Reworking the Wake in Leviathan the Tempest
“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.
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)
WoDBrew Notes:
This comes out of my general dislike of games with a mechanic of ‘aura that makes NPCs automatically submissive and scared and obsessed with you.’ It limits the ways the game can be run, and I’ve been in more than enough games with That Guy, thanks.
So, psychic radiation. Might make you go crazy, might give you headaches, might wake up your superpowers. Genius the Transgression is another good option. And I can think of several unethical organizations in the setting who would try to study and use this effect, which fits too nicely with the Kaiju/creature feature themes.
I am amused by the idea of Dave from Accounting starting a completely unrelated cult while his cubicle buddy is Actual Cthulhu.
