Tweet
What Is The Purpose Of This Document?
To offer a playable version of Heroes from Beast: The Primordial that has similar mechanics to the Micro Templates from Hurt Locker. You are not obligated to use all of the rules from this document. By all means, use whatever works.
What Parts Of The Core Template Have Been Changed?
1) Heroes may track Aspirations and Beats. They also track Heroic Beats. Credit for this idea goes to Ye Of Little Faith. Once per scene, the Hero may sacrifice 1 Heroic Beat to replenish [Destiny X 2] points of Willpower as a reflexive action.
2) Hard To Kill: Heroes heal 1 Bashing each minute, 1 Lethal every 12 hours and 1 Aggravated every 2 days.
3) Legend And Life: Heroes may regain all Willpower from their Life trait, unless otherwise indicated by their Destiny.
4) Heroic Tracking: Since the focus has been shifted onto the Heroes, assume that this trait requires more "on-screen" activity.
5) Heroic Stalking: This trait is replaced by the Investigation Rules found in the CoD Rule Book. Furthermore, the Hero may use dice pools other than Wits + Investigation and Wits + Composure. Lastly, since Heroes have Legend/Life instead of Virtue/Vice, the modifiers for Investigations that refer to Virtue/Vice do not apply. Instead, apply the normal modifiers for Heroic Stalking and others at ST discretion.
6) Anathema: Placing Anathema does not prevent the spent Willpower from being recovered.
7) Followers: These must be represented with appropriate Merits, such as Allies and Retainers. The Hero increases his Impression for Social Maneuvering by one step to recruit others for hunting Beasts. This does not bypass the normal limits of Social Maneuvering. As always, Hard Leverage is an option.
8) Gifts: These abilities have been redesigned as Merits, which must be bought with regular and/or Heroic Experiences as usual. However, they need not be acquired only when killing a Beast. Other narrative milestones decided by the ST are allowed, but depending on the Hero's Integrity, he may choose to kill regardless.
9) Heroes do not suffer the Beaten Down Tilt from damage alone. However, certain supernatural powers (e.g. the Looming Presence Atavism) may inflict said Tilt. They also do not need the Tolerance For Biology Merit.
10) Heroes gain an extra dot of Resolve, which may not take them above 5 dots. The Epic Potential Merit may change this.
Creating A Hero
Heroes follow the rules for creating a mortal, and start with 10 dots of Merits. The Hero also starts with one free dot in the Destiny Merit, a Specialty for Beasts in Occult or Investigation, and the Unseen Sense Merit for Beasts. They may acquire Supernatural, Advanced and Epic Merits at ST discretion as well.
Destiny (•-•••••)
Effect: Your character hears the call of the Primordial Dream to fulfill their Heroic role. Every dot in this Merit serves as a Supernatural Tolerance Trait, and determine whether or not he can acquire certain Gifts. He also becomes more resilient against psychological trauma directly caused by Beasts (and other monsters if he has Kinslayer). He adds [Destiny] to all Breaking Point rolls for Integrity in such circumstances. Dots in this Merit are acquired for free when the Hero advances and spreads his Legend in a significant way. But he can also lose dots in this Merit when he goes too long without hunting or otherwise compromises his Legend in a significant way. Other narrative milestones for gaining and losing Destiny may be chosen by the ST.
Drawback: The call to adventure is a powerful force and prevents many Heroes from having a normal life. The rating in this Merit determines how often the Hero must hunt Beasts before his self-image is consumed by the Monomyth. During each interval after that, the Hero must roll for a Breaking Point with a penalty equal to [Destiny]. Furthermore, after the interval is over, he does not regain Willpower from rest and may only gain 1 Willpower from Life trait until he resumes the hunt. And last but not least, Heroes suffer from an uncontrollable version of the Omen Sensitivity Merit for the Primordial Dream, similarly to Stigmatics and the God-Machine. However, the Hero need not spend Willpower to use it: the ST chooses when to apply it. To compensate, the Hero can ask a number of yes/no questions equal to highest between [Successes On The Wits + Occult Roll] and [Destiny].
(•): Every 28 days.
(••): Every 21 days.
(•••): Every 14 days.
(••••): Every 7 days.
(•••••): Everyday.
Sidebar: What Counts As A Hunt?
It depends on the Hero’s Integrity. At 7 or thereabouts, a hunt can consist of convincing the Beast to Feed in less harmful ways (consider using Social Maneuvering), or just saving someone from a Feeding. At 4 or thereabouts, you have to kill the Beast. Generally speaking, Heroes with High Integrity favor hunting in ways that align with their Life, while Heroes with Low Integrity favor their Legend. Speak with your ST about what seems the most fitting and fun method.
