Fianyarr Ghosts

I know this is out of turn but I need to put some more work into the Fae article so for now you will get ghosts!  Ghosts are a traditional enemy in both horror and fantasy games though, oddly enough, they tend to be a bit underpowered in the World of Darkness.  Sure they're hard to hit, being incorporeal and all, but they don't get to do nearly as many interesting things as spirits though that's easily sorted if you give them access to spirit numina.  In the Fianyarr fantasy world, ghosts can fulfil a number of functions from guides to information sources to guardians to enemies.

Building A Ghost

There are three different ways to build a ghost.  You could look through the various Numina lists (World of Darkness core rulebook and Book of Spirits predominately) and then come up with creepy uses of existing Numina.  You could come up with a backstory and figure out what type of ghost might be left behind and what their unfinished business might well be.  You could figure out their role in the plot and determine what you would like them to have as well as what sort of Numina would be applicable.

You also need to know what sub-genre you will be using for your horror story.  A tragic tale of misery and mystery will be undermined by a heavy hitting ghost that materialises to howl in your face and then belt you across the room.  Something subtle would be more fitting there.  On the other hand an action adventure where the ghost is little more than a mild telekinetic force that flings the occasional book isn't very interesting on it's own.

Also think a bit about what ghosts represent in your world.  If they only the souls of evildoers and/or victims of terrible crimes they will be quite different than if the gentle ancestors of the past can also roam the night.  Depending on your mythos, ghosts might be capable of fully materialising like normal human beings, be invisible to all who don't have the right sight, or be forever visible but unable to touch the world around them.  They might be able to wander or be anchored to a single point.  It might even vary between ghosts.  Go with wherever the story takes you.

You may want to consider increasing their attributes as well.  When you have no skills to modify your attributes (assuming the ghost you're creating has no skills), then you really need a higher Power, Finesse and Resistant stat to get anything done.  Most ghosts are meant to have between 1 - 5 in those attributes with anything higher reserved for the truly powerful.  Give the ghost what it needs to be a reasonable threat or an interesting ally.

Faking It

There is nothing to say you have to rely on the Numina you have in front of you.  You can feel free to make your own.  You could even treat ghosts as a series of magical traps, really, with a dice pool listed by every event.  Enter the living room and the fireplace erupts for Power + Finesse dice with a chance of setting alight any player character who fails a Dexterity + Athletics roll.  Then if you go into the kitchen you must cope with a nauseating stench (Power verus Composure roll) that might well levy a -2 penalty, and so on and so forth.  This can actually work out better more often than not as it feels more natural.

Examples

Naturally I'm going to include a few more of the violent sorts of ghosts that are a bit unusual since you can largely create your own haunting patterns or regular ghosts as you please.

Myling

The myling is an infact who died after a life without knowing the love of a caring parent and whose bodies were left without a proper burial.  Those who cross the woods at night might well hear the Myling mewling and moaning and if they search for the sound of the babies cries they will find a baby in the woods.  Mylings are filled with pain, frustration, coldness and hunger

Mylings are thought enormous and apparently grow heavier as they near the graveyard, to the point where any person carrying one (or more) could sink into the soil. If one should prove unable to make it into the cemetery, the myling kills its victim in rage.  If the person who picks it up has an unclean heart (Morality 5 or lower), the Myling inflates to an enormous size and attempts to crush or rend apart it's victim (brawl attacks on a grappled target). 

If picked up by someone with a clean heart (Morality 6 or higher), it seems to weigh down on the person carrying it as though the burden of its sorrow, frustration and misery presses down on the person's shoulders and the ground before him is like a bog that he slowly sinks into.  The carrier must roll repeated Resolve + Composure checks to carry on and for every failure he sinks half a foot into "bog" before him.  He must make such a roll 10 times before he will reach his destination and he cannot put his burden down nor can it be wrested away from him without taking the skin off his hands as well (two aggravated damage).

Power 7, Finesse 5, Resistance 6, Size 2 - 10.  Numina: Banshee Wail (child-like), Drain, Morality Crush (read description).

Rusalka

Rusalkas are ghosts formed by those who died by drowning and now haunt their resting place as beautiful versions of themselves with long green hair like floating weeds and pale skin.  Such ghosts can only be seen after dark, often spotted dancing beneath the moon, sometimes calling out watchers by name to lead them into the water to drown.  Some are known as river-women, most often killed by lovers.  Either way the ghostly entity is anchored to the body of water where they died.  They have the same racial blessings as a Nixie though they were rarely Nixies in life.

