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Mummy: the Curse - 2E Update
Builds on material from the White Wolf forums by JMobius
Purpose for this hack
I am a bit of a crossover fiend, and I want to make Mummy: the Curse mechanically compatible with Demon and the other Second Edition games. Also, I think that the Aspiration system and custom Memory Conditions can strongly reinforce the themes of Mummy.
Limitations of this hack
Modifying every single power to be in line with 2E games would take a lot of work and ultimately, it would generate a huge list of errata, which would make the game harder for me to run. Specifically, I won’t be modifying how ghosts are handled and I won’t be getting rid of the derangements inflicted by Utterances. I might convert some of those derangements into conditions in case they end up being inflicted on player characters, such as cultists. Also, too many powers key into the static list of Virtues and Vices, and I don’t know of an easy way to handle converting all of them to handle the 2E freeform Virtues and Vices without creating a giant list of errata.
Character Creation and Experience costs
Starting Experiences
Starting mummies get 5 Experiences
Acclimatized Arisen get 10 Experiences
Descent Veterans get 20 Experiences
Legendary Immortals get 40 Experiences
Experience Costs
Attributes - 4 Experiences
Skills - 2 Experiences
Skill Specialties - 1 Experience
Merits - 1 Experiences per dot
Willpower Dots - 1 Experiences
Affinity Favored by decree, guild, or judge - 3 Experiences per dot
Other Affinity - 4 Experiences
Utterances - 3 Experiences
Defining Pillar - 1 Experiences per dot
Other Pillars - 2 Experiences per dot
Memory - 3 Experiences
Special considerations
Attributes
Mummies gain a beat for raising any attribute.
Fated Affinities
If a player buys a Fated Affinity, the character gains a beat.
Affinity liquidation
Liquidating an affinity grants 2 Experiences.
Sebayt
When the rules indicate that an Arisen earns Sebayt experience points, instead grant Sebayt beats. Five Sebayt beats equal one Sebayt Experience. Sebayt Experiences can only be spent on Memory and each expenditure to increase memory must use at least one Sebayt Experience.
Cults
The cult merit, while complex, relies on the Merit system, which means its costs seamlessly translate from 1st ed to 2nd ed. Two points of clarification seems necessary. First, to gain any cult benefits from selecting a type of cult, the player must first invest in at least one point of Reach or Grasp. Second, Reach and Grasp benefit from the Sanctity of Merits rule.
Modified Traits
Aspirations
Arisen characters typically receive three aspirations, just like mortal characters. In rare cases, they will receive a fourth. They are selected as follows:
Instead of paying an experience to gain a new language after character creation, instead discard a beat. If the character has no beats, then they are put into debt. This modifies MtC page 79.
Memory
When the Arisen commit cruel acts or damages their identity, they suffer breaking points that can cause their respective memories and personalities to be suppressed.
The dice pool is listed by the Memory rating + any circumstantial modifiers.
Memory 10 (5 Dice)
Concealing one’s identity.
Disregarding the feelings of mortals.
Memory 9 (5 Dice)
Failing to meditate upon one’s Pillars daily.
Harming one’s Cult in service to the Judges.
Memory 8 (5 Dice)
Pursuing one’s Judge’s purpose to preserve one’s Sekhem.
Accidental injuring another
Memory 7 (4 Dice)
Destroying any remnant of the Nameless Empire.
Sending a familiar Mummy into henet.
Intentionally injuring another
Memory 6 (4 Dice)
Losing possession of a vessel created by one’s guild.
Grand theft (burglary).
Intentionally supernaturally damaging someone's mind.
Torture
Memory 5 (3 Dice)
Destroying a vessel created by one’s guild.
Intentional, mass property damage (arson).
Accidentally killing
Memory 4 (3 Dice)
Allowing one of one’s vestiges to be destroyed.
Impassioned crime (manslaughter).
Memory 3 (3 Dice)
Allowing anyone stealing from one’s tomb to go unpunished.
Planned crime (murder).
Memory 2 (2 Dice)
Committing “suicide” by intentionally burning out one’s Sekhem or
destroying one’s body.
Casual/callous crime (serial murder).
Memory 1 (2 Dice)
Destroying evidence of one’s mortal life.
Utter perversion, heinous act (mass murder).
Killing one's Sadikh
Special Circumstances
Here are a few breaking point modifiers. The design goal here is that if Mummies suffer breaking points in defense of something or someone key to their identity, then they should have an easier time on the roll. Total modifier should never be greater than +/- 5 dice.
Modifier / Breaking Point
+1 Character is acting in accordance with her Virtue, Vice, or Decree.
