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When most people see demon blood, they are repulsed, nauseated, or at best indifferent. For the Blood Stalker, however, demon blood is a necessary part of a balanced diet. Stalkers must consume demon blood to live, but also receive some unusual benefits from their strange eating habits.
The first Blood Stalkers were a quartet of nomadic warriors living five millennia ago in what is now Siberia. They volunteered to be mystically altered by their tribe's shaman to better fight off the monsters that roamed the wilderness. They found themselves stronger and healthier than before, but with unnatural cravings for the blood of the creatures they killed. At first the nomads saw the Stalkers as divine protectors, but as time went on the Stalkers' children began to manifest the same strange abilities, and many people in the tribe came to consider them worse abominations than the demons. The shaman hid the children among the neighboring tribes, and taught them to keep their nature a closely guarded secret.
Over the centuries, Blood Stalkers spread from tribe to tribe and eventually throughout the world. Today, most Stalkers are totally unaware of their heritage, and it's likely that their parents and grandparents were as well. The Blood Stalker trait is passed along family lines and does not respect age or sex (although it only passes through purely human bloodlines - no Half-Demons need apply). Unlike eye and hair color it does not automatically express itself in everyone who has it. If a Blood Stalker's power is not activated, she is no different than any other person (although she will pass the trait along to any children she might have). If she is exposed to demon blood, however, she will be enticed by the smell and overcome by a strong urge to taste it. She must make a Willpower (doubled) roll each turn with a cumulative -2 penalty - if she fails, she will resort to extreme violence to get at the blood, and if she tastes the blood she instantly becomes a Blood Stalker.
Blood Stalkers gain a +2 bonus to both Strength and Constitution, as well as Acute Sense (Smell) and 2 levels of Hard to Kill (they may buy up to 10 levels total). Stalkers may track demons and other monsters by smell. If injured, they heal a number of Life Points equal to Constitution each hour. In order to maintain these abilities, Stalkers must consume demon blood on a regular basis.
If a Stalker goes a number of days equal to her Constitution without drinking at least a pint of demon blood, she immediately loses all of her Blood Stalker powers. For each day after that she begins to suffer a cumulative -1 penalty to all rolls. Unlike a normal addiction, however, this cannot be broken or overcome - it continues to get worse until the Stalker drinks her pint of demon blood (of course if enough time has passed she will need to have it fed to her).
Blood Stalkers must drink demon blood to survive. It doesn't matter whether it's funny-flavored water or thick, tar-like ichor - as long as a demon uses it as circulatory fluid it will work. If the only blood available is half-demon, the Stalker will need to drink at least twice as much for the same effect. Additionally, demon blood does not keep well: under the best of circumstances the Stalker can store blood for three days, but this varies depending on the species of demon and some preservation measures (most notably freezing) will actually reduce its potency even faster. Vampire blood doesn't work - that's just human blood in a demon-possessed package. Blood Stalkers have a natural immunity to any toxic effects of demon blood that they drink (although not to blood that's injected, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin). They also gain a +2 bonus to scent tracking rolls to detect demons from the species whose blood they drank last.
Prerequisite: Driving Skill 2
Your character is a little too obsessive about her vehicle. Her ride is almost always the nicest one around, and if (heaven forbid!) something were to happen to it, she would be able to diagnose and fix the problem with hardly a second thought. And when she's behind the wheel? Wheee! Odds are she subscribes to a few magazines on the subject, or at the very least has a poster or two on her wall. Everyone from a hardened biker to a classic car enthusiast could be a Car Guy.
A Car Guy has a bonus equal to her Willpower on Driving rolls, and a +1 bonus to any Mr. Fix-It rolls dealing with engines on autos and similar motorized vehicles. (This bonus does not apply to boilers, nuclear reactors, jet engines, or hamster wheels. Only things that are a lot like cars.) She almost always has a car (or similar vehicle) that is noticably better than expected for her Resources level. It might even have a name. She must succeed at a Willpower (not doubled) roll with a -2 penalty before she can do anything risky that might damage her baby.
Depending on the setting, Car Guys could be Horse Guys (in which case the Mr. Fix-It bonus actually goes to the Wild Card (Veterinarian) Skill), Snowmobile Guys, Canoe Guys, or maybe Giant Robot Guys.
