Death is but a stepping stone, a passage through the shroud. The moment of death is a rite of passage marking the end of one journey and the the beginning of another, a path available to us at any time.
The thousands of things undone, the millions of roads not traveled, the longing and regrets; they do not die with the body. Instead they linger on and take a life of their own. They become ghosts. They become Shadows.
Trapped between this world and the next, wraiths are lost in the immortal gloom of Damnation. Held together out of pure misery, they are trapped by their past, their longings and their fear.
Many of these wraiths are the product of sudden, violent, or cruel deaths. They are bound by a sense of crucial deeds undone, of unsaid words breaking in their hearts, of a life cut short by fate. Others are consumed by a tragic longing for happiness and fulfillment denied them in life. A few are driven on by sheer bitterness, anger, or passionate ideals.
They all have some essence of meaning left to express or excise. All existence is expression, especially in the underworld, and the dead fight to survive. Clinging to whatever shreds of memory and passion they have left, they build castles out of flotsam in an attempt to keep the foul waters of Oblivion out. They are hermits and artisans, forever polishing memories until purity exerts its own small resistance against the forces of entropy.
Transcendence of an sort requires passage into the void, the very heart of Oblivion. The inner darkness of the shadow must be embraced, nihilism denied, fear spurned, and passion embraced. The past must be abandoned; the future must unfold. Those who do not grow, who cannot overcome pain, who do not feel, or who do not exalt their own existence despite the fear are swallowed whole by the darkness.
Out of the night that covers me,
black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be,
for my unconquerable soul.
You are marked for death, all of you. The story begins in the waning hours of your life, letting you watch as you succumb to death's embrace and cross to the other side. Still, perhaps you didn't go to church enough, maybe you ate pork on a friday, or maybe you just really didn't want to leave. For whatever reason you don't get to move on, not all the way. Heaven and Hell -or whatever regions of the hereafter are promised you by your religion- are denied you because of your uncertainty, your fear, and the things you've left behind.
You're dead, but you aren't ready die. Your lot is pain and struggle, perhaps redemption, and perhaps eternity among the shadows.
Still, even if you're going to die, you need to know how you lived... Let's get started with that shall we?
Name: -Fairly Straightforwards-
Player: -Again, straightforwards-
Corpus: 10/10 -Health Level-
Willpower: x/10 -See spoiler 7-
Pathos: x/10 -See spoiler 7-
Nature: -See Spoiler 1-
Demeanor: -See Spoiler 1-
Life: -See Spoiler 2-
Death: -See Spoiler 2-
Regret: -See Spoiler 2-
Attributes See Spoiler 3
Physical,
-Strength: -
-Dexterity: -
-Stamina: -
Social,
-Charisma: -
-Manipulation: -
-Appearance: -
Mental,
-Perception: -
-Intelligence: -
-Wit: -
Abilities See Spoiler 4
Talents,
-Alertness: -
-Athletics: -
-Awareness: -
-Brawl: -
-Dodge: -
-Empathy: -
-Expression: -
-Intimidation: -
-Streetwise: -
-Subterfuge: -
Skills,
-Crafts: -
-Drive: -
-Etiquette: -
-Firearms: -
-Leadership: -
-Meditation: -
-Melee: -
-Performance: -
-Repair: -
-Stealth: -
Knowledge,
-Bureaucracy: -
-Computer: -
-Enigmas: -
-Investigation: -
-Law: -
-Linguistics: -
-Medicine: -
-Occult: -
-Politics: -
-Science: -
Advantages See Spoiler 5
Backgrounds,
-Allies: -
-Relic: -
-Eidolon: -
-Memoriam: -
-Notoriety: -
-Faction: -
Arcanos,
-Argos: -
-Embody: -
-Lifeweb: -
-Phantasm: -
-Castigate: -
-Fatalism: -
-Inhabit: -
-Keening: -
-Moliate: -
-Outrage: -
-Pandemonium: -
-Puppetry: -
-Usury: -
Passions,
-See Spoiler 6
Fetters,
-See Spoiler 6
The first step of the Character is the big picture, defined by Nature and Demeanor.