Heroic Gifts:
Champion's Endurance (•-•••••)
Prerequisite: Destiny Equal To Rating
For every dot in this Gift, the Hero gains 1/1 Armor against Beasts and adds 2 to his Health. This stacks with other sources of Armor.
Kinslayer (•)
Same as the original.
Chosen Blade (•)
Prerequisite: Destiny •
The Hero has access to a weapon with additional Durability equal to Destiny and which upgrades its Damage Bonus by +1. Despite the name of this Gift, the weapon can be ranged. The Hero may acquire additional Chosen Blades as 1 dot Merits, up to his Resolve. Such weapons are considered to be their ideal versions: swords do not become dull or rusty, and guns never malfunction. Furthermore, he can wield the weapon effectively even if his Strength would be insufficient, and he does not suffer Initiative or Speed penalties from it. Lastly, such weapons are not affected by abilities that ignore or remove Durability, such as Corrosive, Decayed, Dragonfire, Heart Of The Ocean and Titanic Blow. Should the Chosen Blades be destroyed or lost, apply Sanctity Of Merits normally.
Legendary Hunter (••)
Prerequisite: Destiny ••
Same as the original.
Loremaster (•-••)
Prerequisite: Destiny Equal To Rating
Same as the original, but add Destiny to the dice pool. The 2 dot version gives an Exceptional Success with 3 Successes. Each additional Hero gives +1 to the dice pool, or +2 if they also possess this Gift. The main Hero can have a number of assistants equal to his [Intelligence].
Open Gate (••-•••)
Prerequisite: Destiny Equal To Rating
Same as the original, but the Hero rolls [highest Resistance Attribute] + Occult + Destiny. The 3 dot version gives Exceptional Success with 3 Successes. Each additional Hero gives +1 to the dice pool, or +2 if they also possess this Gift. The main Hero can have a number of assistants equal to his [Highest Resistance Attribute].
Real World (••-•••)
Prerequisite: Destiny Equal To Rating
Same as the original, but add Destiny to the dice pool. The 3 dot version gives Exceptional Success with 3 Successes and imposes a penalty to the target equal to [Highest Between Successes And Destiny]. Each additional Hero gives +1 to the dice pool, or +2 if they also possess this Gift. The main Hero can have a number of assistants equal to his [Highest Power Attribute].
Saint's Whisper (•)
Same as the original.
Vanquisher's Strength (•-•••••)
Prerequisite: Destiny Equal To Rating
The Hero adds his [Gift Rating] to all combat rolls against Beasts, both melee and ranged. They may also spend 1 Willpower point to add their [Gift Rating] as bonus damage for the turn. The Willpower does not add dice to their roll.
Warrior's Speed (•-•••••)
Prerequisite: Destiny Equal To Rating
The Hero adds his [Gift Rating x 5] to his Speed when pursuing or escaping from Beasts. He also adds his [Gift Rating] to Defense, Initiative and Chase rolls. He may spend 1 Willpower point to gain the Rote Quality for every Chase roll in this scene.
Champion's Trophy (•••)
Prerequisite: Destiny •••, Defeated A Beast With Lair 5+
The Hero has an item that allows him to imitate an Atavism. Calculate its Structure normally, but add Destiny to its Durability. He is considered to have Normal Satiety and an effective Lair rating equal to Destiny. He may also mimic the Low Satiety Effect for the scene by spending 1 Willpower and the Satiety Expenditure by suffering 1 Resistant Aggravated damage or a severe Condition. If the Atavism uses current Satiety to determine an effect, the Hero is considered to have Satiety 5. The Hero may acquire additional Champion's Trophies as 2 dot Merits, up to his Resolve. Items represented by this Gift are not affected by abilities that ignore or remove Durability, same as with Chosen Blades. However, the same item cannot be both a Chosen Blade and a Champion's Trophy. Should the Champion's Trophies be destroyed or lost, apply Sanctity Of Merits normally.
Note: The idea for this Gift is borrowed from Ye Of Little Faith.
Fool's Feast (••)
Prerequisite: Destiny ••
The Hero may arrange an opportunity for the Beast to Feed their Hunger which leaves them incredibly vulnerable. First the Hero must place an Anathema on the Beast and meet their current Satiety Potential with the feast. High Integrity Heroes usually offer themselves as bait, while those with Low Integrity could not care less about collateral damage. Once the Beast digests the feast (which occurs at the end of the scene as usual, unless the Beast spends Willpower to quicken the process), add the Hero's Destiny to the amount of Satiety gained. If this brings the Beast to Satiety 10, they suffer the Slumbering Condition as usual.
