Thrall Character Generation
Imagine you were a person. An everyday, run-of-the mill, boring person. I don't imagine that's hard. You've got hopes, dreams, anxieties, fears, issues, just like all six billion other people on the planet.
You there yet? Good.
Now, imagine that one day, you're befriended by someone. Someone who's always there for you. Someone who promises that they can help you with all your problems. Not enough money? Not popular enough? Missi ng a leg? Got AIDS? All fixable.
There's a catch, though. See, you then find out your friend? Demon from hell. And he can help you with ALLLLLL that, for just a little faith. Nothing will go wrong...trust him.
And you thought Ghouls had it bad.
((Please see faith and pact for more details))
Thrall Specific Traits
Naturs & Demeanors
Damned Soul - You believes that your are destined for hellfire and eternal anguish, which has given you a strange liberation from less urgent cares in this one
Narcissist - The world revolves around you.
Proselytizer - Similar to a Pedagogue, your principal desire is to share your knowledge with others. Preferably by shouting from street corners and addressing congregations.
Backgrounds
Attentive Master - This Background represents how much energy he devotes to your well being and the relative value he assigns to you in relation to his agenda.
* - You are a resource, and not much more. Your master likely keeps an eye on you, if only to keep you away from his enemies.
** - Your master takes active steps to keep you safe, and perhaps you have some access to him and his resources. He ravages you for Faith only when absolutely necessary.
*** - You are actively involved in the worship of your master, inspiring others to do the same. You keep a respectful distance, but you know he’s looking out for you. If your master possesses high rank, lesser demons give you some deference if they realize whom you serve.
**** - Your master has a deep interest in keeping you alive and healthy, not only for your Faith but as a friend (or at least a treasured pet). Other demons treat you respectfully if they want to keep on your master’s good side.
***** - You are a trusted servant, perhaps even an advisor to your master. In addition, his own rank in demon society gives you reflected prestige. You can convey his orders, screen his contacts and have lesser demons seek your favor.
Exposure - This Background represents how much exposure your Thrall has had with the supernatural world. Roll Wits+Exposure vs. 6 to call upon experience
* - You accidentally stumbled onto some freaky shit once, but you got out fast.
** - You have an abiding interest in the supernatural and have even performed your own white magic spells or rituals. So, maybe they didn’t do any thing that could persuade a skeptic, but you felt the potential for power.
*** - You have undertaken extensive religious training, including study of the theory and cases of demonic possession and manifestation. You didn’t necessarily take it all literally, but you have some ideas of the tools to use when it all becomes real.
**** - You have witnessed the summoning of demons or the manifestation of other major supernatural powers. Perhaps you were an instigator, a victim or a third-party investigator. You saw a lot of what was happening, both in theory and in practice, and you have some idea of what worked and what didn’t.
***** - You grew up in a culture where interaction with the supernatural was taken for granted. Although all those beliefs might not be quite correct, they give you a solid background for understanding and coping with your situation
Merits & Flaws
Thralls may purchase Physical, Social, Mental, Legal and Economic Merits and Flaws as described on the Demon Creation Page
Enhancements
The following Enhancement rules follow the rules for Thralls from Damned & Deceived.
HEALING INJURIES OR ILLNESS
Chronic injuries or impairments can be healed at the cost of one point of Faith potential per illness or impairment. For example, a paraplegic war veteran who also suffers from posttraumatic stress disorder could be made whole again by using two points of the mortal’s Faith potential - one point for the spinal injury and one point for the mental illness. As well as physical injuries, other types of damage - even emotional illness - can also be healed in this fashion. Heart defects, spinal injuries, cancer, Alzheimer’s - virtually any crippling physical or mental impairment can be healed in this fashion at the Storyteller’s discretion. Alternatively, the demon can bestow his resistance to illness and aging by using one point of the thrall’s Faith potential. If the pact between demon and mortal is broken, any injuries or other impairments healed in this fashion immediately return.
INCREASED ATTRIBUTES
Additional Attribute dots may be purchased at the rate of two dots per point of Faith potential and allocated as per the terms of the thrall’s Faustian pact. The person whose fallen character is responsible for the pact assigns these additional dots as needed, though the Storyteller is the final arbiter in the case of any disputes. No Attribute may be raised higher than 5.