The Nature is who a character is at their core, usually not the face they show, but it is their primary drive. Nature is far more important than demeanor, demeanor can change over the course of a game, Nature will only do so in the event of cataclysmic personality change. Nature provides the means by which the character regains willpower.
The Demeanor defines action and reaction in social situations, demeanor can be changed at any time though people will suspect insanity if you do it frequently. Demeanor is how your character faces the world, the skin that he/she has developed. Demeanor has no effect on how your character regains willpower.
List of personality Archetypes, choose one for your nature, and one for your demeanor.
Architect: You are unhappy unless you are creating something of value.
-Regains willpower: Whenever you create or establish something of importance or lasting value.
Avant-Garde: The new and different are the keystones of your existence.
-Regains willpower: Whenever you are the first with a new piece of information.
Bon Vivant: You seek the good things in life, even after your death.
-Regains willpower: Whenever you have a truly good time and can express your exultation. (Yes Taric, that counts.)
Bravo: You are something of a bully; you like to be feared.
-Regains willpower: Whenever you intimidate or physically force another person to do what you wish.
Caregiver: Many need your love and protection, and you need them to need you.
-Regains willpower: Whenever you successfully protect or help someone else.
Child: You never really grew up, and you still want someone to take care of you.
-Regains willpower: Whenever someone does something to help you with no apparent gain for herself.
Conformist: A follower at heart you find it easy to adapt, adjust, and comply.
-Regains willpower: Whenever your group accomplishes something because of your support and aid.
Conniver: There's always an easier way, which usually involves someone else doing the work.
-Regains willpower: Whenever you are able to get your way by tricking another person into doing as you wish.
Critic: Nothing in life or death is perfect, and you take delight in pointing out the flaws.
-Regains willpower: Whenever you discover a significant imperfection that others overlook.
Curmudgeon: You're a cynic to the tenth degree.
-Regains willpower: Whenever someone does something stupid, just like you predicted. (You MUST actually predict it and say so on a preceding turn to gain will)
Deviant: You're just not like anyone else.
-Regains willpower: Whenever you successfully thumb your nose at wraith society and its precepts without retaliation.
Director: You hate chaos and are forever taking charge to set things straight.
-Regains willpower: Whenever you are allowed to lead a group and accomplish some significant task.
Fanatic: You have a cause, and it gives your life meaning.
-Regains willpower: Whenever you accomplish an act that furthers your cause. (State your cause at the beginning of the game)
Gallant: You're as flamboyant as you are amoral.
-Regains willpower: Whenever you surprise and shock others with your eccentricity.
Jester: Always the clown, you can't take life -or death- seriously.
-Regains willpower: Whenever you raise the spirits of those around you through the device of humor.
Judge: You seek justice and reconciliation.
-Regains willpower: Whenever you are able to separate the truth from a web of lies, or when you mediate an argument.
Loner: You are forever alone.
-Regains willpower: Whenever you manage to accomplish some significant task without the aid of the group, but still supports the group.
Martyr: You need to be needed ans enjoy being morally superior.
-Regains willpower: Whenever you sacrifice yourself in a real and immediate way for your beliefs or another individual.
Rebel: No need for a cause, you rebel out of habit and passion.
-Regains willpower: Whenever your rebellious tendencies turn out for the best.
Survivor: You struggle to survive, not matter the odds.
-Regains willpower: Whenever you survive (Ha Ha) a difficult situation through your own cunning and perseverance.
Traditionalist: You prefer the orthodox and conservative ways.
-Regains willpower: Whenever you are able to prevent change.
Visionary: Wisdom is your quest, insight your key.
-Regains willpower: Whenever you are able to convince others to believe in your dreams ad follow the course outlined by your vision of the future.
After you've pegged who a character is you can move on to what they did, what was done to them, and what they didn't do.
Life
How your character lived defines social circles, available missions, and of course it makes it easier for me to write quests and contacts.
Criminal: You were a jailbird, cat burglar, drug dealer, or perhaps a simple petty thief.
Cop: You were a beat cop, detective, or just a pencil pusher.
Politician: You were a judge, a mayor, a grass-roots organizer, a union official, a senator, or just a wannabe lawyer.
Faithful: You may have been pious, but you didn't wind up where you expected.
