Playing as a Vampire
Attributes:
Your Physique and Reflexes are +3.
Your Wits and Heart are 0.
Your Spirit is -1.
Vampires are the result of a symbiotic infection; Cadaver Oriri Viride (C.O.V) is a bloodborne, semi-conscious, hivemind virus. If a suitable host is infected with blood from a vampire, they will grow sick with a wasting fever within 24 hours. If untreated, the infection spreads through the body and overwhelms the immune system, killing the host within 48 hours. Once the host dies, the virus makes major changes to their biology, re-writing their DNA. The host returns to life 1-3 days after death. They are no longer human, but they retain all the memories they had as a person. The virus does not control the host, but rather benefits from its enhanced durability for protection, and human nature for creating progeny to spread. Once a human has risen as a vampire, there is no cure, the virus is a part of their biology, however if antiviral treatment is administered prior to the patient's death, the infection can be survived.
Vampires are not undead, they are living creatures that were previously dead. They have reflections. They do not suffer any effect from aging. Vampires have a metabolism, although it is incredibly slow, and much more efficient compared to humans. Vampires are sterile. Vampires have a natural healing factor that regenerates from all mundane wounds at a rate of 2 per turn. Vampires have greater muscle density, enhanced strength, and enhanced perception and reaction speed. Even the weakest vampire has a Physique and Reflex score of +3. They require about 200 calories per day, and have to breathe about once per hour. Vampires do not need daily sleep, but they do require a period of deathlike unconsciousness once a month that lasts about a day. Vampires do not produce melatonin, and as a result they are very susceptible to UV rays, and appear deathly pale. Vampires do not burst into flames in the sunlight, but without protection they do get very serious sunburns, very quickly, and their eyes are very sensitive to bright light. All vampires suffer from an inability to produce heme, a condition that has historically been treated through the consumption of blood. Modern vampires are now able to purchase supplements that make the blood drinking requirement obsolete.
Vampires are psychically aware of the status of any other vampire they have sired. They know if they are in danger or if they die, and they can concentrate to sense their location. Within Vampire society, sires are considered responsible for their children, and can face consequences if any vampire they sire causes problems for the supernatural community. Vampires are also inherently aware of, and distrustful of, any other vampire not of the same strain as them, causing them to often engage in complex social and political maneuvering with each other.
Almost all vampires have a supernatural ability, and very rarely some may develop more than one. Different strains of C.O.V seem to bestow different supernatural abilities. Famous examples include invisibility, hypnotic suggestion, and transformation. Vampire abilities are powered by the lifeforce from fresh human blood.
Vampires are not negatively affected by superstitions like garlic, holy water, crucifixes, or hallowed ground. They will die if starved, suffocated, staked through the heart, decapitated, incinerated, or their body is sufficiently destroyed to prevent regeneration.
Attributes:
Your Physique and Reflexes are +3.
Your Wits and Heart are 0.
Your Spirit is -1.
Your immune system has been replaced with a strain of C.O.V. You are a vampire. You do not age, you only require 200 calories per day, and only have to breathe once per hour. You require a period of deathlike unconsciousness once per month that lasts about a day. You need to have a constant supply of heme from at least 1 Wound worth of blood or an artificial supplement each day . You take 1 Wound per day you go without heme. You regenerate from mundane Wounds at a rate of 2 per turn, this power does not work if you are heme starved. Your skin burns quickly under UV radiation, you take 1 Wound per 10 minutes of direct exposure, this damage can kill and is not regenerated. You take a -1 ongoing penalty while in bright light without eye protection. Your condition is infectious via blood.
[You have a supernatural ability provided by the C.O.V infection. The ability requires lifeforce from fresh human blood. The more powerful the ability is, the more lifeforce it requires. Blood bags do not provide lifeforce, only live feeding does. You must deal at least 1 wound of blood loss to gain lifeforce. You may decide what the power is with the Weaver.]
You are subject to the vampire governing authority whether you want to be or not. In rural areas this may be a single powerful vampire or a small local council of 2-3 elder vampires. In a large urban center this may be a large court of dozens of vampires all representing different areas and strains of C.O.V. If you fail to submit to their authority and follow their directions you will end up getting punished, which can include a capital sentence.
