Chapter 2 - Part 4 - Qualities And Drawbacks - Section S

## Schmuck

2-POINT DRAWBACK

"Klaatu Verata Nikpllphhh." Pretty much says it all. Schmucks are those goofballs who always screw up those critical moments. Their actions don't usually destroy the world, but they come close. They certainly make life much more difficult - both for them, their companions, and everyone who draws breath.

Schmucks must make an Intelligence (not doubled) roll whenever tasked with some critical mental task, such as repeating magical phrases, mixing magical potions, or talking their way out of trouble. Failure means the hero flubs in some way that has fairly serious results down the road. Once the die is cast, the player should try to roleplay the tragic error and at least give the rest of the group a chuckle out of it. Your Director might reward good ad libbing with a Drama Point. The hero'll need it.

This Drawback is only worth two points because it's fairly easy to circumvent. The character can always let someone else recite the magic words or create the potion.

## Secret

VARIABLE DRAWBACK

There exists a dangerous and hidden fact about your character. This could be a secret identity or a shady past. The more damaging the secret if it became known, the higher the value of the Drawback. For example, damage to your Cast Member's reputation and livelihood would be worth one point; a threat to his wellbeing (he might be arrested or deported if the truth were known) two points; life, limb, and lymph nodes three points. Some Slayers have a Secret identity (Buffy’s concern about hiding her powers varied over time).

## Showoff [not in revised so possibly irrelevant]

2-POINT DRAWBACK

The whole world is the Showoff's audience, and she loves to perform for it. She never misses a chance to cast a spotlight on herself or her accomplishments, while quickly excusing or covering up her mistakes. A Showoff loves public acclaim, or at least the respect of her peers. Most of the time, she simply makes sure people notice her, but on occasion she might try a bit too hard to attract attention to herself and her deeds. This Drawback is slightly more complex than the Covetous (Conspicuous) Drawback, and the Showoff is less likely to betray her principles in order to hog the spotlight.

## Situational Awareness

2-POINT QUALITY

The observant almost always knows what is going on around them, and can react with uncanny quickness to the unexpected. These characters gain a +2 bonus to any Perception-based roll to sense trouble or danger in the immediate surroundings. It is very hard to be stealthy around them; the same bonus applies when they resist any Crime or Acrobatics rolls made to sneak up on them.

## Slayer

16-POINT QUALITY

You know the spiel - she is the Chosen One: fights vampires and demons, spends nights in cemeteries, sewers, and other not-so-popular spots, and so on. Slayers are stronger, faster, and more resilient. They recover from severe injuries very quickly too—keeping a Slayer down is not easy. They are not immortal, though. Slayers generally lead short, violent lives—as a career path, it’s never going to beat oceanography. But nobody chooses to be a Slayer; it’s something that just happens. Slayers get the following goodies.

* +3 to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution; +2 to Willpower. These bonuses can raise the Slayer’s Attributes above the human maximum of six. Also, none of the Slayer’s physical Attributes can be below four after bonuses are applied.
* Fast Reaction Time, Nerves of Steel, and five levels of Hard to Kill (an additional five levels can be purchased on top of that). On the down side, they get an automatic Adversary (Demons and Vampires) worth five points. The duties of the Slayer count as a 3-point Obligation Drawback.
* +1 free level of the Getting Medieval and Kung Fu skills (they must also spend at least one point apiece on those skills, for a minimum beginning level of two in each).
* Damage is regenerated at a rate of one Life Point per Constitution level, every hour. Slayers recover from injuries unnaturally fast.
* The ability to sense the presence of vampires nearby (within 100 feet) by concentrating for five seconds (one combat Turn) and making a Perception (not doubled) roll (some Slayers don’t bother, they use fashion sense instead).

Slayers cannot add the Jock or Initiative Commando Qualities; their Attribute bonuses already reflect intensive physical training. They cannot have the Watcher Quality, either, for rather obvious reasons.

## Slayer-In-Training

4-POINT QUALITY

Many Slayers become the Chosen One without having a clue about what's going on (can you say...Buffy?). Others are more lucky (or less, in some ways). There are methods to determine if a given girl has the potential to become the Slayer after the current one passes to the Great Beyond (read: has been horribly munched on by some Big Bad). In some places, these Chosen Maybes are trained and prepared to assume their role. The lovely and late Kendra was one of those; she was ready and willing to assume Slayerhood (not that it did her a lot of good when Drusilla cut her throat).

Like Slayers, Slayers-In-Training have to be humans of the female persuasion (girls, meathead!). They get a +1 bonus to any two physical attributes (to represent their exhaustive physical training), and +1 to the following skills: Acrobatics, Kung Fu, Getting Medieval and Occultism. They do not get any of the special powers of a real Slayer, however. They get a 1-point Obligation (Watchers Council) Drawback (they've got to spend a lot of time training and learning about the occult) and a 1-point Adversary (Various) Drawback (it's possible to determine who has the potential to be a Slater and some bad guys like to get all pre-emptive-y).