Beowulf's Fury (••••)
Prerequisite: Destiny ••••
By spending 1 Willpower point, the Hero enters a combat frenzy for the scene that lets him go up against even the most fearsome of Beasts, at the cost of losing the ability to tell friend from foe. The Hero can only use melee attacks during this frenzy, but he is considered to apply Down And Dirty Combat against all average and unimportant enemies, achieving automatic Successes equal to Destiny + 1. When fighting Beasts, the Hero uses normal combat rules, but is entirely immune to Personal Tilts, Nightmares and Social Maneuvering (if he has Kinslayer he also becomes immune to mind affecting powers of other monsters).
Beasts must spend 1 Willpower point and roll Resolve + Composure - Destiny or gain the Frightened Condition. If the Hero has Vanquisher's Strength, he may use the active effect without spending Willpower. He downgrades the type of damage from all attacks by one step, down to a minimum of bashing. However, the Hero must succeed on a reflexive Wits + Composure – [10 – Integrity] roll, or they will not perceive the events of the scene accurately. They will often see innocents or those who get involved in the battle as foul enemies to be slain without a second thought. After the fact they may realize their error in perception and likely suffer a potent Breaking Point.
Torch Of Clarity (•• Or ••••)
Prerequisite: Destiny Equal To Rating
The Hero spends 1 Willpower and rolls a Clash Of Wills using Wits + Occult + Destiny against all Beasts within [Destiny x 200] meters. Should the targets Fail, they gain the Revealed Horror Condition (see below). With the 4 dot version, whenever Beasts with the Condition must roll to resist it, Failures become Dramatic Failures. If the Hero has Kinslayer, this Gift reveals the equivalent true self of the monster and uses their respective traits. Changelings show their Mien, while Prometheans show their Disfigurements. This does not work on Unchained. Each additional Hero gives +1 to the dice pool, or +2 if they also possess this Gift. The main Hero can have a number of assistants equal to his [Wits].
Revealed Horror (Persistent)
Effect: Whenever you spend Satiety, roll Resolve + Composure - Lair. A Failure means that everyone can see your Horror for a number of turns equal to your Lair, or the whole scene on a Dramatic Failure. A Success cancels the Condition for the scene, while an Exceptional Success cancels it for the chapter. Impression Level becomes Hostile for everyone who does not have Family Ties Condition. While suffering from this Condition, Heroes benefit from Rote Quality on rolls for Heroic Stalking made against you.
Causing The Condition: The Torch Of Clarity Heroic Gift
Ending The Condition: Go [Lair] days without spending Satiety or regain all Willpower from Legend trait.
Beat: Draw the attention of Heroes, or face big issues for not being able to use Social Maneuvering.
Provoke Rampage (•• Or ••••)
Prerequisite: Destiny Equal To Rating
The Hero spends 1 Willpower and rolls a Clash Of Wills using Manipulation + Occult + Destiny against a number of Beasts up to [Destiny] within his direct line of sight. Should the target(s) Fail, they gain the Discordant Horror Condition (see below). With the 4 dot version, whenever Beasts with the Condition must roll to resist it, Failures become Dramatic Failures. If the Hero has Kinslayer, he can provoke the monster's equivalent response (if any). Werewolves go into Death Rage, Vampires go into Frenzy and Prometheans go into Torment. This does not work on Unchained. Each additional Hero gives +1 to the dice pool, or +2 if they also possess this Gift. The main Hero can have a number of assistants equal to his [Manipulation].
Discordant Horror (Persistent)
Effect: Whenever you spend Satiety, roll Resolve + Composure - Lair. A Failure means your Horror can override your self-control for a number of turns equal to your Lair, or the whole scene on a Dramatic Failure. During this, the Horror seeks to Feed its Hunger indiscriminately as if Ravenous. A Success cancels the Condition for the scene, while an Exceptional Success cancels it for the chapter. The Discordant Horror can make full use of Atavisms and Nightmares, as well as Open Primordial Pathways (in fact, it favors these abilities over mundane solutions unless it would be clearly suicidal). While suffering from this Condition, Heroes benefit from Rote Quality on rolls for Heroic Stalking made against you.
Causing The Condition: The Provoke Rampage Heroic Gift.
Ending The Condition: Go [Lair] days without spending Satiety or regain all Willpower from Legend trait.
Beat: Draw the attention of Heroes, or cause significant suffering to innocent bystanders and those you care about.