Unless you have been abandoned for narrative reasons, you have a sire who turned you and is responsible for you. Decide who they are with the Weaver. You should roleplay a natural subservience that makes you inclined to obey them.
You are obligated to keep your nature a secret from the general human population. Intentionally breaking the Veil will get you killed very quickly.
If you interact with another vampire of a different strain, you should roleplay a deep distrust of them. The Weaver may require a Withstand roll to overcome this effect.
True Lycanthropy is a lingering “blessing” from a long forgotten mythic era goddess of the hunt. It is passed from one person to another when a victim survives an attack from a werewolf, because it is a boon for having survived the hunt. It is not an infection, it is a magical change to their Pattern. There is no cure for Lycanthropy, as removing it from a person's pattern would require the goddess who bestowed the original blessing to remove it, and she is gone now. However many charlatans have claimed to have a cure over the centuries. Werewolves are apex predators, even in human form. They have enhanced strength and sensory perception, can track by scent, and have much better vision than any human. Even the weakest werewolf has a Physique and Reflex score of +3.
They tend to be power hungry and driven people, and are rather territorial, often scent marking their neighborhood. Werewolves are able to instinctively recognize their own kind on first glance. They are pack creatures and will form close relationships with the other werewolves in their area, but tend to be wary of those from other packs. Werewolf packs can be small families, or large organizations, and are almost always run as meritocracies, with status being determined by the resources a member brings in, not by martial strength.
People who survive any blood-drawing physical fight with a werewolf experience a Veil Break and become Werewolves themselves. They will find that the wounds they received will heal supernaturally fast, being fully healed within a day. They will experience an increased appetite and a craving for protein. When the next full moon rises, they will experience a sharp burning sensation as the blessing manifests and their bodies are twisted and transformed into a large humanoid wolf form. Their fur color will match their natural hair color. They will be under the effect of an intense psychedelic trance and will seek out a hunt under the full moon. They will search for large game to prey upon. If they have access to a forested area they will instinctually go there. However if they are trapped in an urban environment, there is a good chance the prey they stalk will be human. After waking up the next morning, usually covered in blood, the werewolf will have only vague dreamlike memories of that first transformation. Werewolves can learn to control their form and change at will. They do still transform regardless of their will under the full moon, but from then on they remain in control of themselves and retain their human faculties.
Werewolves each have a unique supernatural power that reflects their personality, which manifests after their first transformation and can take years to learn to fully control. Werewolves all have a healing factor that regenerates any mundane wound at a rate of 2 wounds per round. Wounds caused by weapons made of pure silver are not affected by the healing factor and must recover naturally, however a werewolf can handle silver items with no ill effects. They will die if starved, suffocated, their heart is destroyed, they are decapitated, incinerated, or their body is sufficiently destroyed to prevent regeneration.
Attributes:
Your Physique and Reflexes are +3.
Your Wits and Heart are 0.
Your Spirit is -1.
You have been blessed by an ancient goddess of the hunt. You have a very fast metabolism and require twice as many calories as the average human would. You have enhanced senses and can track by scent. You have enhanced vision and can see in the dark. You can use an action to transform into a large anthropomorphic wolf creature. This transformation is violent and painful, it takes 3 rounds, minus your Spirit score. This transformation is involuntary under a full moon. You regenerate from any mundane injury at a rate of 2 Wounds per round, Wounds caused by weapons made of silver are not affected.
[You have a unique supernatural ability that reflects your personality. You may decide with the Weaver what it is, and how it works.]
You should decide how your first transformation went as part of your MEAT and BONES generation. It should have had a lasting effect for your character, either positive or negative.
Werewolves are strong apex predators and they tend to be somewhat emotionally volatile. You may be asked by the Weaver to make Withstand rolls whenever your character feels directly challenged by a potential threat. If you fail, your character has an outburst as determined by the Weaver.
You may choose to either be part of a pack of Werewolves, who are like a family to you, or you can be a lone wolf and outcast from the local packs. If you are part of a pack, work with the Weaver to decide who they are. Your animal instincts put you at odds with other apex predators. You should roleplay caged aggression and tension when interacting with any werewolf who isn’t part of your pack.
The Weaver can decide what part of the campaign's local area is considered your territory, which you should roleplay as very protective of.