Drifter: You were a hobo, a cowboy, a theater tech, a pilgrim, a hooker, or simply homeless.
Dilettante: You lived in a state of hedonistic excess or mind-numbing apathy.
Cultist: As a member of a cult you subsumed you own desires to its needs.
Punk: You were born and died on the wrong side of the tracks.
Kid: You died long before your time.
Artist: You left behind your vision, your unfinished masterpiece, your magnum opus... Wonder if anyone cares.
Professional: Work was your life, now you wonder what you missed.
John Doe: You were a spectacularly unremarkable human, you wonder what a flavor of ice-cream other than vanilla tastes like.
Custom: Please Define.
Death
How you died is vital in describing your reaction to death as well as setting the scene for the prologue.
Old Age: Though you lived a full lifespan, you weren't ready to die.
War: You died on the fields of "glory".
Overdose: The road of your excess led to death.
Random Violence: You were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Suicide: Your cries for help fell on deaf ears.
Murder: You were prey to a dark predator.
Disease: After much pain and suffering, you succumbed to your terminal illness.
Domestic Violence: You were a casualty of an age old cycle of shame, hate, pain, and rage.
Car Wreck: It all happened so quickly...
Mystery: You have no idea how it happened, or perhaps you don't want to know...
Freak of Nature: You were hit by lightning, or perhaps a shark ate you.
Custom: Please Define.
The Regret
The Regret is the one big reason that you defy death, the one thing that makes you cling to the corpus of the wraith even after your demise. It is vital for your quests, describing your fetters, and for your passions.
Destiny: You're sure you had a purpose, but you died without finding or fulfilling it.
Unrequited Love: He/She never looked twice at you, well by God they will now!
True Love: You left someone behind whom you value more than anything.
Vengeance: You last thoughts were, "I'm going to get you back you bastard!"
Mission: You had a duty to perform, and you failed to do it.
Theory: You never proved your theory or published your ideas- Maybe someone will steal them!
Success: You had everything, now it's gone.
Children: You didn't leave anyone behind to remember you.
Legacy: You didn't leave anything of lasting value to the world.
Failure: Indecision, distrust, low self-esteem, call it what you will, but you failed at life.
Pleasure: Life was a banquet, and you ate oatmeal.
Travel: You never took that dream trip to Brazil or the Scottish highlands.
Sin: The Chains of guilt still weigh heavily on your soul.
Bad blood: You never made peace with your family before you died, and not it's too late... Or is it?
Custom: Please Define.
Alright, now that we've finished the concept section we can move on to you attributes. There are three types, Social, Physical and Mental. You must prioritize these three in order of importance to your character. Each of the three types has three supporting attributes which you will spend points on, the higher you ranked its parent type the more points have to spend.
Primary, 7 points to spend.
Secondary, 5 points to spend.
Tertiary, 3 points to spend.
All attributes and skills are ranked 1-5 and all of them start at one before you add points. A 1 means you really should avoid anything to with this, and 5 means that you were one of the best in the world.
Physical Attributes
Physical Attributes have to do entirely with the Wraith's control over their body, Strength, Dexterity, and Stamina are covered by the physical attribute.
Strength
Raw power, damage dealing ability, and the amount of weight that can be hefted.
Rank 1: You require special tools to open jars.
Rank 2: You went to the gym once in a while.
Rank 3: You took care of your body and made an effort to build it up.
Rank 4: You're a skinned bear, and your physical might was near peerless.
Rank 5: Hercules can't touch this.
Dexterity
Speed, grace, subtlety, and precision.
Rank 1: Don't use a chainsaw.
Rank 2: You can walk and chew gum at the same time.
Rank 3: You have excellent raw athletic potential.
Rank 4: You can juggle five knives.
Rank 5: You can Juggle five flaming knives while blindfolded.
Stamina
Endurance, determination, concentration, and desire to win.
Rank 1: You are frail in constitution and appear weak.
Rank 2: You seem to be moderately healthy.
Rank 3: In life, you were in great shape. Your spirit is vigorous.
Rank 4: You could run a marathon.
Rank 5: You could survive the heart of the Maelstrom. (Well, maybe...)