Hallowed Ground (••••)
Prerequisite: Destiny ••••
By spending 1 Willpower point, the Hero rolls Resolve + Occult + Destiny and blesses a location with a radius of [Destiny x 200] meters during this scene. All Beasts who enter this area suffer a penalty to rolls for Atavisms, Nightmares and Primordial Pathways equal to the Hero's [Highest Between Successes And Destiny], and downgrade Failures into Dramatic Failures. Each additional Hero gives +1 to the dice pool, or +2 if they also possess this Gift. The main Hero can have a number of assistants equal to his [Resolve]. If the Hero has Kinslayer, this Gift affects other monsters at the ST's discretion. This Gift can only be used once each Chapter.
Heroic Leap (•-•••••)
Prerequisite: Destiny Equal To Rating
Multiply your jumping distance by [Gift Rating x 3]. You do not suffer damage from falling after using this Gift, but you will still be harmed by a terminal velocity fall. By spending 1 Willpower point, you gain Rote Quality to jump for the rest of the scene.
Swift Destruction (•-•••••)
Prerequisite: Open Gate ••, Destiny Equal To Rating
When trying to Destroy The Lair, the Hero has a dice pool and maximum number of rolls equal to [Resolve + Composure + Gift Rating]. He may spend 1 Willpower point to gain the Rote Quality for every roll to Destroy The Lair in this scene.
Forge Eidolon (•-•••••)
Prerequisite: Destiny Equal To Rating
For every dot in this Gift, the Hero can create one custom type of Mystic Equipment. He makes a Crafting Equipment Action, using Crafts and Occult interchangeably, and gaining bonus dice equal to Destiny. Besides taking dice penalties to acquire Equipment Bonuses on a 1 for 1 ratio, the Hero can also acquire dots of modified Supernatural Merits for the item in much the same way. Whenever the Hero achieves an Exceptional Success to use this Gift, he does not need to spend Willpower to activate the Supernatural Merits contained within the Eidolon. Each additional Hero gives +1 to the dice pool, or +2 if they also possess this Gift. The main Hero can have a number of assistants equal to his [Highest Power Attribute].
Using this Gift requires materials and tools of mystical significance that matches the intended design and function of the Eidolon. Each such component can give +1 to +5 to the Crafting Equipment Action, depending on its metaphysical significance. Therefore, many Heroes track down Beasts who are going to use Skeleton Key in order to follow them into otherworldly realms and acquire the necessary components for an Eidolon. The Hero can have a maximum number of active Eidolons equal to [Destiny + Lowest Between Crafts And Occult], but can have as many inactive Eidolons within a hidden arsenal as he wants. If the Hero meets the usual prerequisites of Advanced/Epic Supernatural Merits, he can apply those to his Eidolons as well. An Eidolon can be a Chosen Blade, but not a Champion's Trophy.
Dragon Slayer (Style, •-•••••)
Prerequisite: Destiny Equal To Rating
No matter where they are, no matter who they are, Heroes are the bane of a Beast's existence. Their Gifts can quickly overwhelm even the most resilient of Broods, provided they have enough experience (and a little bit of luck) to weaken them right away. Over the course of their Quests, however, some Heroes become particularly skilled in hunting the Children of the Dark Mother. Most Beasts who come across such individuals seldom walk away alive, much less unscathed.
(•) - Relentless Pursuit: The greatest Heroes were able to pursue even the most elusive of Beasts to the furthest edges of the world. No matter where the Children ran, they seldom stayed hidden for long. The Hero adds [Style Rating] to all Heroic Tracking/Stalking Rolls. This stacks with the Legendary Hunter Gift.
(••) - Hunter's Fortitude: The Hero does not suffer from fatigue, deprivation or wound penalties. Furthermore, he does not need to roll to stay conscious when his Health is filled with Bashing or Lethal damage, and his wounds do not roll over into Aggravated due to bleeding out when his Health is filled with Lethal damage. This Maneuver only applies when the Hero is hunting Beasts, but the Kinslayer Gift may apply.
(•••) - Grandiose Resilience: The Hero can spend 1 Willpower to downgrade the damage type of all attacks he receives this turn by one step, down to a minimum of bashing.
(••••) - Fatal Flaw: After having acquired much experience in slaying the Begotten, the Hero's talent for 'finding' their weaknesses is honed into a fine edge. He can place an Anathema on a Beast with High or Low Satiety. He must still spend 1 Willpower and cause at least 1 point of damage. Once per scene, he may spend all Willpower to increase the Beast's effective Satiety by one category for the purposes of the Anathema, up to Gorged.
(•••••) - Heroic Valor: The greatest Heroes are the stuff of nightmares for lesser Beasts, and have the potential to fight on equal footing against a Beast Incarnate. All combat rolls against Beasts now gain the Rote Quality or inflict Aggravated, selected on each attack.
Note: The Dragon Slayer Merit was taken from a scrapped Hurt Locker concept and further redesigned by Arcanist and Deionscribe. I just changed some of the Maneuvers.