You are obligated to keep your nature a secret from the general human population. Intentionally breaking the Veil will get you killed very quickly.
Just like the great apes are to humans, the rest of the animal kingdom are to Beast Folk. In the mythic era, before the conquering of the world by humanity, the Beast Folk were plentiful across the world. Now, hidden in corners of the world, there are few of them left. Other than a difference of biology, Beast Folk are actually very similar to humans. They are diverse, with many differences of personality and belief. They are exceptionally rare, having been hunted to near extinction, and almost always live in seclusion in remote places or in hidden communities. There are 4 sub-species of Beast Folk, and they have lifespans similar to humans.
Attributes:
Pick attributes as per normal character creation
Your ancient ancestors were fish or other aquatic life. You are a humanoid who shares physical traits with them. You can breathe underwater. Your body has a natural adaptation that allows you to dive to depths of ~1000M and surface again without needing to acclimate or suffering any pressure damage. Your skin needs to stay regularly moisturised or it will begin to painfully flake off, dealing 1 wound for every day you go without being submerged in water or having access to moisturizing lotion. You need to drink twice as much as a normal person and quickly become dehydrated. You take 1 wound for every 12 hours you go without water.
Your ancient ancestors were birds. You are a humanoid who shares physical traits with them. You have feathers, wings and can fly, while flying you can carry one inventory worth of gear without being encumbered. If you have a full bag, or want to carry a person, you must make a Traverse roll, and can only fly short distances. You have a light frame and hollow bones, you always take one extra wound when hit in combat.
Your ancient ancestors were mammals. You are a humanoid who shares physical traits with them. You have fur that protects you from cold temperatures, and a tail that improves your balance, giving you a +1 to Reflex rolls.
Your ancient ancestors were reptiles. You are a humanoid who shares physical traits with them. You are cold blooded, your metabolism depends on your ambient temperature. When it is above 40℃ you get 2 actions in a turn, when it is below 20℃ your actions take 2 turns. You go dormant in temperatures below 5℃.
You have a large muzzle with many sharp teeth, and a powerful bite force. Your bite is a 3 Wound intimate weapon.
The nails on your hands and feet are razor sharp claws, they are 2 Wound Close Weapons and give you +1 to rolls made to climb natural surfaces.
Your jaw has a venom gland and you have short fangs. Your bite does 1 wound on contact and causes 1 wound of poison damage per round for 3 rounds. This effect can not stack.
You can change the color of your skin to blend in with your surroundings, as long as you do not move you have advantage on Hide rolls.
You have a natural sense for when you are in imminent danger. You have advantage on Escape Rolls to avoid damage.
You are a rare creature, one almost all humans believe to be a fantasy, and you stand out. Maybe an abandoned orphan, the only one of your kind you know. Or maybe part of a reclusive village or hidden community of your people. Work with the Weaver to decide this as part of your MEAT and BONES.
If you are going to play as a Beast Folk character in a campaign not expressly designed for it, keep in mind that you should roleplay doing everything you can to avoid being seen by mundane people, as you would likely end up being studied or treated like a freak if you were ever publicly outed. You may need a way to safely interact with humanity in order to effectively participate in the story.
You are obligated to keep your nature a secret from the general human population. Intentionally breaking the Veil will get you killed very quickly.
Beast Folk body parts are sometimes used as homeopathic medicine and as magical components in spells. There is a small, but dangerous, black market of kidnap and murder that exists, particularly in Eastern Europe and Asia.
Ghosts are one of the 2 types of creature that natively inhabit the Shade. They are spectral entities who spawn from the death of a creature in the Material World. Ghosts are only tangible to other spectral entities. When a ghost crosses into the Material World it is called Manifestation. A manifested ghost is composed of a substance called ectoplasm. This substance is immune to damage from mundane sources, and can be both solid and intangible to most materials. The amount of ectoplasm a ghost can manifest is dependent on how powerful they are. Some manifested ghosts are able to possess living creatures, hiding within and exerting control over them. There are 5 main subtypes of ghost.
