises, losing the first at 4, the second at 7, and the last at 9.
  • Unfleshed are a lot more common. Indeed it would be better to say that all Prometheans are entirely unique. Building the specifics of your Promethean is a key portion of character creation, much like constructing a Demon's demonic form. Importantly, it is not the base assumption that Prommie's come from dead bodies. Golems, for instant, are generally made of clay and dirt.
• Transmutations: Remove the dot structure entirely, Transmutations are now purchased based on prerequisites. Like Jolt -> Shock -> Arc -> Divine Lightning. Certain Transmutations have to be radically altered (Might being a big one) while others can go mostly untouched. Custom Transmutations are also strongly encouraged and everything gets an on-the-spot power up for GMC rules.
  • Electroshock Recharge becomes inherent to all Prometheans, but automatically risks Torment when used.
• Antagonists: A new antagonist group, The Society of Thule, exists. Composed of mortal alchemists and mad scientists they seek to tame Pyros and bend it to their own interests. Their numbers include many Demiurges driven mad by the generative act as well as though whose experience with Disquiet left them permanently deranged. The abilities of the Society and Demiurges are strongly inspired by the fan game Genius: The Transgression, albeit significantly toned down.

That's the gist, there's a bunch of other small changes as well, but those are the big ones.

P.S. I've got a fair number of Geist hacks as well, for those interested.

[devil bunny]

I'd be interested in some Geist hacks, especially since GMC has changed a few things...

[The Kings Raven]

I'd be interested if you ever read my unfinished Geist/Krewe Chronicles docs

[PenDragon]

I'd be interested if you ever read my unfinished Geist/Krewe Chronicles docs

I certainly skimmed them...

Regardless, my current changes are in a fairly different direction. They are as follows:

• Manifest Geister: Geist are not pure figments existing only within the Sin-Eater, not necessarily. With the application of Plasm a Sin-Eater can briefly make manifest his Geist, allowing it to interact physically with the Material world. Doing so costs a point of Plasm and lasts either the entire scene, or until deliberately withdrawn. While manifest Geist remain invisible to the mortal eye, often leading to the misconception that Sin-Eater's have telekinetic abilities, but they may interact freely with the material.
  • Mechanically Geist are statted as spirits, though they possess no numina or influences. They do, however, share the Sin-Eater's Health, Willpower and Plasm, therefore injury to a Geist is reflected upon the Sin-Eater. Use of Manifestations (see below) also cause the Geist to manifest. In action Geist are controlled by the Sin-Eater's player, not the Storyteller, and may act independently of and in addition to the Sin-Eater's own actions.
    • These manifestations are very reminiscent of Stands (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure) and Personals (Shin Megami Tensai) and draw many inspirations from both.
• More Than Ghosts: As half-spirit, half-spectral beings Geist walk a strange boundary. They are human ghosts, but represent more than a single life. Examples include a the Unknown Soldier, a dead spirit that also represents those nameless men lost to war, or the Hanged Man, an old ghost who embodies the vengeance of those lynched during the Jim Crow era of the American south. What a Geist represents determines it's Keys and Passions, in turn providing direction to the Sin-Eater.
  • While creating a Sin-Eater his Geist is also given a subsection of the sheet. Here are broadly defined three Passions which act as additional Aspirations and protect against Synergy loss (see below).
• Passion and Synergy: Geist are powerfully compelled, defined by their Passions to act upon the world. Sin-Eaters feel no such compulsion, but are well advised to follow. A Sin-Eater who does not act upon his Geist's passions finds himself slowly fading from the world, just as a dead man gradually fades from the memories of those he loved. Maintaining a good relationship with one's Geist and helping it carry out it's will is the only protection against this inevitability. This can prove especially difficult for some, as the pairing of Geist and Man needn't be agreeable (For an extreme example: An Innocent Nun with the Geist of Murderers, Jack the Ripper)
• Keys and Manifestations: The entire old Key/Manifestation system is out. Replaced by a new system for designing custom powers, unique to the character and her Geist. It works like this:
  • A character's Keys determine her thematic, they inform the manner in which her powers will work and keep her from losing focus. When a Manifestation is purchased it is tied to a Key, collectively the pairing produce a single power. Manifestations are not tiered by dots, and do not scale in cost.
    • Ex. Michael purchases the Boneyard Manifestation and ties it to his Geist, The Unknown Soldier's "Industrial Key". By spending a point of Plasm The Unknown Soldier emerges from Michael along with a dozen spectral soldiers, the soldiers spread across the scene, finding small industrial objects and 'firing' them at enemies in a maelstrom of metal.
  • Multiple pairings may be made with a single Key, though no Key can be paired with the same Manifestation more than once. Activating a manifestation always costs a point of Plasm and causes the Geist to become manifest for that turn (or longer, if the Sin-Eater wants).
    • Ex. The Michael might also have the "Tear Stained" key, with which he pairs the Curse Manifestation. Activating this combination allows him to inflict PTSD like depression on a victim with a simple touch.
  • Now for the interesting part. Michael's player could purchase the Tear-Stained Curse as a separate power, with it's own cost and dice pool. Or he could tie it to the Industrial Boneyard and create a "Key Chain". In doing so he adds a condition to the first manifestation that, should it come to pass, automatically evokes the effects of the second for no extra cost.
    • Ex. Instead of purchasing the Tear Stained Curse separately, Michael ties it to the Industrial Boneyard to create a keychain. He adds the condition, "Whenever the maelstrom causes physical injury...", noting that the damage from the injury will now count as successes for the Tear-Stained Curse. Now anyone who is harmed by his boneyard also endures depression, flashbacks, and anxiety for an equivalent number of days.
  • Once chained a Manifestation cannot be unlinked, to access the power separately it'd have to be repurchased. Linking manifestations saves on plasm, experience (a keychain costs less than a separate Manfiestation) and allows access to greater and more nuanced powers. The end result being that no two Sin-Eaters, even with similar Keys and Manifestations, will be exactly alike. And there's really no predicting with a Geist will be capable of when met face-to-face.

Initial tests of this system have been splendidly promising. The two characters I have currently are both distinct, despite having similar Key, and stand out as very unique entities. Their powers are potent, obtuse and exciting to watch unfold.

Questions?

[The Kings Raven]

[*]Passion and Synergy: Geist are powerfully compelled, defined by their Passions to act upon the world. Sin-Eaters feel no such compulsion, but are well advised to follow. A Sin-Eater who does not act upon his Geist's passions finds himself slowly fading from the world, just as a dead man gradually fades from the memories of those he loved. Maintaining a good relationship with one's Geist and helping it carry out it's will is the only protection against this inevitability. This can prove especially difficult for some, as the pairing of Geist and Man needn't be agreeable (For an extreme example: An Innocent Nun with the Geist of Murderers, Jack the Ripper)

This seems backwards to me; since the Geist provides the connection to Death while the Sin-Eater provides the connection to the living.