+1 Character is protecting a beloved cultist.
+2 Character is protecting a Sadikh.
-1 Character is acting against a Mummy seeking Apotheosis.
-2 Character is destroying information related to Apotheosis.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The character’s memories and sense of self has been warped and damaged. Lose a dot of Memory and choose from the following Conditions (or create a new one with Storyteller approval): False Memories, Fugue, or Madness.
Failure: The character’s world view has been shaken and she probably questions his sense of self, her own moral worth, or his sanity. Lose a dot of Memory and choose one of the following Conditions (or create a new one with Storyteller approval): Lost, Detached, or Chastened.
Success: The character has come through the breaking point intact. She might feel guilty or upset about what happened, but she can cope. Choose one of the following Conditions (or create a new one with Storyteller approval): Guilty, Inspired, Flashback. Gain a Sebayt Beat.
Exceptional Success: The character somehow manages not only to survive the breaking point, but to find meaning in it, to reaffirm her own self-identity, or to pass through fire and become tempered by it. The character takes a Sebayt Beat and regains a point in his Decree Pillar.
Falling into Duat
If an Mummy is above the default rating, then descending into Duat (unless the Mummy
rose in response to a disturbed tomb) will cause Memory to drop by one point.
Before the Guilds were reformed during the era of the 1st Sothic turn, the default of Memory was 1. By the modern era, that default has been raised to 3.
Memory related conditions
All beats gained by resolving a Memory related condition are Seybat beats.
False Memories (Persistent)
You remember something that never really happened — maybe you think that your high priest served your enemies in a previous Descent, that a doppelganger has replaced your Sadikh, or that that you were originally a Pharoah of Dynastic Egypt and not a servant of Irem. You believe your memories to be true no matter what; even conclusive proof has a hard time getting through to you. Being faced with proof that your memory is fake is a breaking point for you at a level set by the Storyteller.
Possible Sources: Memory loss.
Resolution: Face proof that your memory is false and succeed at the breaking point, or gain a point of Memory
Beat: Your character trusts someone or takes a risky action based on his faked memories alone.
Fugue (Persistent)
Your ability to form new Memories and assert your identity has been fractured. You are prone to blackouts and lost time. Whenever circumstances become too similar to the situation that led to the character gaining this Condition, the player rolls Resolve + Composure. If you fail the roll, your character’s Memory rating temporarily becomes 0, as though your character had just returned from henet. You may still roll to ward off a breaking point as described on page MtC 76.
Possible Sources: Memory loss.
Resolution: Regain a dot of Memory, lose another dot of Memory, or achieve an exceptional success on a breaking point.
Beat: You enter a fugue state as described above.
Madness (Persistent)
Your character traumatic loss of Memory has jarred her loose from reality. This isn’t a mental illness born of brain chemistry — the Deathless Sahu has no brain chemistry. This madness is the product of a sudden loss of self, sometimes prompted by terrible deeds performed in the service of alien gods. The Storyteller has a pool of dice equal to 10 – (character’s Memory). Once per chapter, the Storyteller can apply those dice as a negative modifier to any Mental or Social roll made for the character.
Resolution: Regain a dot of Memory, lose another dot of Memory, or achieve an exceptional success on a breaking point.
Beat: The character fails a roll because of this Condition.
Lost
Your character has no idea where she is or how to reach her target or why she is where she is. Characters with the Lost Condition remove one die from their Composure dice pools. This does not influence derived traits; it only influences dice pools that use these Attributes. A Lost character cannot make any headway toward her goal without first navigating and finding her place. This requires a successful Wits + Streetwise action (in the city) or Wits + Survival action (in the wilderness). If she cannot remember her goal, then the above roll will allow her to find her Tomb.
Possible source: Memory loss, arriving alone in a new city.
Resolution: Your character gives up on reaching her intended destination, or she successfully navigates as described above.
Beat: You are forced to admit to a Cultist that you have lost your bearings.
Detached
Your character has lost more than her Memory - she’s lost her emotional connection to her memories. Your character suffers a –2 on any Social rolls against anyone connected to his past, including members of her meret or Cultists from previous Descents. This penalty applies to a First Impressions roll she makes with a Mummy who does not remember her.
Possible sources: Memory loss
Example Skills: Subterfuge, Socialize, Persuasion
Resolution: Gain a point of Memory, regain an emotional connection with people from your past.
Beat: Gain a Sebayt Beat when an friend expresses emotions to you that you cannot reciprocate.
Chastened
The loss of Memory has caused your character to stop caring about her personal goals as nothing matters but the will of the Judges. She may not gain beats from achieving the Personal Goal Aspiration.