The simplest ghosts are Echoes, which are the incorporeal whispers of a person who has passed on into the Beyond. They are not really sentient or conscious, and are only echoes of a person who has passed on, left behind in the Shade. Echoes dissipate over time and they only exist for a few years at most. Most ghostly experiences people have are actually with these types of ghosts, they are unable to manifest and their effect on the material world is perceived only through small atmospheric changes and electromagnetic interference.
Then there are Specters. When a person dies in a particularly horrific or traumatic way, they occasionally leak pieces of their Psyche into the Shade after passing. These entities repeat the same actions over and over again, fragments of the past, leading up to their death. They can last for hundreds of years, especially if the place they inhabit doesn’t change much over the years. This is the most common type of visual apparition people experience, as they can manifest briefly in places where the barrier between the Material World and the Shade are thin.
Geists are ghosts that have pieces of a Soul and a Psyche. When a person dies, but a part of them strongly refuses to pass on for some reason. A piece of their Soul can break off and be left behind. Geists are compelled to seek out whatever it was that they felt unresolved by in life, however they are unfettered by the parts of the person that passed on. They are singularly focused, but burn out quickly and dissipate without a host to possess. Geist possession can be incredibly dangerous for the host as the Geist doesn’t care about its biological needs. Most ghost possessions are the result of a Geist.
Remnants are what most people would consider “true ghosts” as often depicted in media. When a creature dies, but fails to pass into the beyond, they become a Remnant. These creatures still have their Soul, and the Psyche from their original life, but no longer have a physical body left in the Material World. Remnants are almost exactly the same as they were in life. However as a ghost they no longer have physical needs. They can not sleep, but they can learn to meditate as a form of mental downtime. No one is certain exactly why someone becomes a Remnant, as it can happen to anyone, and no unifying thing makes one stay. But personal growth does often lead to them passing on. Remnants can stay around for hundreds, and in very rare cases thousands of years. As they get older and more experienced they can develop supernatural ability in addition to manifestation.
Wraiths are angry, violent, insane Remnants who have been corrupted by their time in the Shade. They are twisted versions of who they once were, with all their worst traits amplified. The chance and rate at which a Remnant becomes a Wraith seems to be influenced by the nature of the individual and the way they spend their time after death. Remnants who maintain active social lives with other ghosts and engage in personal development have a much lower chance of becoming a Wraith than one who is stuck reminiscing about the past. Wraiths seem to have a need to destroy, and will attack other Ghosts in the Shade, and seek to kill when they manifest.
Attributes:
Your Physique and Reflexes and Wits are 0
Your Heart is -1.
Your Spirit is +3.
You are dead, your body is gone, but your soul and psyche remains. You have no physical needs and can not sleep or lose consciousness. You exist in the Shade instead of the Material Plane. Your Wound counter is replaced with Essence. If you take 6 essence damage, you are either destroyed or become a Wraith and lose control of the character to the Weaver.
You are capable of manifesting yourself into the Material World by concentrating and taking an action. You wrap yourself in ectoplasm and become tangible. You appear to the living as you did in life, you are tangible and give off the illusion of being alive, but only superficially. While in the Material World you can use an action to become intangible for a turn and pass through mundane matter, this also makes your inventory intangible. While manifested, you can take Wounds equal to your Spirit score. After that your ectoplasm is dispersed and you are pushed back into the Shade. You can only use Manifestation once per 24 hours.
Unlike Wounds, Essence can only be restored by consuming it from other creatures. You’ll need to prey upon other beings in the Shade to maintain your existence. Be aware that other things in the shade will also try to feed upon you.
You should decide what it is that keeps the character from passing on. This is not known to the character, but is an important part of playing a Remnant because The Weaver may require you to make a Withstand roll if your character's will to remain becomes shaken. If you fail, you will take Essence damage.
You are obligated to keep your nature a secret from the general human population. Intentionally breaking the Veil will get you killed very quickly.
It is possible for you to try and possess creatures with a will weaker than your own by making a Heart roll. While possessing someone their movements are slow and jerky, giving you a -1 ongoing to Physique and Reflex Rolls. The possession lasts for a number of turns equal to your Spirit, double if you get a Major success. You can not possess someone a second time within 24 hours.