INCREASED ABILITIES
Up to five dots of Abilities may be purchased at the cost of a single point of Faith potential. This expenditure may be used to increase existing Abilities or gain new ones as mandated by the thrall’s Faustian pact. Again, the person whose fallen character is responsible for the pact assigns these additional dots as needed, though the Storyteller is the final arbiter in the case of any disputes. If an Ability rises to 4 or higher, a specialty can be declared for that Ability, though it must be in keeping with the nature of the pact. For example, Dhargir, a Devourer, encounters a novice hiker lost in the forest and offers to help her survive in exchange for her Faith. The hiker agrees, and Dhargir uses one point of the hiker’s Faith potential to grant her Survival 5. Doing so allows a specialty to be declared for that Ability, and due to the nature of the pact, the Storyteller deems it appropriate that the character receives a specialty in forest survival.
Increased Abilities are represented as an intuitive grasp of the concepts and theories involved in the relevant body of knowledge. A thrall with an increased Medicine Ability doesn’t suddenly gain extra knowledge she didn’t have before. Instead she has a deeper insight into the concepts and methods involved that improves her capabilities in turn.
INNATE POWERS
A demon can bestow a limited version of one or more of her innate powers upon a mortal, at the cost of one point of Faith potential per innate power. Each innate power requires a Willpower roll vs. 6 to use for the duration of a single scene. Also, please note the following changes or restrictions:
Resisting damage while in apocalyptic form: Thralls do not have an apocalyptic form, but they can still possess a costly version of this power that requires two points of Willpower to activate for a single scene.
Supernatural Awareness: Thralls use their total Faith potential to determine the range of this enhancement.
Invocations: A thrall cannot be invoked by name as a demon can, regardless of how the demon enhances him. The exception to this is the thrall's demon master, who can communicate with said thrall automatically.
APOCALYPTIC ENHANCEMENTS
Demons can bestow a limited version of one or more of their apocalyptic form enhancements upon a mortal, at the cost of one enhancement per point of Faith potential. Each enhancement requires a Willpower roll vs. 7 to use for the duration of a single scene. If a demon wishes to bestow a high-Torment enhancement on a mortal (such as the Kishar form’s Spikes or Ichor) she gains a temporary Torment point for each high-Torment enhancement she bestows.
EVOCATIONS
A demon can bestow a limited version of one or more of her evocations upon a mortal, at a cost in Faith potential equal to the level of the evocation. Therefore, Mold Earth (Lore of the Earth •••) would cost three points of a thrall’s Faith potential. A Willpower roll (difficulty 8) is made when the thrall attempts to perform the evocation, with the number of successes etermining the scope and effect of the evocation, as normal. The thrall is allowed to perform the high-Torment version of any evocation she knows, but the player must make a Virtue roll immediately thereafter.
TAILORED ENHANCEMENTS
Demons are not constrained to the basic enhancements detailed in the previous section. The fallen can also bestow specific, tailored enhancements that relate to the Celestial realms specific to their House. Usually this technique is more effective, because such flexibility means that they are likely to be able to find just the right thing that will satisfy the mortal in question. Often what one person will see as essential, most other people will see as no more than a parlor trick of dubious value.
This section contains examples of such enhancements, arranged by House. Each costs one point of Faith potential, and they do not require Willpower points to use. You are encouraged to design your own tailored enhancements that may be more appropriate for your character’s pact.
DEFILERS
The following are examples of tailored enhancements typical of the Lammasu:
Immunity to Poison: The thrall’s body is immune to the effects of any poison, including alcohol, nicotine or fatigue poisons.
Pressure Resistance: The thrall’s body is immune to effects of high or low pressure when diving to great depths or ascending to high altitudes.
Predict Weather: With a successful Perception + Science roll (difficulty 7), the thrall can accurately predict weather patterns up to 48 hours in advance.
Social Currents: This enhancement allows a thrall to enter a room and gain an immediate sense of the social undercurrents at play among the people within. Roll Perception + Alertness (difficulty 7); the number of successes gained determines the depth and detail of the information gained. One success might reveal who has strong emotions toward whom (love, hate, etc.). Two successes might reveal the relative positions of authority and influence among the gathered crowd - who the dominant personalities are, who feels loyal to whom, etc. Three successes might reveal subtler clues such as subliminal communications between individuals - the meaning of a knowing look or an enigmatic smile.