To offer a playable version of Heroes from Beast: The Primordial that has similar mechanics to the Micro Templates from Hurt Locker. You are not obligated to use all of the rules from this document. By all means, use whatever works.
What Parts Of The Core Template Have Been Changed?
1) Heroes may track Aspirations and Beats. They also track Heroic Beats. Credit for this idea goes to Ye Of Little Faith. Once per scene, the Hero may sacrifice 1 Heroic Beat to replenish [Destiny X 2] points of Willpower as a reflexive action.
2) Hard To Kill: Heroes heal 1 Bashing each minute, 1 Lethal every 12 hours and 1 Aggravated every 2 days.
3) Legend And Life: Heroes may regain all Willpower from their Life trait, unless otherwise indicated by their Destiny.
4) Heroic Tracking: Since the focus has been shifted onto the Heroes, assume that this trait requires more "on-screen" activity.
5) Heroic Stalking: This trait is replaced by the Investigation Rules found in the CoD Rule Book. Furthermore, the Hero may use dice pools other than Wits + Investigation and Wits + Composure. Lastly, since Heroes have Legend/Life instead of Virtue/Vice, the modifiers for Investigations that refer to Virtue/Vice do not apply. Instead, apply the normal modifiers for Heroic Stalking and others at ST discretion.
6) Anathema: Placing Anathema does not prevent the spent Willpower from being recovered.
7) Followers: These must be represented with appropriate Merits, such as Allies and Retainers. The Hero increases his Impression for Social Maneuvering by one step to recruit others for hunting Beasts. This does not bypass the normal limits of Social Maneuvering. As always, Hard Leverage is an option.
8) Gifts: These abilities have been redesigned as Merits, which must be bought with regular and/or Heroic Experiences as usual. However, they need not be acquired only when killing a Beast. Other narrative milestones decided by the ST are allowed, but depending on the Hero's Integrity, he may choose to kill regardless.
9) Heroes do not suffer the Beaten Down Tilt from damage alone. However, certain supernatural powers (e.g. the Looming Presence Atavism) may inflict said Tilt. They also do not need the Tolerance For Biology Merit.
10) Heroes gain an extra dot of Resolve, which may not take them above 5 dots. The Epic Potential Merit may change this.
Creating A Hero
Heroes follow the rules for creating a mortal, and start with 10 dots of Merits. The Hero also starts with one free dot in the Destiny Merit, a Specialty for Beasts in Occult or Investigation, and the Unseen Sense Merit for Beasts. They may acquire Supernatural, Advanced and Epic Merits at ST discretion as well.
Destiny (•-•••••)
Effect: Your character hears the call of the Primordial Dream to fulfill their Heroic role. Every dot in this Merit serves as a Supernatural Tolerance Trait, and determine whether or not he can acquire certain Gifts. He also becomes more resilient against psychological trauma directly caused by Beasts (and other monsters if he has Kinslayer). He adds [Destiny] to all Breaking Point rolls for Integrity in such circumstances. Dots in this Merit are acquired for free when the Hero advances and spreads his Legend in a significant way. But he can also lose dots in this Merit when he goes too long without hunting or otherwise compromises his Legend in a significant way. Other narrative milestones for gaining and losing Destiny may be chosen by the ST.
Drawback: The call to adventure is a powerful force and prevents many Heroes from having a normal life. The rating in this Merit determines how often the Hero must hunt Beasts before his self-image is consumed by the Monomyth. During each interval after that, the Hero must roll for a Breaking Point with a penalty equal to [Destiny]. Furthermore, after the interval is over, he does not regain Willpower from rest and may only gain 1 Willpower from Life trait until he resumes the hunt. And last but not least, Heroes suffer from an uncontrollable version of the Omen Sensitivity Merit for the Primordial Dream, similarly to Stigmatics and the God-Machine. However, the Hero need not spend Willpower to use it: the ST chooses when to apply it. To compensate, the Hero can ask a number of yes/no questions equal to highest between [Successes On The Wits + Occult Roll] and [Destiny].
(•): Every 28 days.
(••): Every 21 days.
(•••): Every 14 days.
(••••): Every 7 days.
(•••••): Everyday.
Sidebar: What Counts As A Hunt?
It depends on the Hero’s Integrity. At 7 or thereabouts, a hunt can consist of convincing the Beast to Feed in less harmful ways (consider using Social Maneuvering), or just saving someone from a Feeding. At 4 or thereabouts, you have to kill the Beast. Generally speaking, Heroes with High Integrity favor hunting in ways that align with their Life, while Heroes with Low Integrity favor their Legend. Speak with your ST about what seems the most fitting and fun method.
