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

## Talentless/Dullard

2-POINT DRAWBACK

The Talentless individual is totally lacking in creativity and artistic talent. Maybe she is too stolid and practical, or maybe she just doesn’t have the imagination to do anything artistic. This Drawback does not just affect her ability in the arts, but also in many social skills where flair and creativity are necessary.

Your character has a -3 penalty when trying to do anything artistic. This penalty does not affect Tasks where other people’s art is judged; many expert critics are Talentless. When she does try to create something, however, the best she can hope for is a mediocre result. In addition to the penalty, the character can never get more than one Success Level in artistic pursuits, regardless of how high her skill levels or rolls are. People with this Drawback also make poor liars, charmers, or social butterflies. The same penalty applies to such skills as Influence - a lack of creativity affects the ability to convincingly lie, charm, flatter, intimidate, or schmooze.

## Teenager

### Basic

2-POINT DRAWBACK

Life sucks when you’re a teenager. You feel like an adult, and you want plenty of adult things, but you don’t have the legal rights of an adult. Characters under the age of 18 get this Drawback (sure, you still can’t drink until you’re 21, but life is hard—suck it up). Most of the problems teenagers face are social. Most adults instinctively distrust and look down on them, they have a lot of legal restrictions, and they have parents or guardians bossing them around. And then there’s all that angst and heartbreak of their so-called lives, but that’s a different show.

### Screwed-Up Adolescent

4-POINT DRAWBACK

The real icing for a Screwed-up Adolescent is a onepoint Emotional Problem (resentment at the world and inability to control anger) and the Covetous (Mild Lechery) Drawback (this can be raised to the Serious level if you want to add a darker edge to this kid). Being raised in a hell dimension by an obsessed vampire hunter is just icing on the cake (though to hear some teens tell it, it's not all that different from the norm).

## Telekinesis

3-POINTS PER LEVEL QUALITY

This is your basic ability to move objects with the power of your mind. To use this power, your character rolls and adds his Willpower and Telekinesis levels. The Success Levels equal the "strength" of the levitation effect. So if the roll resulted in five Success Levels, your telekinetic could move an object with a Strength 5.

When tossing people around using telekinesis, the damage done is two times the Success Levels in Bash type. The telekinetic Strength (the Success Levels in the roll) must be sufficient to lift the person off the floor, though. Precise tasks (guiding a key into a keyhole, manipulating a keyboard) require a Perception and Telekinesis roll (with appropriate Success Levels as your Director demands). Attacks use Dexterity or Perception (player's choice) and an appropriate skill (staking a vamp would use Getting Medieval, firing a gun Gun Fu). All remote tasks suffer a -1 penalty because the telekinetic manipulates the object at a distance. Damage is set by the weapon and uses the telekinetic Strength level rolled. Tossing small objects requires only a Willpower and Telekinesis roll, and must overcome the targetÕs defense roll. The damage value of such an attack is two times the Success Levels rolled.

Telekinesis requires some effort to maintain. After a number of Turns equal to your character's Willpower, he has to make another Willpower and Telekinesis roll to maintain the power, at a cumulative -2 penalty. So, a psychic with a Willpower 4 would suffer a -2 penalty on the fifth Turn and a -6 penalty on the thirteenth Turn that he maintained an effect or used successive effects. This penalty applies to all telekinesis rolls until the psychic gets at least three hours of rest (as in magic use, see **??????**) between uses.

Let' s Revisit: If a character with a Willpower 4 was swinging a large axe with her Telekinesis (beats chopping wood by hand) and rolled a 16 (four Success Levels), she would have an effective Strength 4 for the next four Turns. On the fifth Turn, she would reroll Willpower and Telekinesis and subtract two; this could change her psychic Strength value.

## Telepathy

5-POINT QUALITY

Your character can speak into the minds of others. While doing this, he can also hear any thoughts directed at him in response. A telepath can mentally communicate simultaneously with a number of people equal to his Willpower. The duration in minutes and range in ten -foot increments depends on the Success Levels of a Willpower (doubled) roll. An exception may exist for those the telepath knows very well (as long as your Director buys into that). In that case, your character can communicate with such targets at any distance, as long as he can see them or knows where they are.

If the telepath touches someone or looks into his eyes, he can listen in on what the being is thinking. In this case, the subject resists the telepath's Willpower (doubled) roll with one of his own. If successful, your characterÕs Success Levels dictate the time (in minutes) that may be spent probing and the depth of the "read" (consult Mind Probe Chart). Using eye contact for mind probe telepathy only works if the target is less than five feet away. Sorry, no long distance or binocular-aided mind probing permissible.