The myths aren't too clear about how centaurs came to be, but there's no question what they are: a human head, arms and torso attached to the body and legs of a horse. They are tough, fast, and love a good party. In fact their favorite god, Bacchus, literally invented the drunken orgy.
Centaur characters gain +2 to Strength, +1 to Constitution, and +1 to any one mental Attribute. They also gain two levels of the Hard to Kill Quality, and may buy up to eight more for a total of ten. Centaurs have a lot of advantages from their four legs: their base speed is 10 miles per hour faster than their Dexterity and Constitution would indicate, and with a sufficient head start (about a Turn) they can reach 10 miles per hour past that. In addition, centaur hooves do 3x (Strength + 1) Bash damage with a Kick attack. On the downside, centaur bodies are not very buoyant; centaurs may not swim, no matter how many points they put into the Sports Skill.
Centaurs are not generally welcome in polite society. In addition to the very-large-with-four-legs-and-smells-like-a-horse thing, they tend to be extraordinarily unrestrained - they approach merriment and war with the same gusto, and don't generally get too worked up over collateral damage (in either situation). They have a 1-point Socially Inept Disadvantage, and must also select a 2-point Covetous Drawback (usually Lechery, although Ambition and Conspicuousness are not unknown). The centaur gains no points for these Drawbacks.
In Greek myths, most centaurs were known for crashing weddings and making off with the brides, but a few rare centaurs (like the wise Chiron) made a good name for their race. Their behavior runs the gamut from barbaric to noble, just like other races.
Prerequisite: Recurring Nightmares
Characters with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder have survived some terrible event, and still relive the experience on a regular basis. This is usually a single incident, and more often than not a mundane rather than supernatural one (the same mechanism that lets most humans ignore or rationalize the monsters and magic also provides an escape here: the monsters and magic aren't quite as "real" and are therefore easier to cope with). Most of the time the character is perfectly capable of functioning in society, but when she is reminded of the event all of the trauma comes back to the surface and she is left badly shaken at best.
If something happens to remind the character of the traumatic event, she must roll Willpower (not doubled) (Fear Test modifiers for "surprise" and "splatter" apply). On a Success, the character is startled and shaken (as a roll of 7-8 on the Panic Table). On a failure, she completely disconnects from reality and is effectively defenseless for between one and ten minutes (roll a D10). Usually this manifests as curling up into a ball on the ground, screaming in terror, or flailing about violently (and uselessly). Either effect lasts for the rest of the scene, and for the rest of the day the character suffers a -1 penalty to all actions. On top of all this, the character automatically fails any Fear Tests after having an "incident."
When the Drawback is taken, you and the Director should agree on what will trigger the PTSD - it can be almost anything, but it must be something that the character could encounter in a mundane setting and must be linked in some way with the traumatic event. If the trigger is something relatively common and mundane (a popular TV theme song, a field of flowers) this Drawback is worth 4 points, for something specific or unusual (a pop standard from the 50's, a particular Shakespeare quote) it's worth 3 points, and for something extremely specific or very uncommon (a solar eclipse, a Blue Öyster Cult B-side) it's only worth 2 points.
Any character with PTSD must also have the Recurring Nightmares Drawback, and if she is afflicted by a nightmare she suffers a -2 penalty to all actions the following day instead of -1. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder often occurs in conjunction with other Emotional Problems such as Depression, and the effects stack. Buying off the Drawback may only happen one point at a time, and only after extensive therapy or something incredibly cathartic.
Fairies are flighty (pun intended), and stand between four inches and one foot in height. They have delicate wings sprouting from their backs - most are butterfly- or dragonfly-like, although the occasional fairy will have feathered bird wings or jagged bat wings. Beyond that, fairy features vary wildly: some are indescribably beautiful, while others are just as indescribably hideous.
Fairies are loosely organized into a feudal society. There are two rival groups, the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. For the most part the Seelie can be considered good and the Unseelie evil, but it's slightly more accurate to say that both camps are curious, careless and capricious and the Seelie are less malicious about it. Fairies live in small tribes or bands, each with its own traditions and manner of dress, but all belong to one faction or the other.
Nobody knows how fairies reproduce - not even the fairies. Young fairies periodically appear at a tribe's gathering place and introduce themselves by name, at which point they are welcomed and integrated into the community in a matter of hours. They have no memory of anything that happened before they came within sight of their new family, and are effectively a blank slate. If the fairies were into philosophy they might wonder if a new fairy was predestined to be Seelie or Unseelie, or if they become aligned with one court or the other as they join the tribe. But fairies don't usually worry about that sort of thing.