Heroic Gifts:
Champion's Endurance (•-•••••)
Prerequisite: Destiny Equal To Rating
For every dot in this Gift, the Hero gains 1/1 Armor against Beasts and adds 2 to his Health. This stacks with other sources of Armor.
Kinslayer (•)
Same as the original.
Chosen Blade (•)
Prerequisite: Destiny •
The Hero has access to a weapon with additional Durability equal to Destiny and which upgrades its Damage Bonus by +1. Despite the name of this Gift, the weapon can be ranged. The Hero may acquire additional Chosen Blades as 1 dot Merits, up to his Resolve. Such weapons are considered to be their ideal versions: swords do not become dull or rusty, and guns never malfunction. Furthermore, he can wield the weapon effectively even if his Strength would be insufficient, and he does not suffer Initiative or Speed penalties from it. Lastly, such weapons are not affected by abilities that ignore or remove Durability, such as Corrosive, Decayed, Dragonfire, Heart Of The Ocean and Titanic Blow. Should the Chosen Blades be destroyed or lost, apply Sanctity Of Merits normally.
Legendary Hunter (••)
Prerequisite: Destiny ••
Same as the original.
Loremaster (•-••)
Prerequisite: Destiny Equal To Rating
Same as the original, but add Destiny to the dice pool. The 2 dot version gives an Exceptional Success with 3 Successes. Each additional Hero gives +1 to the dice pool, or +2 if they also possess this Gift. The main Hero can have a number of assistants equal to his [Intelligence].
Open Gate (••-•••)
Prerequisite: Destiny Equal To Rating
Same as the original, but the Hero rolls [highest Resistance Attribute] + Occult + Destiny. The 3 dot version gives Exceptional Success with 3 Successes. Each additional Hero gives +1 to the dice pool, or +2 if they also possess this Gift. The main Hero can have a number of assistants equal to his [Highest Resistance Attribute].
Real World (••-•••)
Prerequisite: Destiny Equal To Rating
Same as the original, but add Destiny to the dice pool. The 3 dot version gives Exceptional Success with 3 Successes and imposes a penalty to the target equal to [Highest Between Successes And Destiny]. Each additional Hero gives +1 to the dice pool, or +2 if they also possess this Gift. The main Hero can have a number of assistants equal to his [Highest Power Attribute].
Saint's Whisper (•)
Same as the original.
Vanquisher's Strength (•-•••••)
Prerequisite: Destiny Equal To Rating
The Hero adds his [Gift Rating] to all combat rolls against Beasts, both melee and ranged. They may also spend 1 Willpower point to add their [Gift Rating] as bonus damage for the turn. The Willpower does not add dice to their roll.
Warrior's Speed (•-•••••)
Prerequisite: Destiny Equal To Rating
The Hero adds his [Gift Rating x 5] to his Speed when pursuing or escaping from Beasts. He also adds his [Gift Rating] to Defense, Initiative and Chase rolls. He may spend 1 Willpower point to gain the Rote Quality for every Chase roll in this scene.
Champion's Trophy (•••)
Prerequisite: Destiny •••, Defeated A Beast With Lair 5+
The Hero has an item that allows him to imitate an Atavism. Calculate its Structure normally, but add Destiny to its Durability. He is considered to have Normal Satiety and an effective Lair rating equal to Destiny. He may also mimic the Low Satiety Effect for the scene by spending 1 Willpower and the Satiety Expenditure by suffering 1 Resistant Aggravated damage or a severe Condition. If the Atavism uses current Satiety to determine an effect, the Hero is considered to have Satiety 5. The Hero may acquire additional Champion's Trophies as 2 dot Merits, up to his Resolve. Items represented by this Gift are not affected by abilities that ignore or remove Durability, same as with Chosen Blades. However, the same item cannot be both a Chosen Blade and a Champion's Trophy. Should the Champion's Trophies be destroyed or lost, apply Sanctity Of Merits normally.
Note: The idea for this Gift is borrowed from Ye Of Little Faith.
Fool's Feast (••)
Prerequisite: Destiny ••
The Hero may arrange an opportunity for the Beast to Feed their Hunger which leaves them incredibly vulnerable. First the Hero must place an Anathema on the Beast and meet their current Satiety Potential with the feast. High Integrity Heroes usually offer themselves as bait, while those with Low Integrity could not care less about collateral damage. Once the Beast digests the feast (which occurs at the end of the scene as usual, unless the Beast spends Willpower to quicken the process), add the Hero's Destiny to the amount of Satiety gained. If this brings the Beast to Satiety 10, they suffer the Slumbering Condition as usual.