Successive attempts to communicate telepathically or read someone's mind before resting at least three hours suffer a cumulative -2 penalty. So, for the second attempt, the roll suffers a -2 penalty; on the fifth attempt, an -8 penalty.

Mind Probe Chart
 2
 3
and a one sentence or less answer is revealed. Each additional Success Level
 4 or better
information available (provided the telepath specifically asks for it).

## Teleport [NPCs]

Popping around all over the place is not just good fun, it's really useful for avoiding midtown traffic jams. Those with the ability to teleport can instantly move from one location to another. Special effects - like a shimmering outline, a puff of smoke, or a watery dissolve - are just icing on the cake.

This is a super useful and super powerful ability. Feel free to limit it to Adversaries and Guest Stars as you see fit. Perhaps the creature can only beam to a place ten miles times their Willpower from the point they start. Or maybe the power can only be used once per hour without injury - any subsequent use causes Life Point damage equal to the character's Willpower. Or maybe a Willpower (not doubled) roll is required each time the power is used. Finally, you are more than welcome to devise means of keeping a teleporting critter out - say, magic wards, lead-lined chambers, those cool invisible dog fences, etc.

'Course, you could take another approach and expand the ability. It would no doubt be very useful if the character could pull a Leo and teleport others around with a shimmering light effect.

## Temporal Disturbance [NPCs]

Most monsters are unusual, but some are downright weird. There are those who create a temporal disturbance just by manifesting in our world. Time becomes nonlinear, repetitive, and very David Lynch. The area of effect radius is the possessor's Constitution times four in yards.

All Perception rolls are made at a -5 when the Temporal Disturbance manifests. Another -1 is added for every Turn that the character remains in a temporal disturbance. For example, if the Slayer has been fighting a group of demons for three Turns when such an effect was present, her Perception rolls would be made at a -7 penalty. Worse, a Perception (doubled) roll must be made every Turn to interact with anything while the temporal disturbance is in effect. Failed rolls result in anything from hitting an ally to kicking a wall to staking the wrong person. Of course the concept of Turn becomes confusing when time gets all nonlinear, but we trust your instincts in this matter. Naturally, those with this Quality are immune to its effects.

Temporal Disturbance comes in two forms. When controlled, the creature can decide when the wackiness manifests. Uncontrolled versions occur randomly or are "on" at all times.

### Describing Temporal Disturbances

The main effect of the Temporal Disturbance Power is profound disorientation - characters "under the influence" have trouble getting a handle on exactly what's going on around them. When describing it to the players, focus on how surreal the situation is - the monster appears and disappears at random, things hang for seconds in midair before falling, someone running out of the area of effect just vanishes. You could even make an encounter seem very nonlinear by wounding a character (or having her fall to the ground, etc.) before the critter even touches her. The key to a memorable Temporal Disturbance is creative weirdness.

### Optional Temporal Effects

Some of you might want a wider variety of effects for time-distorting demons. Hey, if you're nonlinear, you might as well do something with it. The following are some possibilities - they're strictly optional and probably aren't appropriate for Cast Members who have this power. As these are fairly potent abilities, each one forces the creature to use a Drama Point.

TEMPORAL DODGE: Instead of just ducking out of the way, the creature can blink just a few seconds forward or backward in time to avoid a blow. The demon can either gain a +2 on its next attack or vanish for one Turn (reappearing at a dramatically appropriate place and time).

ALTER TIME: If all isn't going well for the beastie, it can back up time a few seconds and take another stab at things. Damage done within the power's area of effect in the last Turn is automatically healed, broken objects are repaired, crossbows are reloaded, etc. Spent Drama Points (other than the one for using this power) . . . well, that depends on how nice you are to your players.

SLOW DOWN!: One target within the area of effect must succeed at a Willpower (not doubled) roll vs. the demon's Brains Score or lose all but one action for as long as she remains in the area. This means she can only attack or defend in close combat once each Turn (regardless of multiaction abilities) and most other actions (including quick-casting a spell) take twice as long as normal.

## Tool Man

3-POINT QUALITY

You know the drill. Or the chainsaw, or the weed whacker. Yeahm the one on the end of your stump, buddy. Take that handicap and turn it into an asset.