Power 3, Finesse 7, Resistance 3, Size 5.  Numina: Call Water, Camouflage, Choke, Deluge.

A good list of numina can be found here.

Fianyarr race: Human



A male Human.

Campaign World: Fianyarr.

Nicknames: Traveller, Planeswalker, Warmonger.

Origins: Some of the First who came to this world settled upon the planes where they could see far and wide.  They thought they had plenty of time to go where the others had gone and instead turned their attentions to the land itself.  They turned their hands to seeding the soil and convinced animals to obey.  Once the bridge to the heavens were sundered, the First who would become humanity clothed themselves in human skins and traveled to the other groups of the First to learn their lessons and coordinate a method of survival upon this world.

Demeanor: Since humanity first turned to tools to survive, they lack much of the natural weaponry that other races can rely upon.  Due to this, humans have learned to be incredibly versatile and to find some way to benefit from the other races and animals that roam this world.  This leads to both some rather warlike behaviors and some of the most cunning and beautiful acts of diplomacy and kindness out of all of the races.

Rumors: Other races often consider humans to be emotional, cruel and capricious beings who are always on the verge of war if they feel in some way deprived or insecure.  Such a drive for dominance can only be countered by war and flat refusals to deal with them.  While one human may be reasonable, no society of their kind can be trusted.  Therefore it is best if their societies are pushed into the most dangerous areas where they must huddle inside their walls at night for fear of the monsters that prowl at their gates.

In other lands, humans have won dominance over the area and rule with either benevolence or the much feared cruelty.  In still other places, humanity live under the rule of other races or rule alongside them.  One way or another, they are so often important in smoothing relations between the other races and are often most respected in that role.

Racial Abilities

Attribute Bonus: +1 to either Intelligence or Resolve.

Weakness: Humans have a tendency to take up causes and believe absolutely in their way of viewing things.  While some can shake off those beliefs enough to continue their actions, these beliefs tend to be rather persistent.  The player must decide on their human's most intrinsic beliefs.  The character is treated as though they have an additional vice (Wrath) whenever those beliefs are attacked.  Though they regain no willpower points for succumbing to it, they must roll Resolve + Composure or spend a willpower point to avoid responding in some way either now or in the future.

Flickering Acumen
Humans have learned that they must think quickly to get by in this world.  Humans can spend glamour to increase a single Wits roll on a one-for-one basis.  This glamour must be spent in the same round as the Wits roll is made  (Changeling Fireheart Kith: core book page 109).

Blade Lore
Due to their lack of natural weaponry and the dangerous locations they find themselves in, all humans are trained from an early age in using blades to protect themselves.  The character gains a free Weaponry specialty with Bladed Weapons (Changeling Soldier Kith: core book page 122).

Perfect Protocol
Due to the risks inherent amongst such strong and innovative believers as well as humanity's desire to be the diplomatic lynchpins of the world, all humans gain a 9-again on Social rolls involving manners or etiquette and can spend a Glamour for a +2 bonus to a single Manipulation or Presence dice pool to smooth over ruffled feathers (Changeling Chatelaine Kith: Changeling the Lost page 121).

Team Player
Humans know that they must work together to survive and their early experiences at teamwork assist them later in life.  When a human is the primary actor in a teamwork roll, add +2 to their roll.  If they are the secondary actor, the human may forgo their roll to give the primary actor a 9-again on their roll (Changeling Playmate Kith: Night Horrors: Grim Fears page 122).

Racially Restricted Merit
(**) Zeal: Humans are a passionate race and some become quite good at verbally championing that cause.  Such people gain a +1 bonus to any social roll where the human's cause proves helpful to the social action.  The character may also substitute their Resolve for a lower attribute once per adventure.

 (**) Favoured Weapon: Humans draw feelings of safety and security from the weapons they keep on themselves especially after prolonged use keeps them alive.  A specific weapon must be picked when this merit is purchased and it must be one that the character has come to rely upon.  While this weapon is on the human's person, they may add +2 dice to Resolve + Composure rolls.

Flashpoint: Pyrophobia, Ophidiophobia, and Arachnopohobia

The invisible voice in the Observation Chamber had just congratulated them on completing the Hematophobia Test and offered them a greater prize were they to complete all of the tests without resting. Proteus chose Pyrophobia as the least dangerous of the next two tasks as several of them had methods of protecting themselves against fire.