Fairies have a -1 to Strength (max. 3) and a +1 to Dexterity (max. 9). Divide their Life Points by 3 (rounding up) before adding levels of Hard to Kill. They can fly at a speed of 2x (Willpower + Constitution) yards/Turn. Fairies do not die of old age - they are immortal unless killed through violence or accident. Due to their small size, fairies divide all damage from their hand-to-hand attacks by 10 (round up) before type multipliers. They also receive a +3 bonus to Acrobatics rolls while flying (including Dodges and sneaking).
Fairies have high-pitched, squeaky voices, which can be difficult for other races to understand at a distance. They also glow, ranging from as bright as a halogen lamp to completely imperceptible. Under normal circumstances the fairy has absolute control over the brightness and color of its glow, but fairies may always recognize one another by their glows (if visible) the same way humans recognize each other by their voices.
Fairies have Basic Supernatural Senses and the Sight. All fairies may Quick Cast spells, even if they do not have any levels of the Sorcery Quality (they always glow brightly when using this power). They also are extremely allergic to iron (and steel, natch): for every Turn they are in contact with iron they take five points of damage and lose their ability to Quick Cast (even if they have the Sorcery Quality).
A fairy is Honorable (Serious) - as a species they are strictly incapable of breaking their word, but they are always cautious about giving their word for this very reason, and tend to interpret their oaths creatively if they have to. Seelie fairies have the Clown Drawback, while Unseelie fairies have the Mental Problems (Mild Cruelty) Drawback. Either kind will have a two-point Contact (Seelie or Unseelie Court).
Prerequisites: Sorcery 1, Occultism Skill 5
Everyone knows the standard list of undead monstrosities: vampires, zombies, and ghosts ranging from chain-rattling poltergeists to ancient haunting horrors. Less well-known, though, are liches: wizards of great power who have willingly traded their souls for a chance at a sort of immortality. Through the completion of long-lost rituals from unspeakable tomes, the lich has transformed herself directly from life to unlife, completely skipping that pesky "death" step that so many other people need to deal with.
Unlike vampires, who are corpses preserved by the power of the demon locked inside, liches are basically zombies inhabited by the ghost of their former self. Like vampires the soul is gone, but the body is motivated by the sorcerer's own magic and will instead of by a demon spirit. As a result, liches are not as innately evil, but anyone who is willing to undergo the transformation is usually operating from a different set of moral standards, so it can be hard to tell the difference.
In the process of becoming a lich, the sorcerer must sever her soul from her body and store it someplace safe. It is usually linked to some small body part (typically a finger, although different versions of the rituals might call for different parts), which is then removed and placed well out of harm's way. Some spells place the soul inside a jar or gem instead, but it has the same effect. As long as this object remains safe, the lich cannot be killed. If it is destroyed, though, the lich collapses instantly into a pile of bones, and the disrupted cycle of life and death is restored.
Despite the eternal life, a lich's body does not stop decaying. For the first few days after the transition is made, she looks just as she did in life, but within weeks she will have taken on the appearance of a millenia-dead mummy. This is usually okay with her, though: most liches have bigger things to worry about than looks.
A lich gets +2 to both Intelligence and Willpower; by becoming such a creature she gains a new (and fairly disturbing) insight into The Way Things Work. This connection also gives her +2 to all spellcasting rolls and the supernatural ability to identify what a person is just by looking: normal human, vampire, half-demon, etc. Her Attractiveness also drops to -4. Liches suffer no ill effects from exposure to the sun or holy symbols, but generally are no more fond of noon-time strolls to church than any other undead creature. They regenerate damage at a rate of one Life Point per level of Willpower per hour, and if "killed" will begin to reassemble almost instantly. Finally, due to their total lack of functioning anatomy, Slash/stab and Bullet damage is not multiplied against them.
Many liches will have the Age Quality, since they tend to employ shadowy plans that unfold over the course of decades, if not centuries. Covetous (Ambition), Mental Problems (Cruelty) and Obsession are also not unheard of. Attaining lichdom requires at least Sorcery 1 and 5 levels in the Occultism Skill - the transformation isn't the sort of thing that just happens by accident.