Beowulf's Fury (••••)
Prerequisite: Destiny ••••
By spending 1 Willpower point, the Hero enters a combat frenzy for the scene that lets him go up against even the most fearsome of Beasts, at the cost of losing the ability to tell friend from foe. The Hero can only use melee attacks during this frenzy, but he is considered to apply Down And Dirty Combat against all average and unimportant enemies, achieving automatic Successes equal to Destiny + 1. When fighting Beasts, the Hero uses normal combat rules, but is entirely immune to Personal Tilts, Nightmares and Social Maneuvering (if he has Kinslayer he also becomes immune to mind affecting powers of other monsters).
Beasts must spend 1 Willpower point and roll Resolve + Composure - Destiny or gain the Frightened Condition. If the Hero has Vanquisher's Strength, he may use the active effect without spending Willpower. He downgrades the type of damage from all attacks by one step, down to a minimum of bashing. However, the Hero must succeed on a reflexive Wits + Composure – [10 – Integrity] roll, or they will not perceive the events of the scene accurately. They will often see innocents or those who get involved in the battle as foul enemies to be slain without a second thought. After the fact they may realize their error in perception and likely suffer a potent Breaking Point.
Torch Of Clarity (•• Or ••••)
Prerequisite: Destiny Equal To Rating
The Hero spends 1 Willpower and rolls a Clash Of Wills using Wits + Occult + Destiny against all Beasts within [Destiny x 200] meters. Should the targets Fail, they gain the Revealed Horror Condition (see below). With the 4 dot version, whenever Beasts with the Condition must roll to resist it, Failures become Dramatic Failures. If the Hero has Kinslayer, this Gift reveals the equivalent true self of the monster and uses their respective traits. Changelings show their Mien, while Prometheans show their Disfigurements. This does not work on Unchained. Each additional Hero gives +1 to the dice pool, or +2 if they also possess this Gift. The main Hero can have a number of assistants equal to his [Wits].
Revealed Horror (Persistent)
Effect: Whenever you spend Satiety, roll Resolve + Composure - Lair. A Failure means that everyone can see your Horror for a number of turns equal to your Lair, or the whole scene on a Dramatic Failure. A Success cancels the Condition for the scene, while an Exceptional Success cancels it for the chapter. Impression Level becomes Hostile for everyone who does not have Family Ties Condition. While suffering from this Condition, Heroes benefit from Rote Quality on rolls for Heroic Stalking made against you.
Causing The Condition: The Torch Of Clarity Heroic Gift
Ending The Condition: Go [Lair] days without spending Satiety or regain all Willpower from Legend trait.
Beat: Draw the attention of Heroes, or face big issues for not being able to use Social Maneuvering.
Provoke Rampage (•• Or ••••)
Prerequisite: Destiny Equal To Rating
The Hero spends 1 Willpower and rolls a Clash Of Wills using Manipulation + Occult + Destiny against a number of Beasts up to [Destiny] within his direct line of sight. Should the target(s) Fail, they gain the Discordant Horror Condition (see below). With the 4 dot version, whenever Beasts with the Condition must roll to resist it, Failures become Dramatic Failures. If the Hero has Kinslayer, he can provoke the monster's equivalent response (if any). Werewolves go into Death Rage, Vampires go into Frenzy and Prometheans go into Torment. This does not work on Unchained. Each additional Hero gives +1 to the dice pool, or +2 if they also possess this Gift. The main Hero can have a number of assistants equal to his [Manipulation].
Discordant Horror (Persistent)
Effect: Whenever you spend Satiety, roll Resolve + Composure - Lair. A Failure means your Horror can override your self-control for a number of turns equal to your Lair, or the whole scene on a Dramatic Failure. During this, the Horror seeks to Feed its Hunger indiscriminately as if Ravenous. A Success cancels the Condition for the scene, while an Exceptional Success cancels it for the chapter. The Discordant Horror can make full use of Atavisms and Nightmares, as well as Open Primordial Pathways (in fact, it favors these abilities over mundane solutions unless it would be clearly suicidal). While suffering from this Condition, Heroes benefit from Rote Quality on rolls for Heroic Stalking made against you.
Causing The Condition: The Provoke Rampage Heroic Gift.
Ending The Condition: Go [Lair] days without spending Satiety or regain all Willpower from Legend trait.
Beat: Draw the attention of Heroes, or cause significant suffering to innocent bystanders and those you care about.
Hallowed Ground (••••)
Prerequisite: Destiny ••••
By spending 1 Willpower point, the Hero rolls Resolve + Occult + Destiny and blesses a location with a radius of [Destiny x 200] meters during this scene. All Beasts who enter this area suffer a penalty to rolls for Atavisms, Nightmares and Primordial Pathways equal to the Hero's [Highest Between Successes And Destiny], and downgrade Failures into Dramatic Failures. Each additional Hero gives +1 to the dice pool, or +2 if they also possess this Gift. The main Hero can have a number of assistants equal to his [Resolve]. If the Hero has Kinslayer, this Gift affects other monsters at the ST's discretion. This Gift can only be used once each Chapter.