Warp Tattoo: This power allows the thrall to create and control tattoos that cover her body, allowing them to move - including changing shape, color and size - at will.
DEVILS
The following are examples of tailored enhancements typical of the Namaru:
Detect Demons: The thrall can automatically detect the presence and approximate location of any demon within a radius of 10 yards times the character’s Faith potential.
Detect Lies: When a mortal or demon lies to the thrall (including her infernal master) the Storyteller can make a reflexive Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty 7) for the character to detect the falsehood.
Mark of Armistice: This power marks your character in much the same way as demons can brand their enemies, although with far more beneficial results. Mortals cannot attack the thrall unless a successful Willpower roll (difficulty 7) is made, unless said mortals are acting in self-defense.
Remember Names: This power gives your character the ability to bring to mind any name she has previously known. It’s very useful for an employer of a lot of workers - not only so she can address each of them, but inquire after their family as well - but historians and other researchers can also benefit immeasurably.
Resist Heat: This gift gives the thrall the ability to soak fire damage with her Stamina (no activation roll required). This enhancement does not affect supernatural flames, such as those created by the Lore of Flame or the Visage of Flame.
DEVOURERS
The following are examples of tailored enhancements typical of the Rabisu:
Animal Empathy: This enhancement reduces the difficulty of all Animal Ken rolls by two.
Animal Senses: The Devourer can bestow the senses of a particular animal onto his thrall. The thrall can gain a dog’s sense of smell, an owl’s night vision or a snake’s ability to sense body heat, for example.
Feel No Pain: The thrall’s pain receptors are substantially dulled, allowing her to remain functional in the face of agonizing pain. Halve any wound modifiers the character suffers (rounding down).
Resilient Metabolism: The thrall is capable of deriving nourishment from food sources that would kill a starving rat. As long as the material is organic - anything from spoiled meat to cardboard - the character can eat it and survive.
Sense Emotion: The thrall can sense subtle cues in a mortal’s voice, blood pressure and body heat levels that reveal the person’s emotional state. Roll Perception + Alertness (difficulty 6); one success is enough to inform the thrall of the target’s current level of emotion. This enhancement is useful for thralls whose line of work requires the occasional interrogation.
FIENDS
The following are examples of tailored enhancements typical of the Neberu:
Chaos Sight: Although it is useful for a number of applications, this power is traditionally used by gamblers to stack the odds in their favor. To accurately predict the result of a single random event, roll Perception + Intuition (difficulty 9). The Storyteller should usually make this roll in secret.
Danger Sense: The thrall cannot be ambushed or otherwise taken by surprise. Roll Perception + Alertness (difficulty 6) when the character is threatened with bodily harm. One success warns the character that she is in imminent danger. Two successes reveal to the character where the danger is coming from. Three or more successes reveal to the character the exact nature of the danger.
Manipulate Current: This enhancement allows the thrall to affect electrical current, stopping or starting the flow within particular wires. Roll Dexterity + Technology (difficulty 7). One success means your character can affect a wire she is touching directly. Additional successes allow her to affect the current as long as she is touching some part of the machinery and has a rough idea of how it works. For example, she could stop or start a car’s ignition by touching the hood or defuse a bomb without knowing precisely which wire to cut. A botch would overload the wiring (or blow up the bomb). Note that manipulation of this power is not fine enough to affect the working of circuit boards (let alone computer chips), but such items might short-circuit or burn out with a few wayward volts.
Low-Light Vision: This enhancement allows the thrall to see clearly in near-total darkness as long as there is at least a weak source of light - even a match-flame is sufficient to allow the character to see as clearly as if she were in bright sunlight.
Fortune’s Friend: This enhancement tilts the forces of probability in the thrall’s favor, such that she always catches a lucky break when she needs it. Once per scene, the character automatically succeeds at a single task, no matter how improbable it is. For system purposes, the character is considered to have gained a single success on any given roll in a single scene.
MALEFACTORS
The following are examples of tailored enhancements typical of the Annunaki:
Detect Forgery: The thrall can immediately discern if an item is a forgery by holding it in her hands and studying it for the space of a turn (no roll required).