There are many different Lich Transformation rituals, revealed to or devised by sorcerers from cultures around the world, at almost any point in history. The specifics vary depending on if the spells are Egyptian, or Dravidian, or Anasazi, or what have you. Still the mechanics are pretty much the same no matter who originated it.
The nagas were quite possibly the first natural (i.e. non-demonic) race to arise on earth. Their sages were writing histories of the world when humanity's forebears were being hunted by True Demons on the plains of Africa.
Nagas have human-like heads and torsos, but the lower bodies of giant snakes (Supernatural Form (Definitely Not Human)). Their upper bodies are very human-like, although nagas have symmetrical hands, with four fingers and two opposable thumbs on each. The snake-like tail grants nagas a +1 on any Grapple rolls, but is not quite as efficient as a pair of legs for quick movement: nagas move 75% as quickly as a human with equivalent Dexterity and Constitution. The naga physiology is also much hardier than a human's, granting +1 to Strength and +2 to Constitution, along with two levels of Hard to Kill (the naga may purchase up to three more levels), the Natural Toughness Quality, and Resistance (Poisons and Venoms) 2. Nagas heal very quickly, recovering Life Points equal to their Constitution every hour. They are also very long-lived, with lifespans of three centuries far from uncommon.
As a result of spending so much time hiding from the prehistoric demons, the naga have become extremely reclusive. They usually establish underground cities near isolated bodies of water, causing some people to believe they are a sort of guardian water spirit. Spotting a naga outside of its village is usually about as likely as spotting Nessie on a foggy Scottish evening. As a result of their long cultural isolation, nagas have a 2-point Socially Inept Drawback.
The first naga communities were in the mountains of what is now India, but as time went by they migrated as far east as Japan and as far west as Portugal. They are partial to warmer temperate climates, and can barely tolerate cold or dry lands.
Nagas have mouths full of sharp teeth, doing 2x Strength points of Slash/stab damage, but despite their serpentine shape they are not venomous. Their piercing eyes also grant them Basic Supernatural Senses.
Your character lives someplace that isn't considered her "home" by whatever force it is that determines these things. Perhaps she sleeps at a shelter or group home, or in a motel, or has just moved into a new apartment or dorm room. Or maybe that welcome mat is just a little too general. Whatever the reason, vampires can enter uninvited. Obviously this isn't a good thing, and should cause no end of problems for the character.
If she has a private space, the character may (and should) eventually "buy off" this Drawback with experience points. Finally, the place is metaphysically hers. Just how long this takes is up to the Director, although it should be less than two college semesters (in BtVS 4.1 The Freshman, Sunday's gang had free reign of the dorms, but in BtVS 4.20 The Yoko Factor, Angel couldn't enter without an invitation).
This Drawback is only available to human characters. In a game where vampires are not common adversaries, Public Dwelling would be worth only one point.
Skinwearers are grotesque shapeshifters able to assume almost any form, human or animal. As can be inferred by their name, they do this by putting on the preserved skin of a dead creature as if it were a suit of clothes. In their natural form, skinwearers are skinless humanoids, covered with writhing muscle and dripping blood and fluids. Seeing a skinwearer in its natural state calls for a Fear Test with a -6 penalty. A skinwearer may be male or female, of any height or build, but when it dons a prepared skin, its body contorts and shrinks or expands to fit the new shape.
Skinwearer characters are very physically resiliant. They have a +2 bonus to Strength and Constitution, and regenerate from damage at a rate of Constitution LPs per hour. Their amorphous bodies allow them to ignore damage modifiers due to hit location and all damage types except fire. Moreover, they have a 5-point Resistance (Pain) Quality. The unique skinwearer physiology is much denser than a human's - skinwearers do not float in water, and cannot swim. Damage from drowning will not permanently kill a skinwearer, but it is very inconvenient.
It is very difficutlt to kill a skinwearer. They are immune to mundane diseases, and do not die of old age. A skinwearer only dies if it is reduced to no Life Points and is then dismembered and the parts kept separate for at least five minutes.
By human standards, skinwearers are unpredictably insane. They have three point Antisocial Impulses (Cruelty) and Antisocial Impulses (Deceit) Drawbacks (naturally, these are already factored into the cost of the Quality). Skinwearers are practically addicted to killing, but they are not mindless murder machines - many have succeeded at blending into society at the higest levels. Their skin-changing ability makes infiltration and manipulation second nature to them. Skinwearers have a 3-point Secret Drawback (again, the character receives no additional points).