A character with the Quality must first take a Physical Disability Drawback. Both can be purchased during character creation. Alternatively, the Drawback could be imposed on your character during play (those nasty Directors). If that's the case, you need to spend experience points to gain this Quality, and you must also find someone to install your new Go-Go Gadget arm, leg, or whatsit. That takes a Mr. Fix-It roll with at least three Success Levels, not to mention some quality time with your stump.

Once you've got the Quality, you can add "attachments" to your refurbished phantom limb. Electrical attachments aren't much use unless they're rechargeable, and even then, finding some place to plug your stump in might be difficult, especially in medieval England or post-apocalyptic London. Useful attachements include gauntlets, chainsaws, and power drills but all sorts of other weapons can be strapped on. Knives, swords, Ginsus, and so on are treated just like the normal varieties, except they can never be dropped. Because they literally become part of their anatomy, characters with normal weapons (not power tools) attached add +1 to their attack rolls when wielding them.

## Totem Warrior

12-POINT QUALITY

Gifted with the power of animal spirits, Totem Warriors were created to battle the forces of darkness. Never numerous, the last Totem Warriors were killed by the evil entity, but a new gerneration has arisen in the small town of Grizzly Peak. (For a full description of the Totem Warriors go to section ?????).

Characters with this Quality get to be ass-kicking mystic warriors, almost as powerful as Slayers and with no gender restrictions. Pretty cool, eh? On the other hand, their abilities are primal in nature, which means they can sometimes lose control to their animalistic impulses (remember the hyena teens from Buffy episode The Pack? Well, Totem Warriors can get almost as bad).

Totem Warriors get eight bonus points to spread among their Attributes, with a maximum bonus of +4 on any one Attribute. The exact spread depends on the animal totem chosen by the character. As extra goodies, the characters get Acute Senses (again, the exact type depends on the animal spirit chosen), Fast Reaction Time and three levels of Hard to Kill (up to ten levels can be aquired in total). Also, the Warriors gain +1 to the Kung Fu (ah...Animal Fu?) Skill.

It's not all sweetness and light for these animal folks though. Totem Warriors have a -1 penalty to Willpower rolls to resist their basest impulses (as determined by their mental Drawbacks). They also gain an automatic Adversary (the Wendigos, their ancestral enemies) worth three points.

Totem Warriors cannot be Slayers or Werewolves. If they are turned into vampires, zombies or other undead, they lose their Totem powers.

### Animal Powers

#### Bear

The strong, loner types, Bear Warriors are the heavy lifters of the gang. Their stubbornness makes it difficult for others to influence or control them.

Attribute Bonuses: + 4 to Strength, +2 to Dexterity, +2 to Constitution.

Enhanced Senses: Acute Sense of Smell.

Special Ability: Bear Warriors get a +1 bonus to any rolls to resist fear, domination (magical or mundane) or intimidation (this bonus does not apply to trickery or seduction though).

#### Coyote

Coyote Warriors are tricksters and survivors. They are not very strong, but they are smarter and faster than wolves and can adapt better.

Attribute Bonuses: +2 to Strength, +3 to Dexterity, +1 to Constitution, + 1 to Perception, +1 to Intelligence.

Enhanced Sense: Acute Sense of Smell.

Special Ability: Coyote Warriors get a +1 bonus to any Crime, Influence, or Notice rolls dealing with trickery or deceit. This applies both to lying and tricking others, and to detecting the lies and tricks of others.

#### Eagle

The far-seeing Eagle Warriors are the scouts of the bunch. They cannot quite fly like their totems can, but they sure can jump.

Attribute Bonuses: +1 to Strength, +4 to Dexterity, +1 to Constitution, +2 to Perception.

Enhanced Sense: Acute Vision.

Special Ability: Eagle Warriors get a +2 bonus on any roll involing jumping or leaping, including Acrobatics and Sports.

#### Owl

Owl Warriors are wise, always alert and observant.

Attribute Bonuses: +1 to Strength, +3 to Dexterity, +1 to Constitution, +2 to Perception, +1 to Intelligence.

Enhanced Sense: Acute Vision.

Special Ability: Owl Warriors can see in the dark very well. As long as there is light available, they suffer no light penalties.

#### Puma

Powerful predators, Puma Warriors are strong, fast and deadly.

Attribute Bonuses: +3 to Strength, +3 to Dexterity, +1 to Constitution, +1 to Perception.

Enhanced Sense: Acute Hearing.

Special Ability: Pumas gain a +1 bonus on any rolls involving intimidation and fear (both to cause it and resist it).

#### Raven

Raven Warriors are tricksters, not unlike Coyotes. They are also attuned to magic and its workings.