When a physical body enters the Shade, whether through intentional magic or unintentionally passing through a weak spot between realms, and eventually dies, it will become a Shadeling. Because their body is in the Shade, the soul and psyche are unable to be separated from it. The person is trapped inside their own dead, unresponsive body. With nothing to decompose the corpse, it will be preserved, and slowly absorb entropic energy from the realm. The outer flesh slowly hardens and turns black, while the tissue inside dissolves into a shadowy aerosol. The soul and psyche become bonded to this aerosol permanently. Eventually the outer shell of hardened flesh will crack open and the Shadeling will spill out from within.
Shadelings are “living” fog made of shadow. They are able to change shape and density, being able to become intangible like a vapor or as solid as steel. They can not speak as they no longer have the ability to make vocalizations. They can not be hurt by mundane weapons.
Shadelings feed on ghosts and other ethereal creatures, absorbing their essence to sustain and empower their own. If a Shadeling goes too long without feeding it will slow down and eventually become dormant, unable to move, and must lay in wait with hope that an unsuspecting ghost wanders into it.
They are all eccentric at best, and raving mad at worst. Their soul and psyche have been twisted by the transformation experience. However there are rare cases where a person holds onto themselves during the transformation and results in a fully sentient and self aware being. These subset of Shadelings, often called Shadowkin, are much more proficient in their shapeshifting allowing them the control to assume humanoid form and use non-verbal methods of communication. Shadowkin that have been around for a while can learn to use supernatural abilities and some of the powerful ones have “kingdoms” in the Shade.
Attributes:
Your Physique and Reflexes and Wits are 0
Your Heart is -1.
Your Spirit is +3.
You are a Shadowkin, you died in the Shade, and your soul and psyche are now eternally bound to a fog made of shadow. As an action, you are able to change your shape or become an intangible vapor. You can assume a humanoid form, but you can not produce any vocalizations.
You can not be hurt by mundane weapons. You have no physical needs, no physical sensations, and can not sleep or lose consciousness. Your Wound counter is replaced with Essence. If you take 6 Essence damage, you become dormant and lose control of the character to the Weaver. You must consume at least one essence per day from another creature or you take an Essence Damage yourself.
You are still a physical creature and as such it is possible for you to leave the Shade if you find a passage into the Material World. You are able to exist in the Shade with no detrimental effect.
Remember that this character can not speak or make any vocalizations.
You can directly absorb an essence from any unprotected ghost you are touching as an action. You can also try to feed from other Shadelings and creatures of the Shade, if you successfully make a Melee roll.
You still remember who you used to be, you have all, or most of, your memories. And you still have desires and emotions like you used to. The trauma of becoming a Shadowkin however will have warped your personality and you are likely to be eccentric now. Because you are no longer a human being, many of the things you may have loved in life will be denied to you now, you’ll need to decide how your character maintains their sanity.
If you want, you can create a supernatural ability as one of your other quirks and discuss it with the Weaver to decide how it works.
You are obligated to keep your nature a secret from the general human population. Intentionally breaking the Veil will get you killed very quickly.
A catch-all term for any creature native to a group of realms of the Beyond collectively known as the Neighbors. The Neighbors are characterized by the presence of matter, and their unusually high habitability to creatures from the Material World. The air is usually breathable, and food and water are available. The flora and fauna of the Neighbors are foreign to the Material World though. There are a number of natural passages from the Material World to the Neighbors, but they are often shifting and can have specific and esoteric requirements to access. Many creatures throughout history have accidentally wandered into the Neighbors, most of them never to return.
The Fae are characterized by their fascination with humans and the Material World, and by the fact they have physical bodies made of matter. Fae creatures often collect things from the Material World, and some powerful Fae even collect humans. Some Fae creatures feed off of Humans in different ways, and Fae creatures getting into the Material World are the source of many Veil Break events. Not all Fae are evil or cruel though, some choose to help humans and can live alongside them undetected.
Many creatures from human folklore were Fae making trips to the material world. Some Fae vacation here, some of them hunt here, some of them get lost here, and some choose to live here, hiding among humans.
Attributes:
Pick attributes as per normal character creation
[You are from a different realm, one of the Neighbours. You have physiology that sets you apart as a different species from humanity, though you may look very similar to them. Decide with the Weaver what these differences are.]