Pyrophobia Test

A thirty foot wide room with a domed roof that is thirty five feet high at its greatest point with a grilled chimney in the middle and a series of little tubes protruding from the roof around the edges.  Lhye went to grab the flame-like gem in the middle of the room (which was as sharp as the last one) and the door hissed shut and locked behind them.  The hoses started hissing and the group suggested setting it afire.

They dallied for a short period of time before Lunjun cast a Snapdragon spell which set it afire before too  much gas entered.  Seeing how it had seemed to pool low, Proteus and Lunjun realised the gas had been carbon monoxide - so they were lucky in their decision as if they'd waited to see if they could smell it they would have simply passed out.

While the jets of flame that pointed down by the walls heated the room, the escape hatch for steam, smoke and heat meant they had more time than they otherwise would to avoid being cooked.  They soon didn't have to worry about that so much when two orange gems appeared on either side of each other - and a scorching way appeared between them!  The ray darted across the room (much like a lazer) and everyone had to make a Reflex Save or take 3d6 damage (no damage on a successful save).  It did this twice and then a second ray appeared ... then a third.  By this time Lhye was on his way out and Proteus was struggling to keep folk healed.

So Archer strode into the middle of the room, ready to take the full onslaught when the fourth one appeared, as they all first crossed in the middle.

Ophidiophobia Test 

Similar in size to the previous room but this one has a spiraling snake carved into the floor with its head poking up from the middle, jaws open, green gem poised between them.  The snakes carved into the walls with a vertical up and down design whose heads come out from the gap between ceiling and wall had open mouths as well.  Archer took the gem, the door hissed shut, and the open heads began hissing.  Little did anyone realise, but it was a hallucinogenic gas!

Well, I say little did anyone realise but soon enough Proteus figured it out as he was the only one who made his save and a Knowledge Nature roll.  He perched up on the spot where the green gem was before and watched with interest as illusory snakes dropped loose from the open mouths of the stone snake heads and his friends began to hallucinate - hallucinations that would help convince them that those illusory snakes were real.  Proteus knew that this was a test and that if he were to simply explain the situation then none of his allies would pass.  I didn't yet inform the players of the hallucination - figuring I'd frighten them with real hit point damage and fake ability score poison damage.

Lhye immediately cast Calm Emotions, hoping to calm down the snakes, which had the very beneficial result of turning their bad trip turn into a good one.  Then Archer told Proteus he should charm the snakes with his singing.  Proteus figured that was a good enough result and so did so but instead of singing he used Perform Oratory to do a Distraction that would help the PC's break through the illusion - which they promptly did.  It didn't stop them from hallucinating snakes but at least these were regular nonharmful hallucinations.

Lunjun also managed to roll a 20 on this new check and was able to both 'trip' and also to know which bits were from the trip and which bits were real.  That made it quite an odd experience but at least he got to enjoy the trip without being confused by it.  Archer simply sat down to tea with his snake hallucinations while Lhye imagined that Proteus' had many waving arms.  After about five minutes of this they were allowed to pass the test.

Arachnophobia Test

This test was quite a bit different to what they expected.  Thick slightly sticky web hung like hammocks from the ceiling, obscuring the hole beyond it, and there was a grille across the floor with darkness beyond it.  Lunjun refused to take the lilac sphere as he needs a gun in one hand an off hand for spell casting so having a sharp sphere dig into his hand wasn't his idea of a fun time.

So, contrary to expectations, rather than spiders immediately appearing when the door slid shut, instead dozens of needles jabbed up through the grille holes again and again - each one tipped with poison.  They came out in waves and patterns so Archer managed to flip about and dance around their sudden eruptions.  Proteus leapt up onto the gemstone pedestal and out of the way.  Lhye immediately started floating.  And Lunjun?  Lunjun pulled out his wooden chest from his Bag of Holding and sat on it.

Poor Archer thought people were stabbing at him and kept trying to hack at the needles with his sword.  Lunjun thought the needles jabbing against the underside of the chest sounded like morse code but he also knew it was likely to be a hallucination.

Lhye floated up to the 'soft hammocks' and soon found himself entangled.  His weight tore at the webbing and he hit the ground - getting jabbed and poisoned for his efforts.  Naturally he failed his Fortitude save and took maximum Con damage on a 1d4.  The webbing fell heavily on Lunjun, knocking him half down and poisoning him (max damage) before he could scramble back up onto his box.  Proteus managed to stay on his pedestal.  Archer wasn't in the way of the webbing.