Social Attributes
Social represents not only a wraith's ability to interact with others, but their raw beauty, their self-worth, and confidence as well. Combined with the physical attributes the determine a Wraith's raw presence.
Charisma
Personal magnetism, strength of presence, daring, and eloquence.
Rank 1: People avoid being around you.
Rank 2: You're generally like able.
Rank 3: People trust and confide in you.
Rank 4: Something draws people to you.
Rank 5: You could lead a nation.
Manipulation
Cunning, insidiousness, and social stealth.
Rank 1: You express yourself in as few words as possible.
Rank 2: Others might believe you.
Rank 3: You'd make a good lawyer.
Rank 4: You should run for office.
Rank 5: You could sell ice to an Eskimo.
Appearance
Beauty, allure, attractiveness, and unspoken charisma.
Rank 1: You tend to attract the hostility of others.
Rank 2: You are easily ignored, for you fit in well with the crowd.
Rank 3: You have a pleasing appearance, and people treat you well.
Rank 4: You have the looks of a model and are given respect and attention because of it.
Rank 5: Others' first reaction to you is either awe, intense jealousy, or complete solicitude.
Mental Attributes
The mental attributes define a wraith's intelligence, intuition, memory, and speed of thought.
Perception
A wraith's awareness of reality, insight, sensitivity, and alertness.
Rank 1: You are blind to anything but the blindingly obvious.
Rank 2: You are unaware of the subtle interactions that occur around you.
Rank 3: You are aware of moods and textures.
Rank 4: You are constantly alert to the nuances of life.
Rank 5: You can find a needle in a haystack.
Intelligence
A wraith's raw brainpower, not mental speed, but mental strength.
Rank 1: IQ 80
Rank 2: IQ 100
Rank 3: IQ 120
Rank 4: IQ 140
Rank 5: IQ 160+
Wits
Mental agility, reaction time, and cleverness.
Rank 1: You sent money to televangelists.
Rank 2: You know when to bet or fold in poker.
Rank 3: You are capable of handling L.A. rush hour. (Without shooting anyone)
Rank 4: You could be a stand-up comic.
Rank 5: You have a supercomputer for a brain.
Your personality has been outlined, your form sketched by your attributes, now to fill in the details of what you know.
There are three types of abilities, Knowledge, Talents, and Skills.
Talents are your intuitive abilities, Talents do not need to be kept in practice per se, and they cannot be learned from books. Talents are generally gained through direct experience throughout the natural course of life. (And of course the unnatural course of death.)
Skills are abilties that are learned through training and constant practice. This includes abilities that must be learned step by step through actual practice, but can be taught or studied. (Unlike Talents)
Knowledges include abilities that require rigorous application of the mind, these abilities are generally learned through books and mentors, picking them up through experience is possible but difficult.
Like Attributes you'll have to prioritize them into primary, secondary and Tertiary categories.
Primary rank: 13 points to spend
Secondary rank: 9 points to spend
Tertiary Rank: 5 points to spend
All abilities start at zero.
Talents
Special Note: When a character takes an action using a talent that they do not possess they incur no additional difficulty modifier.
Alertness
Alertness simply indicates your awareness of the world around you. It describes how much attention you pay to things other than the rumblings in your ectoplasm or the doubts in your mind. A wraith can hyperattenuate his/her senses at will.
Rank 1: You tend to be alert to change, at least moreso than most.
Rank 2: You are watchful and very attentive to your surroundings.
Rank 3: You are constantly vigilant.
Rank 4: You are a truly cautious individual and never let down your guard.
Rank 5: You notice everything that goes on around you.
Athletics
This ability describes your general athletic prowess and assumes a familiarity with a variety of physical sport.
Rank 1: Little Leaguer.
Rank 2: High School Jock.
Rank 3: College Varsity Player.
Rank 4: Profession athlete.
Rank 5: Olympic Gold Medalist.
Awareness
The Talent represents a character's ability ability to detect things not of the physical world. All wraiths some ability to sense the presence of death and the presence of supernatural creatures.
Rank 1: You see strange things out of the corner of your eye.
Rank 2: Odd things are revealed to you.
Rank 3: All things have a deathly aura that you easily identify and classify.
Rank 4: You could find a lucky four-leaf clover in seconds.