Possible sources: Memory loss, Guild discipline
Resolution: Gain a point of Memory, raise a Pillar rating, discover something that makes you doubt the Judges.
Beat: Take an action showing that you internalize the goals of your Judge to the exclusion of your own. Example: Anakhem the Silver Vizier was uncommonly kind to his cultists for centuries and allowed them any religion they chose, but after being Chastened by Artem-Khet, he has violently purged the members of his cult who are involved with the leadership of the corrupt religion “Panography” and has instituted mandatory worship of Azar.
Flashback
You remember something immediately important from a previous Descent or Sothic turn. Perhaps you remembered the name of a Shuankhsen or found out a terrible truth about one of the six Guilds. Gain 9 again when acting on this information. Lose 10 again on all other actions until you act on this information.
Possible Sources: A Storyteller-guided flashback session. A success on a Memory breaking point.
Resolution: Take meaningful action based on this memory. Lose a dot of Memory.
Beat: You remember even more about this particular event or discovery.
The Inhuman Condition
Due to 2E's changes in weapon lethality, Mummies now take only bashing damage from non supernatural sources.
Sybaris
Sybaris is fully compatible with 2E mechanics. If you have player cultists, I recommend granting them beats (once per scene at most) based on how well they roleplay suffering the effects of any effect of Sybaris.
Mummy Powers
To avoid creating a giant list of errata, I recommend that anytime an Affinity or Utterance references granting a Mummy a merit, reference the nWoD 1.0 rulebook even if it has a superior version in the GMC or 2E core. Ditto for derangements.
If your player cultists are using the God Machine Chronicle or 2E core to build their characters, and a Mummy power grants them a merit, first look through that book to see if it has a merit available. If a derangement is inflicted on a player cultist by a Mummy power, use the mechanics from the Madness Persistent condition to model the derangement’s effects on them.
Builds on material from the White Wolf forums by JMobius
Purpose for this hack
I am a bit of a crossover fiend, and I want to make Mummy: the Curse mechanically compatible with Demon and the other Second Edition games. Also, I think that the Aspiration system and custom Memory Conditions can strongly reinforce the themes of Mummy.
Limitations of this hack
Modifying every single power to be in line with 2E games would take a lot of work and ultimately, it would generate a huge list of errata, which would make the game harder for me to run. Specifically, I won’t be modifying how ghosts are handled and I won’t be getting rid of the derangements inflicted by Utterances. I might convert some of those derangements into conditions in case they end up being inflicted on player characters, such as cultists. Also, too many powers key into the static list of Virtues and Vices, and I don’t know of an easy way to handle converting all of them to handle the 2E freeform Virtues and Vices without creating a giant list of errata.
Character Creation and Experience costs
Starting Experiences
Starting mummies get 5 Experiences
Acclimatized Arisen get 10 Experiences
Descent Veterans get 20 Experiences
Legendary Immortals get 40 Experiences
Experience Costs
Attributes - 4 Experiences
Skills - 2 Experiences
Skill Specialties - 1 Experience
Merits - 1 Experiences per dot
Willpower Dots - 1 Experiences
Affinity Favored by decree, guild, or judge - 3 Experiences per dot
Other Affinity - 4 Experiences
Utterances - 3 Experiences
Defining Pillar - 1 Experiences per dot
Other Pillars - 2 Experiences per dot
Memory - 3 Experiences
Special considerations
Attributes
Mummies gain a beat for raising any attribute.
Fated Affinities
If a player buys a Fated Affinity, the character gains a beat.
Affinity liquidation
Liquidating an affinity grants 2 Experiences.
Sebayt
When the rules indicate that an Arisen earns Sebayt experience points, instead grant Sebayt beats. Five Sebayt beats equal one Sebayt Experience. Sebayt Experiences can only be spent on Memory and each expenditure to increase memory must use at least one Sebayt Experience.
Cults
The cult merit, while complex, relies on the Merit system, which means its costs seamlessly translate from 1st ed to 2nd ed. Two points of clarification seems necessary. First, to gain any cult benefits from selecting a type of cult, the player must first invest in at least one point of Reach or Grasp. Second, Reach and Grasp benefit from the Sanctity of Merits rule.
Modified Traits
Aspirations
Arisen characters typically receive three aspirations, just like mortal characters. In rare cases, they will receive a fourth. They are selected as follows:
- Personal goal - selected by the player character. If the Mummy attains Apotheosis, all three aspirations are personal goals.