Skinwearers have Basic Supernatural Senses, but aside from their shapeshifting they have no other innate powers. Some skinwearers acquire Sorcery or Hypnosis, but other psychic powers are rare.
These creatures are not naturally occurring. They may be conjured through a Power Level 2 ritual which takes 20 minutes and culminates in the sacrifice of a living thing (the skinwearer that appears will be ticked if it isn't a human, but that's not a requirement). Due to their unpredictability, however, most trained arcanists will not intentionally summon a skinwearer. Most of them are created through thaumogenesis: whenever a human is sacrificed in a ritual, successful or not, there is a very good chance that - somewhere - a skinwearer has come into being.
Skinwearers store their unused skins in jars of preservatives. The strong antiseptic odor from these chemicals persists even when the skin is worn, no matter how much the skinwearer tries to cover it up with perfumes and deoderants. It takes about a week for a skinwearer to prepare a fresh skin, a process which requires one Success Level in an Intelligence + Doctor (or Science) - 2 roll. When a skinwearer puts on a skin, only its appearance changes. Aside from the Attractiveness Quality, there is rarely a change in stats. Properly preserved skins last indefinitely, and there is no limit to the amount of time a skinwearer can wear one.
Many skinwearers have the Multiple Identities Quality (found in All Flesh Must Be Eaten, among others) if they have bothered to create documentation for more than one "outfit". Some have high levels of the Art and Influence Skills to aid in their impersonations. They may also have a Wild Card (Skinwearer Taxidermy) Skill which allows them to preserve skins without the -2 penalty, and also allows them to repair damaged skins without leaving marks or scars.
It is unusual for skinwearers to overcome their muderous nature enough to be playable Cast Members, but it is possible. Reducing the two Antisocial Impulses Drawbacks to playable levels (i.e. level 1) raises the cost of the Quality to 16 points.
(Skinwearers are strongly based on the Skin-Changer In-Betweener from GURPS Voodoo: The Shadow War by C.J. Carella.)
You know how most people need to spend a third of their lives snoring and drooling in a large, comfy bed? Not your character! For some reason (genetic tinkering, demonic heritage, massive magickal trauma), she just doesn't need to sleep. At the lower level, the sleepless character needs to spend about two hours a day resting (engaged in minimal activity), and will be just as refreshed as a normal character would be after a full night's sleep. During this time she never loses consciousness. At the higher level, the character lacks the mechanism to lose consciousness naturally - she never needs to rest unless she's heavily exerted herself, and never suffers ill effects from it.
The Sleepless Quality may only be chosen at character creation. Sleepless characters gain additional skill points equal to their Intelligence, due to the extra hours they have to spend doing pretty much whatever they want. They gain a +1 to any roll in which this ability comes into play: usually overnight research sessions and the like. A sleepless character with the 8-point Quality also gains a bonus equal to her Willpower to resist all knockouts or magic that might render her unconscious. Finally, Sleepless characters are potentially longer-lived than normal humans - they may buy up to two levels of the Age Quality.
Obviously, Sleepless characters may not take the Recurring Nightmares Drawback. Moreover, they may not benefit from or participate in spells that involve or require sleep or dreaming.
This Quality represents a character that, while heavily altered, is still fundamentally human, and aside from not sleeping is in all other ways a normal human. If the character is transformed into a vampire, werewolf, demon, or other supernatural entity, it is at the Director's discretion if the Quality remains. In a similar vein, if the Director wishes to allow characters to "have their sleep removed" during the course of play a la Lorne in Angel 5.5 Life of the Party, they do not gain the bonus skill points (that comes from a lifetime of Sleeplessness) and accordingly the Quality costs 3 or 5 points, respectively. Naturally, it should also come with some hefty mental Drawbacks.
(The Sleepless Quality is based on the short story "Beggars in Spain" by Nancy Kress, which appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine in the early 90's and which she later expanded into a novel.)
Prerequisite: Sorcery 5+
With a Sorcery + Willpower roll, the witch may fly at 5 mph per Success Level. Her maximum height is one yard per level of Sorcery per Success Levels. While levitating, she may not use her telekinesis for any other task, but may engage in most other tasks that would not otherwise be hampered by not being on the ground.