Rank 5: You see the bizarre everywhere.
Brawl
You know how to fight barehanded. This ability includes such maneuvers as punching, kicking, grappling, throwing, throttling, and gouging. While ruthless this form of fighting is generally nonlethal.
Rank 1: You know what to do, but you haven't had much experience.
Rank 2: You know where to hit people and make it hurt.
Rank 3: You can choose your barstool.
Rank 4: Black belt martial artist.
Rank 5: You could win a golden gloves boxing match.
Dodge
The most efficient way to win a fight is not to be struck, investing a few points in dodge is a very wise decision.
Rank 1: You hit the ground if someone yells "Duck!".
Rank 2: You have no problem finding cover in a firefight.
Rank 3: You're always the last one out in dodgeball.
Rank 4: A lucky shot may land once in a blue moon.
Rank 5: You can nearly sidestep gunshots.
Empathy
You understand and can sympathize with the emotions of others and are able to respond appropriately. All wraiths can sense basic emotions in mortals.
Rank 1: People tell you their problems at parties.
Rank 2: Occasionally you get sympathetic pains from feelings without being attuned to them.
Rank 3: You have an amazing insight into the motivations of others.
Rank 4: No lies ever get past your scrutiny.
Rank 5: You can finish anothers sentence without even trying.
Expression
The expression ability represents your ability to get your point across without speaking or writing.
Rank 1: Tabloid Reporter.
Rank 2: College debate team captain.
Rank 3: Successful comedian.
Rank 4: Best-selling novelist.
Rank 5: Shakespeare.
Intimidation
The art of intimidation takes many forms, from a subtle suggestions to inflicting outright physical damage.
Rank 1: Six year olds give you the right-of-way.
Rank 2: You win an occasional staredown.
Rank 3: Your gaze is very unsettling.
Rank 4: You would be an above average drill sergeant.
Rank 5: You can make vicious animals turn tail and run.
Streetwise
The streets (Whether of the mortal world or of the shadowlands) are a major source of information, power, and danger. The streetwise talent lets you blend in with the local crowd and communicate without drawing notice to yourself.
Rank 1: You know who sells drugs.
Rank 2: You are considered cool by the populace.
Rank 3: Member of a prominent gang.
Rank 4: You've spent most of your life on the street.
Rank 5: If you don't know it, it hasn't been said.
Subterfuge
You know how to conceal your motives, moreover, you know how to decipher the motives of others and how to use those motives against them.
Rank 1: A few white lies never hurt anyone.
Rank 2: You can pick someone up in a nightclub.
Rank 3: You could be a criminal lawyer.
Rank 4: Amway salesmen have nothing on you.
Rank 5: Perry Mason wishes he had it so good.
Skills
Special Note: If a Character tries to perform a skill that they have no rating in, the difficulty rating of the action increases by one.
Crafts
This skill imparts knowledge of techniques in woodworking, leatherworking, glass blowing, gem cutting, etc.
Rank 1: High-school shop class.
Rank 2: Apartment Handyman.
Rank 3: Professional Work.
Rank 4: Specialist.
Rank 5: Master Artisan.
Drive
Simply because you have the drive skill does not mean a general familiarity with all land vehicles, additional difficulty levels would be added for operating an unusual vehicle.
Rank 1: You can drive an automatic proficiently.
Rank 2: You can drive stick.
Rank 3: Commercial Trucker.
Rank 4: Formula one driver.
Rank 5: Stuntman Bob.
Etiquette
You understand the nuances of social life and are able to conduct yourself in a manner that is both unobtrusive and gracious.
Rank 1: You know when to shut up.
Rank 2: You know not to wear paisley at a black-tie dinner.
Rank 3: You know which spoon is used to eat soup.
Rank 4: You can get along with just about anybody.
Rank 5: You could prevent World War III.
Firearms
Skill in firearms means you have a broad knowledge of all guns, from a simple .22 to military anti-personnel rifles.
Rank 1: You've had one or two lessons at a firing range.
Rank 2: You do all right at a firing range.
Rank 3: You can pull of a few gun tricks.
Rank 4: You're cool and steady, even under pressure.
Rank 5: "Do you feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?"
Leadership
The Skill defines your ability to command and get people to follow orders by exerting authority.