- First Purpose - Typically chosen by the cult that summons the Arisen, but if a mummy wakes due to the disturbance of their remains, and the plunderer escapes long enough for the mummy’s Memory to rise above 0, then Vengeance becomes the First Purpose. During a Sothic awakening, a mummy may select their own aspiration instead of a First Purpose.
- Acquire vessels - This aspiration represents the constant urge to seek out and collect relics and vestiges. This aspiration refreshes itself when resolved, and it even persists through a Sothic awakening. Note - this aspiration grants a beat when the Arisen acquires a vessel, not when the vessel is sent to Duat.
- Final Purpose - Rarely, Arisen will acquire a fourth aspiration related to the goals of their Judge. See MtC p 24. Arisen can no longer receive a Final Purpose if they attain Apotheosis.
Instead of paying an experience to gain a new language after character creation, instead discard a beat. If the character has no beats, then they are put into debt. This modifies MtC page 79.
Memory
When the Arisen commit cruel acts or damages their identity, they suffer breaking points that can cause their respective memories and personalities to be suppressed.
The dice pool is listed by the Memory rating + any circumstantial modifiers.
Memory 10 (5 Dice)
Concealing one’s identity.
Disregarding the feelings of mortals.
Memory 9 (5 Dice)
Failing to meditate upon one’s Pillars daily.
Harming one’s Cult in service to the Judges.
Memory 8 (5 Dice)
Pursuing one’s Judge’s purpose to preserve one’s Sekhem.
Accidental injuring another
Memory 7 (4 Dice)
Destroying any remnant of the Nameless Empire.
Sending a familiar Mummy into henet.
Intentionally injuring another
Memory 6 (4 Dice)
Losing possession of a vessel created by one’s guild.
Grand theft (burglary).
Intentionally supernaturally damaging someone's mind.
Torture
Memory 5 (3 Dice)
Destroying a vessel created by one’s guild.
Intentional, mass property damage (arson).
Accidentally killing
Memory 4 (3 Dice)
Allowing one of one’s vestiges to be destroyed.
Impassioned crime (manslaughter).
Memory 3 (3 Dice)
Allowing anyone stealing from one’s tomb to go unpunished.
Planned crime (murder).
Memory 2 (2 Dice)
Committing “suicide” by intentionally burning out one’s Sekhem or
destroying one’s body.
Casual/callous crime (serial murder).
Memory 1 (2 Dice)
Destroying evidence of one’s mortal life.
Utter perversion, heinous act (mass murder).
Killing one's Sadikh
Special Circumstances
Here are a few breaking point modifiers. The design goal here is that if Mummies suffer breaking points in defense of something or someone key to their identity, then they should have an easier time on the roll. Total modifier should never be greater than +/- 5 dice.
Modifier / Breaking Point
+1 Character is acting in accordance with her Virtue, Vice, or Decree.
+1 Character is protecting a beloved cultist.
+2 Character is protecting a Sadikh.
-1 Character is acting against a Mummy seeking Apotheosis.
-2 Character is destroying information related to Apotheosis.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The character’s memories and sense of self has been warped and damaged. Lose a dot of Memory and choose from the following Conditions (or create a new one with Storyteller approval): False Memories, Fugue, or Madness.
Failure: The character’s world view has been shaken and she probably questions his sense of self, her own moral worth, or his sanity. Lose a dot of Memory and choose one of the following Conditions (or create a new one with Storyteller approval): Lost, Detached, or Chastened.
Success: The character has come through the breaking point intact. She might feel guilty or upset about what happened, but she can cope. Choose one of the following Conditions (or create a new one with Storyteller approval): Guilty, Inspired, Flashback. Gain a Sebayt Beat.
Exceptional Success: The character somehow manages not only to survive the breaking point, but to find meaning in it, to reaffirm her own self-identity, or to pass through fire and become tempered by it. The character takes a Sebayt Beat and regains a point in his Decree Pillar.
Falling into Duat
If an Mummy is above the default rating, then descending into Duat (unless the Mummy
rose in response to a disturbed tomb) will cause Memory to drop by one point.
Before the Guilds were reformed during the era of the 1st Sothic turn, the default of Memory was 1. By the modern era, that default has been raised to 3.
Memory related conditions
All beats gained by resolving a Memory related condition are Seybat beats.
False Memories (Persistent)
You remember something that never really happened — maybe you think that your high priest served your enemies in a previous Descent, that a doppelganger has replaced your Sadikh, or that that you were originally a Pharoah of Dynastic Egypt and not a servant of Irem. You believe your memories to be true no matter what; even conclusive proof has a hard time getting through to you. Being faced with proof that your memory is fake is a breaking point for you at a level set by the Storyteller.
