#wodbrew

Note: this is a variation on the current Shadow system.

Shadows accumulate from traumatic events or intense exposure to creatures of Darkness. While Magical Girls have an innate resistance to Darkness, there are natural limits to this. Moreover, some powerful creatures of Darkness can intentionally inflict Shadows on their opponents. 

On its own, a single Shadow does little harm. The trouble is when they start to spread…

Examples:

An already stressed Magical Girl has a nasty, unresolved argument with someone she cares about. The resulting shadow may only last until they make up or she comes to terms with the fight, but it will certainly weigh on her and effect her behavior.

A civilian comes to harm because of a choice the Magical Girl made. Even if there was nothing she could do, or helping would risk her identity being known, guilt is the most common cause of a Shadow. 

The Magical Girl (or her friends) nearly die in a fight, and now she’s intensely aware of her own mortality, and ashamed of her ‘cowardice.’

Obviously, what does and doesn’t cause a Shadow depends on the Princess in question. The more happy and stable a Princess is, the less likely she is to accrue them or keep them. 

The easiest way to dispel a Shadow is to address the problem. Defeat the monster, have a heart-to-heart, prove yourself. Not everything can be fixed so easily, though, and some regrets might linger for a long time. 

What do Shadows do?

The easy answer is that they impose penalties on rolls related to the trauma. So a magical girl who recently nearly drowned might have trouble keeping her composure in water, or have nightmares that cause her to fall behind on schoolwork. 

I LOVE Princess the Hopeful, it's a delight! I'm running an ongoing kitchen sink game with it for @allhailschadenfreude. It's so hilariously out of sync with the rest of the setting that somehow it fits perfectly?

I haven't had a look at the others, but I do enjoy Genius the Transgression NPCs.

Dal Segno (…)

Prerequisite: Empathy 4 or higher. A General Charm that can be learned by any Princess.

Cost: 4 Wisps

Action: Full turn. Empathy only. 

Duration: Instant 

What makes a person who they are? Dal Segno is a Charm usable only by Princesses who truly seek to understand others, who see themselves even in their worst enemies.

It can be used out of combat, but the experience is so emotionally draining that most Princesses prefer to use their words instead. 

The target- whether enemy or friend- also experiences the memory at the same intensity, and instinctively knows who caused it. Depending on the memory and the person, this flashback may fill them with joy, sorrow, or even rage. The target may not have consciously remembered it before. A well-judged Dal Segno can end a fight entirely— or it may escalate it.

Requires the Princess to be looking directly at the Target. It cannot be resisted or contested.

Dramatic Failure: The Princess sees only scattered, incomprehensible images. Frozen in confusion, she skips her next turn. She cannot use the Charm on the target for 3 days. 

Failure: The Princess sees only scattered, incomprehensible images. She cannot use the Charm again on the target for one day. 

Success: The Princess and the target experience a formative memory. The Storyteller chooses whether this memory is a Light or Dark one.

Exceptional Success: The Princess is able to choose between a Light or Dark memory. All present see the memory.

Memory of Light

An important happy memory. May be anything from a few scattered moments to an entire episode-length flashback. This works even on irredeemable creatures of darkness, though the memory might be twisted in some way, or the creature no longer able to understand it. On the other hand, a memory of light might bring a struggling person back from the brink, or unearth a spark of goodness in a cynical villain’s heart. 

Memory of Darkness

I’m running a Halloween one shot where everyone is playing children, so I made mini character sheets for my players. This was a great chance to really pare down the standard WoD/CoD character sheet to its essentials, and make some modifications. Details of changes under cut.

Others did. Others ran screaming. Most didn’t make it out, and were swallowed whole. Any who survived did so on borrowed time, and hid away, waiting for the jaws to close shut.

But not you.

When terror came, when your worst nightmares wrapped around you, you let it envelope you until you became one with it. Your terror became sweeter than wine, and placed within your soul a deep and terrible hunger for more.

Now, you carry the terror everywhere. You spread it throughout the world. Perhaps you exalt in it. Perhaps you try to keep it at bay. Perhaps you worship it. But no matter what, you came back with this thing within you.

And it must be fed.

Beast: the Avatar.

Level 3 Token Description: An old but lovingly well-kept composite bow that appears to be made of maple wood and horn.

Use: Arrows shot by this bow will always find their mark, provided they are made of solid silver or gold. An iron arrow will also fly true, but it will irreparably break the bow in the process. Other arrows will always go awry.

Suitable arrows can be made or bought (either from a specialty metalsmith or a goblin market). They must be made entirely from gold or silver except for the fletching- just the arrowhead is not acceptable. If an unsuitable arrow is loosed, it will hit an ally, bystander, or other unwanted target.

Mien: The bow develops a faint tracing of gold and silver lettering along the wood grain. If read, it appears to be a fragment of poetry written in Farsi.

“The neatest explanation of the Wake is that it is a region surrounding all Leviathans which triggers instinctual responses of fear, servitude, and awe in normal humans.” -Leviathan the Tempest, Chapter 1

“You’re so vain, you probably think this song is about you.” -Carly Simon

Like Prometheans and Disquiet, Leviathans are springs of psychic strangeness, and they don’t get to control what happens when that hits a person’s brain. Madness takes its toll, obsession blooms, and latent abilities are wrenched to the surface.

Being near Leviathans for an extended period of time is like exposure to radiation, if the radiation was trying to claw its way into your brain and pry open your inner eye. Perhaps some of this is a person’s subconscious trying to warn them of the danger they are in, but in the World of Darkness, Leviathans aren’t the only things that hide in the depths.

Your coworker may start a cult, but it’s not guaranteed to be about you. Your roommate might start to see ghosts or spirits (that may or may not actually be there). Your neighbor may Awaken as a Mage. Your friend may get migraines when you hang out. Its a mixed bag, really.

Unique Reactions

Atoll- A human who is completely unaffected by the Wake. It could be argued that they actually have a Wake of their own, since they create a small countering effect that can protect people near them and even calm the Tempest.

Fanatic- a human who becomes obsessed with a Leviathan, whether it be out of love or fear. If you get enough of them together, you have a Cult. (formerly Beloved)

Ahab- essentially, a very focused Slasher created by the same force that makes a Fanatic, but they haaaate you. (Honestly, 10/10, no notes, I love this concept)