Rank 1: You could coach a little league team.
Rank 2: Your voice is a dominant one, you can demand silence.
Rank 3: You are an effective leader in times of strife.
Rank 4: You attract followers without really trying.
Rank 5: You are a Napoleon, a Charon - or a Hitler.
Meditation
Meditation is the skill of calming emotions, controlling the mind, and relaxing the physical body. Meditation skill can be used to remove distraction penalties and can allow a young wraith to catch up on lost slumber.
Rank 1: You can sit in one spot for a while without fidgeting.
Rank 2: You can sit and attain a peaceful state of mind.
Rank 3: You can relax in any position.
Rank 4: People have to go out their way to break your focus.
Rank 5: You can stand on your head during a firefight and approach inner calm.
Melee
The skill with melee weapons is a valuable one in the shadowlands, proficiency allows the use of most all hand-held weapons. While the mortal world generally eschews melee weapons in favor of firearms the same is not true in stygia or the far realms.
Rank 1: You've taken a six-week fencing course.
Rank 2: You have military training.
Rank 3: You draw byes in kendo tournaments.
Rank 4: Any weapon is deadly in your grasp.
Rank 5: Bruce lee with a pair of nunchuka.
Performance
You are able to perform artistic actions, such as singing, guitar playing, and acting.
Rank 1: You can play bass in a garage band or act in a college play..
Rank 2: you can eke out a living on the club circuit.
Rank 3: You could get a movie or record deal.
Rank 4: You regularly make the pages of people.
Rank 5: Your work will be remembered through the ages.
Repair
You are able to repair simple or complex devices of all sorts.
Rank 1: You can assemble ready made kits.
Rank 2: You could wire a house.
Rank 3: You save quite a few dollars in mechanics' fees.
Rank 4: You are able to repair personal computers within minutes.
Rank 5: If it's broken, you can fix it.
Stealth
Stealth is the ability to move and hide without being seen or heard.
Rank 1: You can hide in the dark.
Rank 2: You can hide in the shadows.
Rank 3: You are an accomplished hunter.
Rank 4: You walk silently over two inches of dried leaves.
Rank 5: Ninja Clan leader.
Knowledges
Special Note: If you do not have a point in a knowledge skill there is a good chance you will not be able to make a roll involving it at all, there are exceptions but those will have additional difficulty added.
Bureaucracy
This knowledge includes the ability to make your way through the political system, in the mortal world, the shadowlands, or stygia.
Rank 1: You have good organizational ability.
Rank 2: You understand power structures and can intuitively sense who is in control.
Rank 3: You can perform stalling tactics indefinitely.
Rank 4: You can perform supervisory administrative duties.
Rank 5: You could obtain a meeting with the president of the united states.
Computer
This knowledge deals with designing, using, and hacking computerized systems.
Rank 1: You can boot up a video game.
Rank 2: You made at least a B in data processing 101.
Rank 3: You are a competent programmer and can design your own system.
Rank 4: You make a living scamming Ma Bell.
Rank 5: You're on the verge of creating Artificial Intelligence.
Enigmas
This knowledge deals with puzzles and riddles, both solving and creating them.
Rank 1: You can put together a 100 piece jigsaw.
Rank 2: You can guess the outcome of a mystery novel.
Rank 3: You can do a rubiks cube in an hour.
Rank 4: You'd have whipped gollum without hobbit trickery.
Rank 5: You understand the deepest mysteries.
Investigations
You are trained to notice details that others might miss, higher levels of this knowledge allow to function as a detective.
Rank 1: Amateur Detective.
Rank 2: Police officer.
Rank 3: Private Detective.
Rank 4: FBI,CIA,KGB, Interpol.
Rank 5: Sherlock Holmes.
Law
This knowledge deals with all aspects of the law, though it does not cover the laws and bylaws of the shadowlands at start.
Rank 1: Police Officer.
Rank 2: Beginning Lawyer.
Rank 3: Full partner at a law firm.
Rank 4: Judge.
Rank 5: Supreme Court Justice, Death Lord.
Linguistics
Linguistics governs how many additional languages you know beyond your first, define your languages at start.
Rank 1: One additional language.
