Making More of Talents in RMFRP IV

 Today I'm continuing to examine the notion of 'Talent Packs' in RMFRP as ways of rounding out, deepening or broadening character concepts beyond the limits inherent in a Profession. Although there's considerable potential for abuse and power creep in the concept (and its execution), that is limited to a certain extent by the fact that many Talent Packs and Linked Talents are confined to just a few Professions, Lineages or Cultures. In the Talents presented below, the range of possibilities is very narrow indeed: only those who are members of the Urban Labourer culture who are also Channeling users of evil disposition can select them - and in some cases, members of a particular Profession.

BASE TALENTS for any Urban Labourer Channeling (Evil) user (Talent Pack cost: 37)

The cost listed is the slightly discounted cost for purchasing the individual talent. The cost in brackets is the further discounted cost for purchase as part of the entire base Channeling (Evil) user talent pack.

Cost                             Talent

15(14)                          Curse-Monger (Power (Minor) + Innate Magician)

                                    Those who work in the name of evil deities love nothing better than to inflict pain and woe wherever they go. You are one such, and thus gain a special +20 bonus to all Spell Casting static maneuvers pertaining to the Revenging Law spell list, in which you gain 10 ranks.

9(8)                              Hidden Hand (Skilled (Minor))

                                    There are always enemies: Clerics of sickening moral purity, Mythics in search of heretics and wrathful, self-righteous Paladins, to name but a few. It is often best to keep your head down when working your dark dweomer, and so you gain a special +20 bonus to the Spell Trickery skill.

16(15)                          Mask of Respectability (Skilled (Major) x2 + Skilled (Lesser) x2 – Secret Identity)

                                    With the despised Priests of other faiths having much of the working-class in a spiritual lockdown, those who tread the path of Evil must be cautious. You have pursued a mundane career in parallel with your servitude to darkness, and hide your true self behind as if it were a mask. There is some danger, however: it is known that Evil is at work among the labouring classes, and opposing powers have sent enemies to root out those like you. You gain a +20 to Acting and Duping. In addition, you gain a +10 to either: a) two Craft or Craft-related skills, b) Trading and one Craft skill or c) Appraisal and Trading. Craft and Craft-related skills must be selected from the Urban Labourer Standard Hobby ranks list. Suitable combinations might include: Spinning and Weaving, Foundry and Weight-lifting, Barber and Interrogation (Gossip). Weapon skills and Body development are not appropriate.

 

PROFESSION-SPECIFIC TALENTS (may only be purchased if buying at least one of the talents in the Channeling User (Evil) Talent Pack)

CLERIC                 Secret rites in hidden places bind the minds and bodies of the tempted to Evil. The Evil Cleric can garner a rich feast of willing souls – tired of the oppressive weight of the Lawful priesthood – and develop extensive networks of dark influence in working-class districts (and ultimately, beyond).   Urban Labourer Clerics of Evil persuasion may select the following talent:

Cost                 Talent

44                    Blood Liturgy (Racial Training (Familiar) + Power (Minor) + Special Ability)

                        There is great power in blood. Evil Priests are not afraid to shed the blood of others and use it to fuel their powers. You gain +10 to Intimidation, Channeling, Public Speaking, Religion, Seduction and Torture. You also gain 10 ranks in the spell list Ceremonies. In addition, when you remove 1d10 concussion hits of blood from a willing or unwilling victim, you may make a Channeling skill roll. On a result of success or better, you may expend 1d10 Exhaustion Points and gain a number of Power Points equivalent to the hits of blood taken from the victim. These Power Points can only be used to cast spells from the Ceremonies spell list.

 

MYTHIC                Whilst it is uncommon for Mythics to take up the cause of evil, it is not unheard of, and Urban Labourers seem particularly drawn to such a career: perhaps because they seek to avenge themselves on a punitive culture and its most powerful figures, perhaps because Evil and its focus on the power of realising any desire, regardless of the cost seems the antithesis of working-class society in human lands. Evil Mythics from the Urban Labourer culture may select from the following talents:

 

Cost                 Talent

24                    Dark Courtesan (Skilled (Major) + Power (Minor) + Underground Upraising)

                        Where sensuality is so inexorably repressed, there is opportunity for those who use such methods of temptation: there will always be men and women whose desire will lead them astray – and in to the arms of those who work evil. The Dark Courtesan is a specialised type of Mythic who utilises alluring power. They nominate a target – usually a high-ranking cleric or priest who is otherwise too well-guarded to be overtly threatened – and slowly work their way through layers of bureaucracy and bodyguards using seduction and temptation to corrupt the target’s subordinates until the target is finally exposed and ready for destruction. You gain a +30 bonus to Seduction and 10 ranks in the Allurement spell list.