[Even the weakest of Fae have some sort of innate magic or supernatural ability. Decide with the Weaver what yours is, and how it works]
You are not a human being and your motivations and thought patterns may be very different from theirs. You may have trouble understanding the nuances of their behaviour. Unless your character has been living in the Material World for a long time, you should roleplay like a “tourist”, whose actions set them apart as “not from here”.
You have a particular fascination with some aspect of human culture. It may be an object you obsessively collect, a food you can't say no to, or an activity you are addicted to. Whatever your vice is, whenever you are tempted you must succeed on a Withstand roll or else be compelled to do whatever you can to satisfy it.
You are vulnerable to magic that banishes creatures back to their native realm. If you are sent back to your realm, you appear wherever you would consider “home” there. If you have no home there, you appear wherever you last were in that realm, if you have never been in that realm for some reason, you appear at a random location as decided by the Weaver.
Depending on what type of Fae you are, you may need to feed off of humans, either their emotions, mental energy, or their blood/flesh. If you do need to feed off them, you should consider how your character does this on a regular basis without getting caught.
You are obligated to keep your nature a secret from the general human population. Intentionally breaking the Veil will get you killed very quickly.
The Veil keeps humans from noticing the supernatural, they will subconsciously dismiss phenomena that violate their worldview, up to a threshold which varies from human to human. Once that threshold is passed, the Veil will break for a person, this either causes a psychotic break, and drives most victims mad, or in very cases, an adaptation event occurs. Humans that experience Veil adaptation become able to see through the Veil and they gain supernatural abilities. There are 3 kinds of Adaptation a person can go through, depending on their nature and the nature of their Veil Break.
Attributes:
Pick attributes as per normal character creation, then assign a bonus point to Physique, Reflex, or Wits
Hunter's Blood:
Your body is capable of reaching beyond the normal human ability. Minor attribute improvements can bring your Physique, Reflex, and Wit attribute scores to a cap of +3, Major attribute improvements can bring your Physique, Reflex, and Wit attribute scores to a cap of +4.
Hunter’s Resilience:
Whenever you would take damage from any source, that damage is reduced by 1 Wound.
Attributes:
Pick attributes as per normal character creation.
Skills:
Assign 1 free skill point to one of the 9 Practices of Magic
Mage Blood:
Your body naturally accumulates Essential Force (EF) in your bloodstream. You are able to use it to cast spells.
See the section on Skill Based Magic for more information on playing a mage.
Attributes:
Pick attributes as per normal character creation.
Changed:
[Your pattern has been altered in a fundamental way, permanently changing you, you have something about you that is no longer human. Decide with the Weaver how your non-human feature works mechanically]
Because of your quirk, you stand out as weird in normal social circles, you make normal humans uncomfortable in a supernatural way, you suffer a -1 ongoing to Convince rolls made against veiled humans.
Drawing on the old practices of offering and sacrifice, primal magic users walk a dangerous path, maintaining control of the raw forces of nature, be it through brute force or borrowed power.
Attributes:
Pick attributes as per normal character creation
Skills:
Assign 1 free skill point to one of the Primal Attunement pacts
Primal Pact:
The Veil has been lifted from you and you have made a pact with one of the primal forces of nature. You live a lifestyle in accordance with that primal, and in exchange you have access to powers borrowed from [One of the Dragon Avatars].
See the section on Primal Attunement for more information on playing a Shaman.
Attributes:
Pick attributes as per normal character creation
Skills:
Create 2 free Dark Knowledge spells
Dark Power:
The Veil has been lifted from you and you have learned to harness the lifeforce of magical creatures in order to cast magic. You are addicted to this power, and you will begin to suffer if you go for an extended period of time without casting Dark Magic. This addiction worsens the more spells you know.
See the section on Dark Knowledge for more information on playing a Warlock.
“Spirit” is a catch-all term for both a wide variety of natural energies, and the creatures that can awaken in objects and places as a result of that energy. Spirit builds up in natural objects, like trees, mountains, and rivers. As well as in man made objects of mass reverence, like buildings, cities, and technology. In sufficient quantity, this energy can bestow supernatural effects on an object or place.