From the hole that had been obscured above them, they see a giant spider ready to fall and surrounded by a swarm of tiny spiders!  Archer fired a dragon's breath round which saw off the low CR spider swarm and a few shots by the others took out the giant spider before it could attacked.  The needles stopped jabbing at them.  The door slid open.

Rewards

The invisible voice revealed herself to be ... a succubus!  The scandal!  The very illegality!  No wonder she had been invisible for so long.  If anyone knew then the old mayor (and likely each and every one after) would be ruined!  She offered herself as a reward, which Proteus took her up on with sadistic pleasure and abandon.  He gained her favor and used the attribute bonus on Charisma.  Lhye used a Major Curse to give the succubus a delusion where she would believe herself a Calistrian Vengeance Demon - changing her alignment (for now at least) to Chaotic Neutral.  Proteus punched him for stopping him mid-act but Lhye still gave his lecture on Calistrian principles to the demoness who now thought herself brainwashed by the Abyss.

Meanwhile, Lunjun made a house out of magic using a spell while Archer made tea for himself and the floating cat (who appeared to be wavering indistinctly to him).  The Naiad watched them all with curiosity and seemed pleased - in a distant kind of way - with Lhye's actions toward the succubus.  In the magic house, the cat slept at the foot of Archer's bed (ignoring the cat bed Lunjun had designed for it), the eagle perched on the edge of the cat bed (ignoring the bird perch) and only Proteus' monkey enjoyed its hammock and swing that had been custom built for it.

Everyone then retired to bed.

Fantasy Version of the Dreamscape

Dreams mix metaphor with reality yet what at first appears
strange soon feels more real.
(The Witcher)

Generally dreams in fantasy worlds revolve around omens and fortune telling but I think there are more applications out there for people.  If you want to include some very Alice In Wonderland segments than exploring a land in dreams can provide a chance for some highly fantastic situations, which can be fantastic if you choose to play  Fianyarr as a more gritty Skyrim, Dragon Age or Witcher-style setting.  Anything can happen dreams and often the associations people have can lead into each other.

One thing to consider here is that the Dreamscape is highly reactive.  Even a fortress constructed of dreamstuff within the mind of a powerful sorcerer will be prone to shifting and reacting to the subconscious whims of intruders.  And yes, such robust fortresses can most assuredly be made in the world of dreams.  At the Storyteller's discretion, PCs can make them as well through pledges though obviously they only have access to them while they are sleeping and they need to share them with at least one other person.

Also bear in mind that willpower points stand in as health levels and that death (unless otherwise specified) is not the end.  Those who die will return to the dreamscape in approximately the same place 1d4 real world minutes or 1d6 dream hours later.  They will, alas, suffer from a temporary mild derangement that lasts for a day.  If they die again, that derangement will last a week.  The third death will either provide another mild derangement for a day on top of the weeklong one or simply upgrade the mild derangement to a severe one that lasts for a day - and so on and so forth.

Those within the world of dreams also have statistics like a spirit in that their highest top stat (Strength, Intelligence, or Presence) becomes their Power, their middle stat (Dexterity, Wits, or Manipulation) becomes their Finesse, and their bottommost stat (Stamina, Resolve or Composure) becomes their Resistance.  Adjust all Initiative and Defence rolls accordingly.  Leave willpower the same as before.

Finally characters can get bonuses to their rolls through using fantastic descriptions.  They can gain a +1 bonus for coming up with cool or evocative descriptions that match the location or mood (i.e. darting across a gap in the shadow of a giant clock's arm), +2 bonus for coming up with an awesomely evocative description (i.e. setting fire to their sword before attempting to hack the creature of shadow), and a +3 bonus for anything that wows the Storyteller or floors the other players with its ingenuity.

So what would you do with the Dreamscape?

Think about all of the fantasy uses for dreams. People might be attacked by living nightmares that tear their flesh even as they devour the victim's mind. Myths and omens might become apparent in dreams. Dreams might reveal a character's hidden hopes and dreams - helping them realise who they love and what they fear. People might even become trapped in dreams, requiring others to venture inside to help them escape. An enemy's secrets might be learned in their dreams by those who are willing to brave the Dreamway that weaves between each dreamer's mind.

People tend to be less protective of their dreams, after all, feeling safe within them.