If a character with this Quality becomes the Slayer during play, she gets the Slayer's physical bonuses, but doesn't get the skill bonuses (they are already taken care of). The new Slayer must pay 14 experience points to reach her "upgraded" status.

## Slayer and Slayer-In-Training

18-POINT QUALITY

Characters can have both the Slayer and Slayer-In-Training as Qualities during character creation (this would result in a Kendra-like character). The Attribute bonuses of both Qualities stack, but the skill bonuses do not.

## Snake Folk

3-POINT QUALITY

The Snake People are a demonic race, but that doesn't mean they are all bad. A renegade Snake Person is possible as a Cast Member if you, in your infinite wisdom, decide such a character is appropriate. For most games, it's probably not a good idea, but here it is, just in case.

Attributes: Snake people get a +1 to Dexterity and Constitution. Other attributes remain the same.

Qualities and Drawbacks: The powers and vulnerabilities of the Snake People are described in the main text......ADD THIS LATER.......They have a poisonous bite and can assume the appearance of humans. On the down side, they are impaired during the day, their voices sound funny, and they look like talking geckos.

## Sorcery

5-POINT/LEVEL QUALITY

Some people have the spark of magic. They can use the dark arts more easily than normal students of the occult. Your character’s Sorcery level is added to spellcasting rolls up to level five (after that, additional levels only help with repeat casting penalties, see ADD THIS). It is also used for other witchcraft powers, like telekinesis and sensing the presence of magic. Characters with Sorcery can cast some spells faster than normal, allowing them to actually use magic in the middle of a fight - your basic witch-fu. Don’t get cocky though; Sorcery is no magic bullet against the unpredictability and dangers of magic use. Reach for the spells too often and something potentially very nasty is going to come your way. You’ve been warned. Magic and the role this Quality plays in it are described in Chapter Four: Playing With Primal Forces.

## Spirit Medium

2-POINT QUALITY

Your character can see (and talk to) dead people. While not everyone leaves a ghost, many people who have been murdered, especially those killed by magic or monsters, do. While only a few ghosts can actually appear to ordinary mortals, this character can see all of the faint and intangible restless spirits that lurk on the edges of the mortal world, hoping that someone like her will see them and heed their pleas for justice and vengeance.

Unfortunately, your character has no choice about hearing these pleas. If they are talking, she can hear them. They can also hear her, so if your character yells at them to shut up and leave her alone, the more timid ones may do just that. On the other hand, all the living people nearby hear her shouting at the air like a lunatic—not the best way to make friends or get a date. The worst part of this ability is that ghosts can tell that your character can hear them and often follow her around. Learning some simple wards like the Circle of Binding might be useful, but then you have to figure out how to get the spirit to enter the circle.

## Status

1-POINT/LEVEL QUALITY OR DRAWBACK

Don't use this Quality if your hero is going to be hopping in and out of different settings (ask your Director if you're not sure). If you're basically stuck in one locale where a character's societal rank can actually be used, feel free to spend those points.

This trait represents the standing of the character in the eyes of the people around him. It includes any fame, glory, notoriety, or social position the character possesses. In medieval Europe, Status was hugely important. Titles and position were well worth fighting over.

For those with a more modern backgroudn, Status could also reflect military rank or job title (assuming that standing has any impact on the current situation). The Status Table runs down a few examples. Others should be devised based on the table entries.

In modern society, access to, or the ability to generate, wealth often creates societal position. A character gains a +1 bonus to his Status equal to one-half his Resources level (if positive). In medieval times, access to resources was generally a function of status and thus is not purchased separately. That may not always be the case however, and the Resources bonus may be applied at your Director's discretion.

Status may affect some rolls (mostly involving influence - the "Do you know who I am?" factor). But it's largely a background tool. Low-status people have considerable more problems functioning in society. They are more likely to be harrassed by the authorities. Doors are closed to them. High status people can get away with more. Their word carries more weight, the authorities cut them more slack, and merchants may offer better deals hoping they tell all their high society friends. On the down side, high Status may come with obligations, as those of a feudal lord to support and defend his vassals.

## Supernatural Attack [Demons and Supernaturals]

VARIABLE QUALITY

Maybe your supernatural can expel fire out of some unmentionable orifice, or spit gobs of acid, or something equally nasty. This type of attack is not dependent on the critter's Strength (unlike Natural Attacks). The more damage the attack does, the more it costs. How far the attack reaches also plays into the cost. Close combat attacks (use Kung Fu and Dexterity to "hit" the enemy) are cheaper than ranged attacks (use Gun Fu and Dexterity to "shoot" the attack, or, if the attack is something unusual, a Wild Card Skill instead of Gun Fu). Ranged attacks fire as far as a pistol; those that can reach rifle ranges do half damage.