 

40                    Necromorph (Special Ability)                        

                    Some Mythics draw on the power of Death itself to increase their power, usually by taking on aspects of Undead creatures. This grants them the abilities of the creatures whose form they take. You may spend 1d10 Exhaustion Points ( +1d10 per round) to transform into a Lesser Skeleton or a Zombie, 2d10 Exhaustion Points (+1d10 per round) to transform into a Lesser Ghoul or a Minor Skeleton or 3d10 Exhaustion Points (+2d10 per round) to transform into a Phantom or, finally 4d10 Exhaustion Points (+2d10 per round) to transform into a Revenant.

Whilst in Undead form, you gain access to all the abilities of the form you have chosen, but you also take damage from Repel Undead spells: you do not flee and cannot be destroyed, but you can be hindered (-20 to all activities for as number of rounds equal to the spell #: Repel Undead III will give a penalty for 3 rounds) and hurt (take 1d10 hits x spell number: e.g. Repel Undead V will give 5x the value of a single d10 roll).

If you ‘die’ while in Undead form, the transformation ends immediately, you must take an ‘A’ Disruption critical, a ‘B’ Shock critical and a ‘C’ Stress critical. All damage incurred in Undead form is carried over to your natural form at the end of the effect, regardless of circumstances.

In addition, you cannot cast spells – unless the form empowers you to do so – nor can you wield a weapon using your normal OB. However, you may develop a Special Attack skill (Undead Attack) which will grant you a percentage of your regular OB bonus with a specific weapon or attack form (i.e. a bonus of 58 in Undead Attack will grant you 58% of your OB in Undead form. It is possible to exceed your regular OB whilst in Undead form if you develop the skill to a high enough level).

The Exhaustion Points accrued in maintaining the spell do not affect you whilst in undead form, but you incur them immediately when you return to your natural form. In addition, if you exceed your Exhaustion Point total whilst maintaining the effect, it is cancelled immediately and you appear in your own form, at full Exhaustion.

The transformation takes two full rounds, during which time you are treated as stunned, may not cast spells or use any skills (including Stun Removal and other similar skills). You may parry at 50% (less the usual penalty for being stunned). You may not wear armour: the transformation simply does not take effect (although you still lose the Exhaustion Points).

You may develop and use Spell Mastery (Necromorph) to either reduce the transformation time by 50% (i.e. 1 round – a Hard maneuver) or reduce the parry penalty during transformation (to parry at 80% would be a Very Hard maneuver. You cannot use Spell Mastery to lift the prohibition on casting spells, being ‘stunned’ or wearing armour during the transformation.

 

PRIEST OF ORACLES                      Evil has its prophets and diviners too: strange minds that circle the edge of madness and bring back that which they find there. Although some consider them too unworldly to be of much use beyond their cryptic predictions, they can and do master practical skills and talents, particularly that rare working-class individual raised among the noise and smoke of foundry and mill. Evil-aligned Urban Labourer Priests of Oracles may select the following talent:

Cost                 Talent

36                    Obscuring Mist (Special Ability)

                        Evil flourishes best away from the scrutiny of the righteous. Some evil priests of the Oracle Sphere, inspired by the memory of thick steam and smoke, possess the ability to create a normal-seeming fog that is proof against magical scrying. When you expend 3d10 exhaustion points (+ 1d10/extra 10 minutes that the ability is maintained), you create a thick fog in an area 100’ x 100’ x 20’. This fog will last for a base of 10 minutes. This fog, quite apart from impeding normal vision (-30 penalty to sight-based perception, -10 to awareness skills of which vision is a part, such as Observation), also defends against scrying spells. Any spell attempting to scry into the fog must make an RR vs. your level: failure by 1-20 means the spell cannot penetrate the fog (Power Points are spent but the spell has no effect), failure by 21+ means that in addition to losing PPs and failing to cast the spell, the caster also takes an ‘A’ Mental critical and loses 2d10 power points.

Only an Evil-aligned Priest of Oracles can cast scrying/lore/divination spells whilst within the mist, and does so with a +20 to the Spell Casting static maneuver roll.