Of course when using dreams one needs to decide whether the people of Fianyarr will all be Lucid Dreamers or not. My advice would be to make it a simple merit - perhaps even only a single dot. That way it is easy enough for those who wish to bend their hand to oneiromancy to do so without ensuring that every visit to another person's dream leaves the dreamer immediately aware and defensive.

So how do you create a dream?

Think in symbols. Change the reality with sudden changes or drifts in thought. Ensure that players who wish to change the dream need to be quite aware of the risks inherent in doing so. The dreamer's associations are paramount here so introducing a clown into the dream of someone who is terrified of clowns will create quite a different experience to introducing a clown to the dream of someone who loves them. Since emotions are king here it's also a good idea to pay attention to both the invaders' and the dreamers' emotions. Sadness can be infectious, wiggling its way into the hearts of all present, and a sudden change of heart can cause a dramatic shift in the dream - even ending it abruptly as the dream cycle begins anew.

Also remember that a dream cycle doesn't actually take very long in the real world so what feels like hours within a dream might be mere minutes in the real world. This is important to remember, of course, if a person needs to be present by the person's bedside before getting into the target's dream.

There are certain psychic merits that allow dream travel but that shouldn't stop you from introducing potions, dream pledges, special rings, or rituals unique to a particular dreamer that allow others entrance. The rules must be subservient to the story, after all.

So how might you use dreams in your games?

Character Traits Part 1

Here are a number of traits I put together for a game that I never ended up running.  Not sure how much use you'll get from it but thought you might be interested.  Personal downfalls do make a character far more interesting, after all.  They're based off the World of Darkness 'Flaw' system and some of them duplicate the ones found in the old World of Darkness - though with slight tweaks.

Wallflower

You just don’t know what to do about public attention.  The very thought of giving a speech makes you clam up.  Going to dances is a dreadful event that leaves you sitting on a chair beside the wall, hoping desperately that no one notices you.  You just wish you could do your thing in the background and it takes a Willpower roll to muster up the nerve to grab attention.

Gambling Addiction

You are addicted to games of chance where there is an opportunity to win something – ideally something big!  You find it difficult to avoid an offer at dice, a game of cards, or a chance to bet at the races and this can become a problem both financially and time-wise when your team is expecting your assistance while you’re distracted by cards.

Alcoholic

You need to have at least a few glasses of alcohol a day in order to feel human and will go to great lengths to obtain those glasses.  This Downfall assumes that you spend most of your time tipsy rather than drunk.  If you drink excessively as well as constantly and are often drunk than you should also take the Binge Drinker Personal Downfall.

Binge Drinker

While you don’t necessarily need to drink often, when you do drink you always drink to excess.  What’s the point in a single glass of wine when you can have an entire bottle?  You just really enjoy the freedom that alcohol can bring or perhaps you just want to drown your fears in a bottle whenever you can.  Either way, you will drink whenever the opportunity presents itself and you will drink to excess.  You can make multiple Willpower rolls to stop yourself at each level of drunkenness (Sober, Tipsy, Drunk, and Plastered).

Drug Addict

You need the sweetness of a drug to dull your pain and help you rise to the heights of pleasure that you have become used to.  Possible drugs might be opium, marijuana, heroin, and cocaine. You will go to great lengths to sate your drug addiction.

Phobia

Select a phobia from the list in the Insanity section however you have a mild version of this and do not have to roll to deal with it if circumstances persist.  However, you will do what you can to avoid it if it is unnecessary.  For example, an arachnophobic housewife who won’t deal with spiders if they can help it but can, and have, killed the odd spider they find if there’s no one else to do it.

Lusty

You’re like putty in the hands of anyone with a pretty face and this can make you a liability if a femme fatale sets her sights on you ... or even if a handsome man enters the pub you’re meant to be staking out.  You’re easily distracted by attractive members of the appropriate sex, after all.

Easily Tempted by Greed

There’s something about the siren song of cold, hard cash that calls to you.  Something about the beauty of printed currency.  The shining splendour of gold.  Nothing motivates you like a fancy reward and you’re always tempted to take an offered bribe.

Arrogant

You know best.  Of course you do.  There are a large number of reasons why people should listen to you and accept what you say as fact.  Anyone who disputes you deserves to be put in their place.

You can find more character traits next week in Part 2.

Fianyarr Class: Guardians



Yuna (Yuna Final Fantasy X)

Campaign World: Fianyarr.