If an object or area has been around for a very long time or experiences a large influx of energy, it is possible for the spirit to awaken into a creature. Awakened Spirits only understand everything in the context of its existence and have non-human thought processes. For example, a forest spirit would only understand the issues that affect a whole forest, and might not know the activity of any one specific squirrel or what exists beyond itself, any more than you would know what one of your blood cells or an asteroid in space are doing. Most awakened spirits are not able to communicate directly with humans.
Awakened spirits gain power as time goes on, and they can have a huge amount of supernatural control over their purview. It can become very dangerous if a powerful awakened spirit becomes resentful or bitter. However most are uninterested in human affairs unless those activities impact the spirit directly, and some Awakened Spirits actively rely on and help humans.
Creatures from a realm in the Beyond known as Pandemonium. Demons vary widely in shape, size, and abilities. They are characterized by their adherence to power, it being the method by which all conflicts among demons are resolved, and the only thing they respect. Pandemonium is a hostile realm, with few resources and a shifting chaotic environment. Only the most powerful Demons can live in any sort of comfort there. As a result Demons are most often hardened, cruel individuals, who will do anything to increase their own power.
Many Demons will try to escape from Pandemonium. Like most creatures from the Beyond, they have no body, and can not interact in the material world without a host or a manifested form. They can fall prey to creatures if they wander the Shade, as they are made of Essence. In an emergency a Demon can possess a corpse, but these burn up within a few minutes.
A Demon can possess any creature it has a more powerful will than, and possession will usually manifest as mental health issues in the host. Hearing voices, sudden uncontrollable feelings, and memory lapses are common symptoms. Some powerful Demons can excerpt full control over the host. However the more powerful a Demon is, the harder it is for them to maintain a presence in the Material World, as the sheer amount of energy they possess burns out their hosts very quickly. Demonic possession requires a specially trained person with a large amount of personal power to deal with, as the demon either needs to be intimidated or pushed out of the host, or the host needs to be killed to force the demon out of the affected person.
It is also possible for a creature to welcome a Demon into them willingly. In this case the possession becomes a symbiosis. The Creature retains control of its body. The Demon can lend the creature its power and knowledge, while the creature provides a safe vessel for the Demon to inhabit. Because there is no internal struggle for control the Demon’s presence does not burn out the vessel. A willing possession can not be forcefully exercised.
Demons in the Material World can often use magical ability, having an innate understanding of one of the wild magic forces. Their control over that power grows with time and practice.
Creatures from a realm in the Beyond known as The Labyrinth. Devils vary widely in shape, size, and abilities. They are characterized by their adherence to contract and bureaucracy. The Labyrinth is an incomprehensibly sprawling maze of bureaucracy; with an uncountable number of offices, courtyards, factories, libraries, warehouses, and other buildings, all connected by a network of hallways. Only creatures native to the plane are able to navigate it without getting lost. Devils exist in a corporate hierarchy, with mortal souls being the currency they trade and hoard. The most ruthless and effective negotiators have the largest army of contractually bound slaves at their disposal. The more souls at a Devils command, the more power they have.
Devils, particularly the more powerful ones, spend much of their time soliciting the souls of mortals. This is done through 2 main ways. The first is to travel to the Material World. Like most creatures from the Beyond, they have no body, and can not interact in the Material World without a host or a manifested form. They can fall prey to creatures if they wander the Shade, as they are made of Essence. Once in the Material World, they can possess a person and use them as a puppet to make deals with others. The second method is to be summoned into the Material World by a mortal, through the use of magic, to make a bargain directly. This allows them to bypass the need to possess a host and is the preferred method of most Devils.
Devils have the ability to change the Material World by making deals with mortals there through a form of contract magic. A sentient creature, who enters a bargain entirely of their own free will, can trade their Soul for a promised offer. If the Devil is able to grant the request, then when the person dies, their Soul will go to the Labyrinth and become an eternal slave to the Devil, forced to work in its offices and factories forever. A Devil is not able to outright lie, and can not offer something it does not have the power to grant, however they can make the contract as convoluted and hard to figure out as they want, as long as the other party is still able to technically understand it. Both parties can add as many clauses to the deal as they like, as long as the other party agrees. They can not apply external force themselves to make someone sign, and can not directly compel others to do so, but they can emotionally manipulate a person to convince them to sign.