Possible Sources: Memory loss.
Resolution: Face proof that your memory is false and succeed at the breaking point, or gain a point of Memory
Beat: Your character trusts someone or takes a risky action based on his faked memories alone.
Fugue (Persistent)
Your ability to form new Memories and assert your identity has been fractured. You are prone to blackouts and lost time. Whenever circumstances become too similar to the situation that led to the character gaining this Condition, the player rolls Resolve + Composure. If you fail the roll, your character’s Memory rating temporarily becomes 0, as though your character had just returned from henet. You may still roll to ward off a breaking point as described on page MtC 76.
Possible Sources: Memory loss.
Resolution: Regain a dot of Memory, lose another dot of Memory, or achieve an exceptional success on a breaking point.
Beat: You enter a fugue state as described above.
Madness (Persistent)
Your character traumatic loss of Memory has jarred her loose from reality. This isn’t a mental illness born of brain chemistry — the Deathless Sahu has no brain chemistry. This madness is the product of a sudden loss of self, sometimes prompted by terrible deeds performed in the service of alien gods. The Storyteller has a pool of dice equal to 10 – (character’s Memory). Once per chapter, the Storyteller can apply those dice as a negative modifier to any Mental or Social roll made for the character.
Resolution: Regain a dot of Memory, lose another dot of Memory, or achieve an exceptional success on a breaking point.
Beat: The character fails a roll because of this Condition.
Lost
Your character has no idea where she is or how to reach her target or why she is where she is. Characters with the Lost Condition remove one die from their Composure dice pools. This does not influence derived traits; it only influences dice pools that use these Attributes. A Lost character cannot make any headway toward her goal without first navigating and finding her place. This requires a successful Wits + Streetwise action (in the city) or Wits + Survival action (in the wilderness). If she cannot remember her goal, then the above roll will allow her to find her Tomb.
Possible source: Memory loss, arriving alone in a new city.
Resolution: Your character gives up on reaching her intended destination, or she successfully navigates as described above.
Beat: You are forced to admit to a Cultist that you have lost your bearings.
Detached
Your character has lost more than her Memory - she’s lost her emotional connection to her memories. Your character suffers a –2 on any Social rolls against anyone connected to his past, including members of her meret or Cultists from previous Descents. This penalty applies to a First Impressions roll she makes with a Mummy who does not remember her.
Possible sources: Memory loss
Example Skills: Subterfuge, Socialize, Persuasion
Resolution: Gain a point of Memory, regain an emotional connection with people from your past.
Beat: Gain a Sebayt Beat when an friend expresses emotions to you that you cannot reciprocate.
Chastened
The loss of Memory has caused your character to stop caring about her personal goals as nothing matters but the will of the Judges. She may not gain beats from achieving the Personal Goal Aspiration.
Possible sources: Memory loss, Guild discipline
Resolution: Gain a point of Memory, raise a Pillar rating, discover something that makes you doubt the Judges.
Beat: Take an action showing that you internalize the goals of your Judge to the exclusion of your own. Example: Anakhem the Silver Vizier was uncommonly kind to his cultists for centuries and allowed them any religion they chose, but after being Chastened by Artem-Khet, he has violently purged the members of his cult who are involved with the leadership of the corrupt religion “Panography” and has instituted mandatory worship of Azar.
Flashback
You remember something immediately important from a previous Descent or Sothic turn. Perhaps you remembered the name of a Shuankhsen or found out a terrible truth about one of the six Guilds. Gain 9 again when acting on this information. Lose 10 again on all other actions until you act on this information.
Possible Sources: A Storyteller-guided flashback session. A success on a Memory breaking point.
Resolution: Take meaningful action based on this memory. Lose a dot of Memory.
Beat: You remember even more about this particular event or discovery.
The Inhuman Condition
Due to 2E's changes in weapon lethality, Mummies now take only bashing damage from non supernatural sources.
Sybaris
Sybaris is fully compatible with 2E mechanics. If you have player cultists, I recommend granting them beats (once per scene at most) based on how well they roleplay suffering the effects of any effect of Sybaris.
Mummy Powers
To avoid creating a giant list of errata, I recommend that anytime an Affinity or Utterance references granting a Mummy a merit, reference the nWoD 1.0 rulebook even if it has a superior version in the GMC or 2E core. Ditto for derangements.
If your player cultists are using the God Machine Chronicle or 2E core to build their characters, and a Mummy power grants them a merit, first look through that book to see if it has a merit available. If a derangement is inflicted on a player cultist by a Mummy power, use the mechanics from the Madness Persistent condition to model the derangement’s effects on them.
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