Purpose: The wilderness has its own needs and there are people of the various races who are chosen to fulfill those needs.  Such people may have been contacted by guardians of special locations, raised by beasts, or simply felt a call to protect the balance between the needs of the First's descendants and the needs of the world around them.  If the balance shifts too far in favor of the First's children, after all, the world itself will not be able to sustain itself and all will die.  Thus druids are the keepers of the wild places and though they sometimes struggle in vain, most will hear them out.

Guardians aren't simply there to prevent too much logging of a particular area (though they are the first to preach the values of wood farming) but also focus on ensuring that lake spirits aren't taunted, volcanoes tempted to erupt, Verges opened, or even the borderlands between the various areas from fraying.  If there is some terrible calamity waiting around the corner to be unleashed you can be sure that there are druids called to protect it.  For their service, they are assisted in their efforts by the wilds itself.

The Call: They know the end times in its hundred forms.  It could have been burned into their retinas during an ancient ceremony or experienced through terrible nightmares or simply passed down through oral traditions that they understand like no other.  Sometimes it is simply a knowledge as to which mountain should not be disturbed or which glade can't be cut down.  Some call the guardians naieve optimists or hopeless fools.  This couldn't be further from the truth.  Guardians know what's at stake.  They see the end times that could be upon us and know it for what it truly is.  Obliteration.  They smile because it hasn't happened yet and that provides them with a level of satisfaction that few can match.

Blessings of Nature's Protector

Heartsfriend: Even wild animals can often get a sense that the guardian's needs so often match its own.  A guardian can spend a point of glamour and look into a mundane bird or mammal's eyes to turn it into a loyal pet until the next sunrise or sundown.  Changeling Skogsra Kith: Winter Masques page 107.

Leap of the Faithful: Guardians have to traverse some dangerous terrain and sometimes the only way open is to take a leap of faith ... twice.  Those who are blessed in the way of the Protector not only can leap or jump as though they were Size 7 but they can also spend a point of glamour to forge the air into a temporary platform and jump again - thus giving them two rolls to either jump vertically or leap horizontally.  Custom Kith.

Survivalist: Guardians often spend their time in places that are inimical to their life and they often have to do it alone.  They may have 9-Again on all of their survival rolls to forage and may survive by eating any plant - even if it's bark - without risk of poisoning. Changeling Woodblood Kith: core rulebook page 123.

Wilderness Assistance: Guardians have such a strong connection to the wilds that the wilderness itself seems keen to hide them from their enemies.  Not only do they gain a 9-Again on Stealth rolls but the Guardian can also spend a point of glamour to hide in an area of foliage even if they would normally be plainly visible.  The guardian must still make a stealth roll as normal but they will take no penalties for their chosen position.  Changeling Woodwalker Kith: core rulebook page 110.

Class Restricted Mechanics

Restricted Class Merits: Animal Companion (* to ****), Architectural Attunement (****), Ephemereal Reckoning (** or ****), Friend of Beasts (* or **), Hedge Gate Sense (*), Hedge Companion (* to ***), Hobgoblin Trainer (**), Mystic Speech (Custom: +1 bonus to psychic powers and rituals when spoken) (*), Natural Immunity (*), Outdoorsman (**), Pleasing Aura (***), Savage Kenning (***), Spirit Ear (****), Strong Lungs (***), Unseen Sense - Spirits (***).

Psychic Powers: Animal Empathy (** or ****), Animal Possession (****), Animal Rapport (*** or *****), Biokinesis (* to *****), Plant Empathy (*), Psychic Healing (*** or *****).

Rituals: Evocation (Spirits) (** or ****), Invocation (Spirit) (** or ****), See Spirits (**), Visionary Trances (** or ****), Weather Control (****).

Fighting Style: Armored Fighting (** or ****), Iaido (* to *****).

Fianyarr: The Dream Invaders



Not all Dream Invaders
are unwelcome.
(Sengoku Otome)

There is something very powerful about dreams in a fantasy world.  Oftentimes prophets and oracles speak about great changes coming to this world.  Chosen Ones find themselves besieged by prophetic dreams of their own and torn by nightmares of their past.  Wonderful entities seek people out in their dreams for conversation and terrible ones seek them out to torture them where they are most vulnerable.  And therein lies the rub, in the world of dreams we are each and every one of us quite vulnerable.