Minor: The attack inflicts twenty points of damage. It costs four points for close, eight for ranged.

Major: The attack inflicts thirty points of damage. It costs seven points for close, twelve for ranged.

Deadly: The attack inflicts fifty points of damage. Fifteen points must be spent for close, twenty for ranged.

Massive: The attack inflicts one hundred points of damage. It costs thirty-five points for close, forty for ranged.

## Supernatural Form [Demons and Supernaturals]

1- OR 2-POINT DRAWBACK

Let's face it - even in L.A., youÕre going to get second glances if you're a big red bipedal lizard with a prehensile tail. But not all demons look like demons; some actually look like supermodels. For the unfortunates who don't, having a supernatural face is a Drawback. Some critters can instantly switch back and forth between a human shape and their real one (pausing just long enough for cool morphing FX). In some cases, they have to change into their non-human form to use their special powers.

Definitely Not Human: Your character just can't pass himself off as human. His favorite time of the year is Halloween, 'cause then he can at least show his face. This is a two-point Drawback and carries with it an Attractiveness -2 feature. Additional negative Attractiveness levels can be acquired for extra points. Alternatively, positive Attractiveness levels can be purchased separately to neutralize the downside of always having your supernatural side up front.

Dual Shape: The being has a human and a supernatural form. He can switch at will and nearly instantly, although sometimes anger or surprise (or sneezing) brings forth his true shape involuntarily. This costs no points unless the human form is weaker (for example, any supernatural powers only apply to the demon form), in which case this is a one-point Drawback. The character can have a split Attractiveness level, one for each form (which is purchased separately). If Life Points are increased in the demon form, reverting could bring the human into a world of pain (and negative LPs).

## Supernatural Senses

Any level of this ability enables the being to tell by sight (or smell or sound or in particularly intrusive cases, taste) if someone is a human, a vampire, or a demon. Others have more sharply defined powers. In some cases, they can actually "feel" people, "read" their auras, or pick up mystical clues. A Perception and Notice roll may be required and the Success Levels dictate the depth of the information gathered. Sometimes the input is overwhelming and just can't be missed (all this in your Director's discretion).

### Basic [Demons and Supernaturals]

1-POINT QUALITY

Your character can tell a being's basic nature - demon, vampire, magician, etc. Rarely is a Perception roll required.

### Empathy [Demons and Supernaturals]

2-POINT QUALITY

The being can tell what someone is feeling. People are generally pretty poor at hiding their anger, grief, or smug confidence. Most of the time, the empath can only read the strongest emotions a target is feeling. With particularly strong feelings or a very good Perception roll, the being learns about exactly how the target feels.

### Enhanced Senses [Demons and Supernaturals]

3-POINT QUALITY

This gent has one or more incredibly sharp senses (sight, hearing, smell, and so on), enabling him to track by scent or hear a whispered conversation a hundred feet away. The power requires the Acute Senses Quality (for each sense to be enhanced) and a minimum Perception 5. Where applicable, it doubles the bonuses of Acute Senses, but most of the time, no roll is needed.

### Fortune Telling [Demons and Supernaturals]

5-POINT QUALITY

The character can catch glimpses of the past and future by looking at someone or something. This can work like Psychometry (except with the possibility of future visions) or it can be dictated by your Director according to the needs of the plotline.

### Insight [Demons and Supernaturals]

5-POINT QUALITY

The supernatural can see detailed truths about a person (including Qualities and Drawbacks) by reading his aura - his nature, feelings, desires, fears, even possessing entities or other abnormalities. It can also be used to track, particularly by attuning oneself to the aura of certain beasts (as shown by Lorne's cousin Landok - this may require one or more Perception and Notice rolls). Any use requires at least a Turn or three of concentration.

### The Sight

3-POINT QUALITY

Your character can see magic and traces of supernatural power. She can also tell if someone is preparing to cast a spell and see at a glance if an item is magical. She can even see a faintly glowing residue indicating that magic has been used in an area during the last few hours. If the being spends a minute or so looking closely at someone and makes a Perception and Notice roll with two Success Levels, she can tell if the person is a normal human. If she makes the roll by three or more Success Levels, she can tell if the person is a witch, psychic, vampire, demon, or something undefined. The character cannot actually see ghosts in detail, but if one (or some other invisible supernatural being) shows up, she can notice a faint glow of power in its vicinity (no need for the normal invisibility Perception roll). She can also see through glamours and tell at a glance if someone is possessed. In those cases, she must make a Perception and Notice, or Perception (not doubled) roll with a number of Success Levels equal to or greater than the level of the illusion or possession spell, or the Willpower of the being using the power. If your character has this ability, she does need to be a bit careful, looking at things that no one else can see makes people think you’re pretty weird.