Attribute Bonuses: +1 to Strength, +2 to Dexterity, +1 to Constitution, +1 to Perception, +2 to Intelligence, +1 to Willpower.

Enhanced Sense: Acute Sense of Smell.

Special Ability: Raven Warriors get a +1 bonus on Occultism rolls involving magic (either using it or understanding its workings.)

#### Wolf

The ultimate pack hunters, Wolf Warriors are the foot soldiers of the team, able to do a bit of everything.

Attribute Bonuses: +3 to Strength, +2 to Dexterity, +2 to Constitution, +1 to Perception.

Enhanced Sense: Acute Sense of Smell.

Special Ability: Wolf Warriors have a +1 bonus to any rolls involving teamwork with other characters, whether in sports (completing a pass), combat (helping out a teammate), or research (helping discover some secret).

## Toxin/Pathogen

Apart from the usual claws, fangs, and halitosis among the demon set, more exotic attacks are possible. Some nasties deal in poison or diseases. The exact affects of the attack vary, as does the delivery system. Using the following guides, nearly any effect can be categorized.

### Types

#### Minor

Periodic fits of laughter, bad rashes, headaches, damage up to 1 x Strength in Life Points, and other effects that cause at most a -1 to rolls while infected.

#### Serious

Double vision, high fever, hallucinations, uncontrollable telepathic ability, blinding migraines, damage up to 2 x Strength in Life Points, and other effects that cause up to -5 to rolls while infected.

#### Deadly

Coma, incapacitation, death, or any other effect that completely disables the victim. Effect may have lesser impact if a Survival Test is made.

### Antidotes

When a demon infects a human in some way, either inadvertently like the Scabby Telepath Demons from Buffy episode Earshot or deliberately like the Glark Guhl Kashma'nik from Buffy episode Normal Again, the antidote can often be found in the very same demon. Buffy's telepathy was cured by consuming a liquid made from the heart of the demon who infected her. The hallucinatory poison of the Glark Guhl Kashma'nik was nullified by a medicine made from the stingers of the same demon.

## Troll

6-POINT QUALITY

The people of Sunnydale, at least those with half a clue about what is really going on, have to keep constantly alert to the possible threat from vampires. Any random supernatural encounter will usually be with one of the blood-drinking undead. This is true for SunnyD, but is not necessarily true worldwide. Some places are too remote, don't have enough people, or simply get too bright (somewhere that might see sunlight for an entire day becomes pretty unappealing if your are solar-challenged). There are places where a different type of monster becomes the dominant supernatural predator. Such was the case in Scandinavia during the Viking Age, when trolls posed a constant threat to the medieval Scandinavians.

Trolls are big green-skinned humanoids with wild hair and horns on top of their heads (Attractiveness -4; again we're going to assume they aren't so hideous as Cast Members). Trolls get a +4 Strength, +1 Dexterity, +3 Constitution, and -1 Intelligence. Their tough troll hide gives them an Armor Value 2 and they start off with three levels of Hard to Kill (this can be increased to a maximum of ten levels). Trolls tend to be impulsive and irrational (crazy troll logic and all). This basically works like the Reckless Drawback, but can also lead to a troll coming up with a plan that any right-thinking being would never consider (though the troll sees nothing wrong with it). Other than that, trolls are a lot like humans with no impulse control. Some might be Honorable and others might have the Mental Drawback (Cruelty). Eating humans might be disturbingly common among the trolls, but it is not a matter of survival like blood drinking is for vampires. A Cast Member troll might be just as happy with a roast moose or a suckling pig (as long as there is plenty of ale to wash it all down).

Trolls did quite well for themselves back in the days of longboats and longer sagas. Things changed for the race when a young woman named Aud caught her husband cheating on her and used magic to transform him into a troll. Olaf the cheating husband became Olaf the Troll. Olaf terrorized his former neighbors as Aud became the Vengeance Demon Anyanka. It was Olaf who managed to wield the sacred Troll Hammer and become the Troll God. Olaf the Troll God could have led the greenskinned masses on a Viking raid of such excess that Europe might never have recovered from it. The thing that saved Western civilization is the fact that trolls are not the greatest long-term planners and a bunch of witches trapped Olaf and his hammer in a crystal. After that, the trolls left the world of humans for their own dimension, the Land of Trolls (okay, we are just guessing here). Things were pleasant there, full of trolls. That doesn't mean that the occasional troll adventurer, wanting to achieve enough glory to fill a very long saga, might not make its way to Earth to join the Cast Members in their ongoing adventures.