Heroic Leap (•-•••••)
Prerequisite: Destiny Equal To Rating
Multiply your jumping distance by [Gift Rating x 3]. You do not suffer damage from falling after using this Gift, but you will still be harmed by a terminal velocity fall. By spending 1 Willpower point, you gain Rote Quality to jump for the rest of the scene.
Swift Destruction (•-•••••)
Prerequisite: Open Gate ••, Destiny Equal To Rating
When trying to Destroy The Lair, the Hero has a dice pool and maximum number of rolls equal to [Resolve + Composure + Gift Rating]. He may spend 1 Willpower point to gain the Rote Quality for every roll to Destroy The Lair in this scene.
Forge Eidolon (•-•••••)
Prerequisite: Destiny Equal To Rating
For every dot in this Gift, the Hero can create one custom type of Mystic Equipment. He makes a Crafting Equipment Action, using Crafts and Occult interchangeably, and gaining bonus dice equal to Destiny. Besides taking dice penalties to acquire Equipment Bonuses on a 1 for 1 ratio, the Hero can also acquire dots of modified Supernatural Merits for the item in much the same way. Whenever the Hero achieves an Exceptional Success to use this Gift, he does not need to spend Willpower to activate the Supernatural Merits contained within the Eidolon. Each additional Hero gives +1 to the dice pool, or +2 if they also possess this Gift. The main Hero can have a number of assistants equal to his [Highest Power Attribute].
Using this Gift requires materials and tools of mystical significance that matches the intended design and function of the Eidolon. Each such component can give +1 to +5 to the Crafting Equipment Action, depending on its metaphysical significance. Therefore, many Heroes track down Beasts who are going to use Skeleton Key in order to follow them into otherworldly realms and acquire the necessary components for an Eidolon. The Hero can have a maximum number of active Eidolons equal to [Destiny + Lowest Between Crafts And Occult], but can have as many inactive Eidolons within a hidden arsenal as he wants. If the Hero meets the usual prerequisites of Advanced/Epic Supernatural Merits, he can apply those to his Eidolons as well. An Eidolon can be a Chosen Blade, but not a Champion's Trophy.
Dragon Slayer (Style, •-•••••)
Prerequisite: Destiny Equal To Rating
No matter where they are, no matter who they are, Heroes are the bane of a Beast's existence. Their Gifts can quickly overwhelm even the most resilient of Broods, provided they have enough experience (and a little bit of luck) to weaken them right away. Over the course of their Quests, however, some Heroes become particularly skilled in hunting the Children of the Dark Mother. Most Beasts who come across such individuals seldom walk away alive, much less unscathed.
(•) - Relentless Pursuit: The greatest Heroes were able to pursue even the most elusive of Beasts to the furthest edges of the world. No matter where the Children ran, they seldom stayed hidden for long. The Hero adds [Style Rating] to all Heroic Tracking/Stalking Rolls. This stacks with the Legendary Hunter Gift.
(••) - Hunter's Fortitude: The Hero does not suffer from fatigue, deprivation or wound penalties. Furthermore, he does not need to roll to stay conscious when his Health is filled with Bashing or Lethal damage, and his wounds do not roll over into Aggravated due to bleeding out when his Health is filled with Lethal damage. This Maneuver only applies when the Hero is hunting Beasts, but the Kinslayer Gift may apply.
(•••) - Grandiose Resilience: The Hero can spend 1 Willpower to downgrade the damage type of all attacks he receives this turn by one step, down to a minimum of bashing.
(••••) - Fatal Flaw: After having acquired much experience in slaying the Begotten, the Hero's talent for 'finding' their weaknesses is honed into a fine edge. He can place an Anathema on a Beast with High or Low Satiety. He must still spend 1 Willpower and cause at least 1 point of damage. Once per scene, he may spend all Willpower to increase the Beast's effective Satiety by one category for the purposes of the Anathema, up to Gorged.
(•••••) - Heroic Valor: The greatest Heroes are the stuff of nightmares for lesser Beasts, and have the potential to fight on equal footing against a Beast Incarnate. All combat rolls against Beasts now gain the Rote Quality or inflict Aggravated, selected on each attack.
Note: The Dragon Slayer Merit was taken from a scrapped Hurt Locker concept and further redesigned by Arcanist and Deionscribe. I just changed some of the Maneuvers.
Comment