Coming from a realm of the Beyond called Aeternum, and considered the “police” of the Beyond, Celestials are a diverse race of creatures that range in appearance from humanoid to “biblically accurate”. These creatures strictly adhere to an ineffable set of instructions they call the “Master Plan”. Celestials uphold the status quo of the universe, and show up in the Material World and other realms of the Beyond to perform “corrections” whenever someone or something acts against the “Master Plan”. These corrections can range from something as simple as removing or placing an object, to complex undertakings like erasing an entire city. Celestials are incapable of independent thought, they operate more like an automaton than a living creature, adhering to their Master Plan like a program.
Celestials range in power from tiny single function adjuncts and assistants who have no special abilities, to colossal Emperyons that oversee entire cities worth of Celestials. Celestials in their natural form are invisible to most living creatures. Like most creatures from the beyond, most Celestials have no body and can not interact in the material world without a host or a manifested form. Some can perform “miracles” through the use of magic that rewrites the underlying “code” of the universe. If a manifested Celestial is destroyed, the body discorporates and the Celestial is sent back to Aeternum.
In very rare cases a Celestial becomes damaged, and the Master Plan programming becomes corrupted. These Celestials begin to develop personality and independent thought. They will start to have questions about who and what they and the universe are. If this continues the Celestial will eventually no longer be able to follow the Master Plan, and they will become fallen. Fallen Celestials have 2 choices; they can report that they are questioning things, and be repaired or destroyed. Or they can escape Aeternum and hide in another realm, making a new life for themselves. In order to avoid being found, Fallen Celestials need to be very careful to make as little use of their powers as possible.
The world is full of strange creatures, things almost no one has ever seen, things we would call monsters. They might be mutated by science gone wrong, or by the hubris of a spell caster. They might just be creatures native to very remote locations. Cryptids are rare, unstudied, and mysterious. They have supernatural abilities that make them hard to find and document. They can be dangerous, or just misunderstood.
The Weaver can use their imagination to create all sorts of possible plot devices. A cryptid should have some sort of weakness the party has to discover before they can capture or defeat it, and it should be so rare that there is no reliable information about it.
Often colloquially called “zombies”, Husk is a collective term for creatures that are dead and have no soul, but who still possess an animating force due to outside influence. Husks are usually violent instinctual creatures. There are 3 known variants of Husk.
Arcane Husks: Where a creature has more EF in their body than they can contain, they die and become Arcane Husks. Considered one of the worst fates that can befall a Mage. Arcane Husks are emaciated versions of their former selves, skin pulled taught, with sunken eye sockets burning with a violet light. They are driven by an endless hunger for EF, and will try to consume any creature with EF in their blood. They are insane raving creatures, no longer capable of spellcraft or communication. If an Arcane Husk is unable to find EF to feed on, they will eventually burn out.
Macabre Husks: The use of dark primal magic and forbidden rituals can result in a Macabre Husk. They are made of the corpses of one or more creatures sewn together, animated by magic or through possession, and have been used for labor or combat by Warlocks throughout history. Macabre Husks can also result unintentionally from the improper burial or disposal of corpses in areas with strong spirit activity. The creation of Macabre Husks is forbidden by the Majirum, and is taboo in most supernatural cultures.
Cortical Usurpation Parasite Husks: The cause is a unique microscopic organism, designated the “CUP Worm” by Lighthouse researchers. This creature was first discovered in Chile. A group of amateur explorers found a bioluminescent pool of water in a previously unexplored cave system. After being exposed to the water, the worms infected their bodies and made their way to the brain, where they began eating it. The victims all died of massive brain hemorrhage within minutes. The worms then attached to the brainstem and controlled the corpses using crude electrical signals. The husks were only capable of rudimentary movement and lacked higher reasoning functions. The worms reproduce in the host, consuming their flesh for the nutrients to do so. This caused the husks to develop oozing bioluminescent sores across their bodies. The husks seem to be compelled to try and spread the infection, and are drawn by movement. After a small nearby village was infected, the Lighthouse was brought in and successfully subdued the threat. The original pool was drained and samples were retained for study. CUP Worms have a physiology unlike anything in our current biosphere, possess a rudimentary hive mind, and do not share DNA markers with any other known species, their origin remains a source of heavy study for Lighthouse researchers.
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