Rank 2: Two additional languages.
Rank 3: Three additional languages.
Rank 4: four additional languages.
Rank 5: Five additional languages.
Medicine
This knowledge is the study of the human body, and the ways to treat it's ills, this knowledge is useless when applied to wraiths but it is useful for a caring wraith
trying to treat one of the quick.(Or a for an angry spirit to sabotoge the treatment)
Rank 1: You know the basics of setting bones.
Rank 2: You have paramedic quality training.
Rank 3: You are a doctor and can diagnose and treat diseases.
Rank 4: You can perform surgery.
Rank 5: You are a specialist of great ability.
Occult
You are knowledgeable in all areas of the occult.
Rank 1: You've dabbled, but you aren't in the know.
Rank 2: You're starting to know what's going on.
Rank 3: There's more than just wraiths like you out there... You know something about the other residents of the Dark World.
Rank 4: You can separate truth from fancy.
Rank 5: You have been full initiated in many of the great mysteries.
Politics
This knowledge provides a familiarity with the political power structures of the day, including an understanding of who is really in charge and how they got there.
Rank 1: Protestor
Rank 2: Campaign worker
Rank 3: Campaign manager
Rank 4: Politician
Rank 5: Machiavelli
Science
This knowledge deals with the more useful applications of science but also provides a general knowledge of theory.
Rank 1: You can make smoke bombs with a home chemistry set.
Rank 2: You understand the major theories and their applications.
Rank 3: You could teach high-school science.
Rank 4: You might win a nobel prize someday.
Rank 5: Albert Einstein
Almost done now, and the bulk of the number carrying and crucial character decision are over.
Backgrounds are a couple of indicators of things that your wraith starts with, these will not be changed after the game begins until this game ends and a new story is begun. All of you are new wraiths, so things are modified, and some backgrounds are removed completely.
You get 5 points to divvy up in the following fields, just like you would for skills.
Allies
Allies are wraiths who you know and will aid you, for one so newly dead as yourself your allies are the spirits of friends or even family who couldn't move on either. These wraiths will probably be fairly weak and newly born themselves, so be careful with them, the last thing you need is your former buddy going insane in the shadowlands.
Rank 1: One Ally of low power
Rank 2: One Ally of moderate power
Rank 3: Two allies, one of moderate power
Rank 4: Three allies, one of moderate power
Rank 5: Four allies, one of moderate power
Relic
Relics are items that you get to carry with you past death, favorite things are the most likely to slip through you. A journal and pen that you wrote the story of your life in, the knife that your Dad gave you for your ninth birthday, your lucky liter, the flintlock rifle you found in your family's storage that dates back to the civil war, the laptop that you built practically from scratch, etc. A relic has to be tied to you, and to follow you into death you have to have had a serious emotional investment in the item.
Relics however don't function quite like they did in life, instead of using up substance they slowly use a stock of internal energy, this energy can be restored by infusing the object with pathos. (See Spoiler, Pathos) With time Relics will fade and lose their substance, this process however takes decades and is generally associated with a Wraith losing touch with the feeling and passions of his former life. (The starting set gains +1 in this field by default, just run what you want to have by me and I'll see if it can happen)
Rank 1: One Relic, small and relatively mundane. (Not a weapon)
Rank 2: Two mundane relics, or one Moderate relic. (Not a gun)
Rank 3: Two moderate relics, or one Uncommon relic (Not something large like a car)
Rank 4: A moderate and an uncommon relic, or one rare relic.
Rank 5: One rare and one moderate relic.
Eidolon
Your Eidolon is the good inside you, it is the direct antithesis of your shadow. (See spoiler, shadow) Whenever you make a roll to resist your shadow you may choose to add one die per point of Eidolon into your roll. This stock of extra dice is not unlimited, and you cannot use the Eidolon again until the start of the next chapter.
Rank 1: You hear vague whispers from far away.
Rank 2: You know that there is something guiding you.
Rank 3: You feel your eidolon is a sentient entity.
Rank 4: You have sensed the presence of your Eidolon.
Rank 5: You have seen your Eidolon in a dream.