Even to those in Fianyarr who are lucid dreamers, the dreamscape is that part of us that is most intimate and yet which can never be fully protected.  To have one's dreams violated is a terrible experience and thus many superstitious talismans are created and sold in fantasy markets everywhere to aid in such protections.  Yet the likelihood of so many of those talismans working are quite slim.  But enough about that, let's talk about the dream invaders themselves....

Creating a Dream Invader

Dream Invaders have the statistics of spirits.  They have Power, Finesse and Resistance, after all.  They even have essence which they gain from the more spirited dreams they enter.  Their health levels work just as anyone else's health levels might work.  So how are they different to spirits?  Well, to begin with they can very rarely manifest outside of people's dreams and few of them even consider doing so.  They can travel through people's dreams or even through the tapestry of subconscious minds.  The Dream Invader must roll Power versus the victim's Wyrd to enter their dream state while the victim is dreaming.  Please find a few abilities below.  All but Hidden require the expenditure of a point of Essence.

Hidden: The Dream Invader can't be seen while in this state though they also can't actively do anything either.  If the dreamer actively seeks them out then they must roll Wyrd + Composure versus the entity's Power + Finesse to find them.

Wrongful Associaton: Some can attack you through this subliminal side of your brain, hijacking your subconscious thought processes, and twisting your emotions when you are least expecting it.  The person's mind, desperate to make sense of it all, will pin that emotion on the most likely target.  This could be the warm feelings of love or the sharp pang of terror.  The Dream Invader rolls Power + Finesse versus the victim's Wyrd + Composure to change the emotion in a sudden mood swing.

True Cuts: Others can injure you while you sleep, causing wounds to appear on your form that you gain while you are sleeping.  While combat functions much as it normally would in a dream combat, the pain you feel and the wounds that mark you are quite real.

Drain: Some tempt you into excesses of pleasure in your sleep in order to rob you of a point of willpower upon your awakening as you realise it was, alas, just a dream.  This disappointment causes the Dream Invader to be able to roll Finesse and gain essence equal to successes.

Devour Dream: The Dream Invader can roll Power + Resistance to devour your dream, good or bad, awakening the dreamer at once - though in a half-asleep state.  This costs the dreamer one willpower point, refreshing five essence for itself, though it also automatically consumes any other Dream Invaders caught in your dream unless their Resistance roll exceeds the one using Devour Dream.  While the dreamer themselves don't get a roll to resist, this numina can only be used upon them once a year so it's rarely a problem.

Lustborn: May roll Power + Finesse versus Wyrd + Composure after a particularly raunchy dream to turn dreamer's vice to lust for a day.  Naturally there are variants of this dream-based numina for those Dream Invaders which target other vices.

Tennin

There are those Angelics who help protect people within their very dreams inside the dreamscape.  The tennin are on such example as they consider themselves to be guardians of dreams.  These unnaturally beautiful women always appear dressed in colorful and ornate kimonos, incredibly well-designed jewelry, and long decorated scarves.  They are generally seen carrying either a lotus blossom (allows the carrier to pause a dream to speak with the dreamer at length for up to 5 minutes - this time cannot be interrupted by any other), a biwa (playing this instrument causes the dream to invert so that the victim enters the attacker's dream unless one of the targets succeeds on a Power + Occult + Wyrd roll versus the Tennin) or a flute (playing this instrument causes all listeners to regain a willpower point once per minute though they can't assault anyone during this time).

Power 4, Finesse 5, Resistance 3, Size 5, Health 8, Rank 3, Essence 20.
Numina: Hidden, Others Listed In Description.

Baku

There are some Dream Invaders that actually devour dreams, both good and bad, and which are renowned for their ability to remove (likely by consuming) other Dream Invaders.  This is a shy creature that appears to be a chimera with an elephant's head, tiger's paws and an ox's trunk. 

Power 8, Finesse 8, Resistance 6, Size 8, Health 14, Rank 4, Essence 25.
Numina: Devour Dream, Hidden.

Incubus / Succubus

These rather famous Dream Invaders are blamed for all sorts of embarressing sex dreams though, alas, more often than not they are not involved.  When they are involved, however, the individual loses willpower and slowly grows more obsessed with the pleasures of the flesh experienced in their dreams and desire to make those dreams a reality.  This Dream Invader is referred to by the gender seen in the dream though, in truth, they usually don't favour one form or another.


Power 4, Finesse 6, Resistance 2, Size 5, Health 7, Rank 3, Essence 20.
Numina: Damnation's Path, Drain, Hidden.