Location Sense: The thrall knows precisely where she is at all times (no roll required), and she can estimate the distance to anything she can see with great accuracy (using Perception + Alertness).Machine Sense: The thrall is able to repair any mechanical device with a few deft adjustments (or sometimes a swift kick). Roll Perception + Technology (difficulty 7). One success means that the device will continue to function for the duration of the scene. Two successes mean that it will continue to function for the remainder of the day. Three or more successes mean that the device is permanently repaired.
Mineral Sense: The thrall gains the ability to detect mineral deposits and natural resources including oil. The character must be able to touch the surface of the earth in the area he’s surveying. Roll Perception + Science - the difficulty depends on the size of the deposit being sought. A pocket of gemstones might have a difficulty of 8, a vein of ore might have a difficulty of 7, while a large pocket of oil might have a difficulty of 6. The range of the enhancement is 100 feet times the character’s Faith potential.
Sure Footing: Related to the evocation Earth Meld (Lore of the Earth •), this enhancement gives the thrall the ability to keep his footing in treacherous conditions. As long as he is not trying anything too acrobatic, or doesn’t have people trying to knock her down, no roll is required. For more challenging actions (such as running across a street in the middle of an earthquake), roll Dexterity + Survival (difficulty 6).
SCOURGES
The following are examples of tailored enhancements typical of the Asharu:
Oxygen Saturation: The thrall is able to function on a third as much oxygen as a normal mortal is. She is capable of holding her breath three times as long as a typical human can, affecting her resistance to harmful gases, her ability to survive drowning, et cetera.
Resuscitate: This enhancement allows the thrall to resuscitate someone who is clinically dead. Make a Willpower roll (difficulty 8). One success allows her to resuscitate a dead body within one minute of its death. Two successes allow the character to resuscitate a dead body within two minutes of its death, and so on. As well as restoring the soul, the body is healed just enough to maintain life for at least another hour. In effect, it restores one health level of damage. Resuscitate may be performed only once on any given body - if the roll fails, the body is beyond resuscitation.
360° Vision: By concentrating, the thrall is able to perceive her entire surroundings at once. Roll Perception + Alertness (difficulty 6) each time the character attempts to use this enhancement.
Perfect Pitch: The thrall is able to sing with perfect clarity, hitting just the right note every time. With a successful Intelligence + Performance roll (difficulty 6), she can shatter glass. Acute Hearing: The thrall gains supernaturally acute hearing, reducing the difficulty of all Perception rolls involving sound by two.
SLAYERS
The following are examples of tailored enhancements typical of the Halaku:
Clairvoyance: This enhancement allows the thrall to become a conduit for the spirits of the dead. This enhancement can be used to contact a specific spirit or to allow local spirits to speak through the thrall. If the thrall wants to channel a specific spirit, she must know the spirit’s name. Roll Manipulation + Awareness (difficulty 6). If the roll is successful, the spirit is drawn to the thrall and is able to see, hear and speak through the character’s body. If the thrall is simply opening herself to any spirit in the vicinity, the difficulty of the roll increases to 8. The duration of the clairvoyant episode lasts for a number of turns equal to the character’s Faith potential. At the end of the episode, the thrall suffers one health level of bashing damage. This damage cannot be soaked.
Cling to Life: This ability allows the thrall to resist death even when her body has been mortally injured. At the moment of the thrall’s death, roll a number of dice equal to the thrall’s Willpower. Each success allows the thrall to remain alive for one hour. The thrall will survive if she receives medical attention within this period of time, otherwise she dies once her extended life span has expired. The thrall is considered Incapacitated for the duration of this period, and her vital signs are so faint that anyone rolling to attempt to physically discern her condition adds two to the difficulty.
Sense Spirits: The thrall can automatically detect the presence of spirits within a radius of 10 yards times the character’s Faith potential.
Soldier On: This enhancement allows a thrall to partially ignore the pain and impairment she suffers from her injuries. Make a Willpower roll (difficulty 8). Each success reduces the character’s wound penalty by one. The effect lasts for one scene.
Speak with Loved One: The thrall learns a short ceremony with which she can contact a deceased blood relation of her choice. The relative (assuming his spirit still exists in the shadow lands) is not coerced into replying, but if he wishes to, he can speak through the thrall’s body for up to 10 minutes. The ceremony works on only one spirit, and it can be used only once per day.