Memorium
Funerals, tombstones, monuments, memorial day, flowers on a gravestone, books dedicated "In loving Memory", etc Are all ways of preserving the memory of the dead, and while the living seem to get more benefit from it than the dead there is an energy that can be tapped by the dead in such things. During a chapter if the Wraith needs more spiritual juice they can call upon the power of her Memoriam, making a difficult roll to instantly regain a small amount of energy, botching this roll permanently damages this background.
Rank 1: Only one person really remembers you.
Rank 2: A few close friends remember you.
Rank 3: Your family remembers you fondly.
Rank 4: A large organization remembers and revers you.
Rank 5: A building or some other permanent edifice has been erected in you honor, your name is remembered by many.
Notoriety
The dead are neither impressed nor concerned with the affairs of the living as a general rule, but a few tales of the quick filter to the underworld and strike sparks. Fame takes a different hue among the dead, the events that make a man famous to wraith society are strange and often frightening.
Rank 1: A few local wraiths are impressed with you
Rank 2: You're well known in your necropolis
Rank 3: You are recognized by many in the shadowlands
Rank 4: You are quite famous, all the dead know something about you.
Rank 5: Like Jim Jones, John Wayne Gacy and David Koresh, you were hated from the first moment of your death.
Faction
Normally this background indicates standing with a particular faction, but as a newly born wraith you are unaware of the factions of the underworld. Points in this trait instead indicate that you have been marked by a particular faction, who is dependent on your character itself, but you were ear-marked for recruitment for days before you die.
Rank 1: There's an interest in you, maybe a wraith knew you in life and thought you'd be sympathetic to their cause.
Rank 2: There's significant local interest in you, perhaps you carry a piece of knowledge the group needs.
Rank 3: An entire faction has a general interest in recruiting you, generally this means you had some clout while you lived, and you (perhaps unknowingly) helped the wraiths when you used it.
Rank 4: A faction is eager to have you, why isn't clear, but they Really want you on their side.
Rank 5: It's either recruit you or kill you. You'll be actively sought out and for whatever reason you will either be enlisted into the faction, or you'll be cast into oblivion.
Arcanos
Arcanos, wraith magic, is an odd field. Filled with 'forbidden' arts and insane practitioners, from the art of manifesting the corpus in the world of the living, to shaping ones own corpus into weapons, to weaving dreams for mortals and wraiths alike the Arcanos cover a myriad of arts.
You will learn, and you will gain a small amount of free skill points to spend on them as you discover the arts, but for now you are a just a mortal.
Leave the fields of Arcanos Blank for now, knowledge comes with time.
Wraiths are creatures that came into existence through
passion and passion binds a wraith and sustains him. Passions are the things that you will still feel strongly about even after death, they are the things that give meaning and power to your death.
Passions are fuel for wraithly power, and you get 10 points to spend creating them. Each passion is given an emotion or feeling, Faith, love, anger, pride, lust, envy, hope, greed, joy, love, etc After that there is a couple of words that focus the passion down to a specific object or action, example:
Hate: Ruin (Enemy Name)
Lust: Live Vicariously through ex-lover
Hope: Comfort the oppressed
Sorrow: Make your haunt a place of remorse.
The base emotion of the passion can be drawn from wherever it is found, though the difficulty is high. (an
Easier for a wraith is to experience the emotion and draw energy from themselves, not necessarily fulfilling the precise passion. (Ruining some enemy would still give pathos in the above example, but less than it if had been the specific enemy named.)
These are the things that keep your tanks of go-juice full, the higher their rating the easier it is to draw power from them. They should be tied into your characters life.
Fetters are the anchors in the metaphysical chains that bind a wraith to the shadowlands, they are objects that are (Directly or indirectly) related to why a wraith can't move on. Fetters can be people, places, or things, the only requirement is that the wraith have unfinished or unresolved business with them.
A shot glass might represent the alcoholism that tore you from your family. A tennis racket may represent the regret that you never got away from work. The pistol you killed yourself with is a fetter for more obvious reasons. You get ten points to spend on your fetters, the stronger they are, the more they mean to you and the more powerful they are. (Metaphysically speaking.) Like Passions and Skills Fetters are ranked 1-5.
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Topic: Wraith: RTD from beyond the veil. That's why you should avoid skinfreak clubs. (Read 41018 times)