by Robert Kelly (3 Mar 93)
The following is my Arch-Nemisis-Creature(tm) that the PCs are dying against rapidly (two down, ?? to go, I feel soooooo evil)
Shapeshifting, Bodystealing Vampires with Gnosis!
Skinwalkers are Native American vampires located in southwestern U.S. They operate like normal vampires -- possessing generation, thaumaturgic-like rituals and able to make strong Wyrm fetishes.
As the Uktena and Wendigo purified the American contenents, they encountered the Skinwalkers: very clever and resourceful Wyrm spirits that would move across the plains, from pueblo to pueblo and slowly, systematically consume all of the people.
Because of their unque abilities to assume the shapes of those they kill, the American tribes more often than not assumed that the Garou and the Skinwalkers were one in the same-and not without little cause for the Garou continually prevented tribes and pueblos from getting too large.
Skinwalkers are believed to be completely destroyed: the truth is that the few which are left have clandestinely merged into the Camarilla and the Sabbat, assuming high positions within each group and totally hiding from others.
Creation (Minimum)
Attributes 8/6/4* (mental primary)
Abilities 15/11/7 (knowledges primary)
Backgrounds 8
Disciplines 4
Gnosis 7
Willpower 5
Blood: 15 pt pool
Freebie 21
Disciplines
Skinwalkers must have a Thaumaturgy 2, many are much, much more campable at Thaumaturgy, equal to the elder Tremeres -- some are even masquerading elder Tremeres. Many also possess high levels of Auspex and Obtenebration.
Skinwalkers are naturally able to talk to spirits: some wise shamans and Uktena even believe that they are actually malevolent spirits inhabiting physical bodies. No one knows for sure.
Skinwalkers are able to step sideways as Garou and can learn rituals and gifts as do Garou. In the Umbra, however, they appear as horrible and malignant creatures, with long talons and spindly bodies.
For Disciplines, Rituals and Gifts, Skinwalkers can use either Blood or Gnosis.
Wyrmskins are fetishes made from the skins of the victims the vampire has killed. At any time, a skinwalker can assume the visage of another person or creature (even if the creature is an animal). The number of creatures's forms a wyrmskin can retain is equal to the Skinwalker's Gnosis -- thus a Skinwalker with Gnosis 4 can memorize four "skins."
When Skinwalkers consume a victim's blood, they can assume that victim's identity -- aura perception, sense wyrm and smell will not be able to tell the identities different unless five successes are rolled. If they kill a victim via blood drinking, until the next moon rise they will be able venture into the sunlight, provided that victim wasn't a vampire.
Some extremely capable Skinwalkers can assume other peoples' forms without killing them. To do so requires five successes on a Stamina + Subterfuge vs. their Willpower. A botch means the Skinwalker can never assume that creatures form.
Skinwalkers are thoroughly inhuman and the GM should not allow players to create Skinwalkers as characters.
Skinwalkers are unlimited at improving their attributes to any level, and retain their physical attributes except Appearance. They cannot pump their physical attributes the way other vampries can, but can use it to heal themselves from non-aggravated damage. Their natural form is akin to Nosferatu with an Appearance of zero.
Skinwalkers take aggravated damage from sunlight, fire and silver.
Once every hundred years a Skinwalkers must return to their homeland in the Southwest and kill ten creatures, preferably human, in a ritual to prolong their life. Should they not do this, every year past one hundred they lose an extra blood per evening. If they do not do this, they will enter topor.
Ceremony, Leslie Marmon Silko
Mad Love and War, poems of Joy Harjo
Navajo Mythos
Tony Hillerman (GAK)
(B) Bobware: I own all the rights and then some. Feel free to use as long as you don't publish without my consent. It is slack-less for you to do so otherwise.
Robert Kelly rkelly@triton.unm.edu ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Max, that bathing suit you're wearing makes my flesh crawl! And where did you get sunglasses to fit your bizarrely-spaced eyeballs?"
Sam and Max, Freelance Police