Chapter Two: Character Creation
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"I am immortal, I have inside me blood of kings..."
- Queen
It may seem appealing to run an immortal in a Storyteller
Chronicle, especially as it is, in ways, an extremely powerful
character type. However, in my opinion, it is more difficult to create
an immortal character than any of the others created so far. When you
are generating a Mage, Garou or Vampire character, there are plenty of
traits such as gifts, backgrounds, disciplines, spheres and so on to
play with, and the mythos is already set out in the rule-book. In
effect, the whole thing is presented to the player in a neat little
package, and all they have to do is follow the rules, write down a few
figures and they can play their character.
Immortals are different. Each one is unique. There is no
pre-designed background for immortal characters. Their very nature
prohibits the type of society that holds so much of the role-playing
potential for Garou, Mages and Kindred. Like these characters, the
immortal is a normal person who discovers that he has a special
destiny. However, unlike Garou and Kindred, they can see no reason why
they and not someone else, have been chosen to be immortal. In some
ways, they are similar to Mages in this respect, but the one major
difference between immortals and other characters is time - often,
immortals discovered their heritage hundreds or even thousands of
years ago. Deciding how this character spent those years, and working
out the beliefs, knowledge and outlook that he has brought with him
from this time.
One might argue that this has already been explored with
Vampire and Mummy. In Vampire, however, one is encouraged to begin
with a young vampire, so as not to unbalance the game: elder vampires,
while a curiosity, do not often "adventure" with their younger
brethren, but instead are embroiled in the politics of the Camarilla.
They also tend to be much more powerful, and less human than their
younger Kin. Likewise, although Mummies are in many ways human, their
thoughts and desires are nothing like the mortals around them.
Storytellers should make it a condition that, for an immortal
character to be accepted as a character in a Chronicle, their
background and past should be at least summarily documented, an their
character should be developed. This will often deter players who wish
to play an immortal simply because he is immortal. Immortals are a
very unique character class, due to their humanity: despite the
centuries behind them, they are still human... alone among the
mortals, hidden, but still human in mind and soul. This humanity makes
them unique and interesting characters to explore.
Concept:
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To begin the creation process, settle on the concept for the
immortal. Why have they survived? When were they born, where have
they been and what have they seen throughout the centuries? Pick a
strong nature, something that drives them and makes them cling to
life, rather than just let go. They do not age, but without a will to
survive they most certainly will lose their head... Attributes
Immortals are shown to be in superhuman health, strong and
fast, and also intelligent and perceptive. They are almost always
fit, attractive, and charismatic... so, in the World of Darkness, they
are far superior to the mortals in all their attributes. Give them 7
Primary, 6 Secondary, and 5 Tertiary attribute points, instead of the
"normal" 7/5/3 split that Garou, Kindred and Mages all receive.
Abilities:
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Immortals start with 13 Primary, 9 Secondary, and 5 Tertiary
abilities provided they are "young" (less than 100 years). Older
immortals will have more abilities; fighting this to achieve "play
balance" is a wasted effort in the Storyteller system. The
storyteller is the ultimate judge; if he doesn't want 2000 year old
immortals overpowering his game, then he shouldn't allow 2000 year old
immortals at all: allowing them but restricting them to 13/9/5 is
ludicrous. Also, as they age, their maximum ability score (5 for
mortals) will increase, allowing scores of 6+ for various
abilities. Players should be allowed to choose Abilities from any of
the games, but obviously, there are restrictions. For example, it
seems unlikely that an immortal would have the Primal-Urge or Rituals
Abilities from Werewolf.
Players should be encouraged to think up their own abilities,
thus helping make their character unique. For example, the Knowledge
History might be a common one among immortals (and is in fact included
on the character sheet) - remember Connor relating the significant
events of 1798 to Brenda?
Use the chart below for a reasonable split of abilities based
on age.
Age Primary Secondary Tertiary Max
0-100 13 9 5 5
100-250 18 13 8 5
250-500 23 17 11 6
500-1000 28 21 14 7
1000-1500 33 25 17 8
and so on...
Advantages:
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"You cannot die, MacLeod... Accept it!"
- Ramirez
The Quickening characteristic is the most important to an
immortal... it defines their power, and is very useful in battles with
other immortals. Beginning immortals begin with 1 Quickening; this
may be increased by spending Freebie points, as discussed below.
Immortals have no "virtues" in the Vampire/Werewolf sense.
Like Mages, their only characteristic is Willpower, and like Mages,
they start with a base Willpower of 5.
Backgrounds:
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Immortals begin the game with points in Backgrounds, according
to the chart below. See the section on Abilities to see the arguments
regarding age vs. play balance.
Age Background Points
0-100 7
100-250 9
250-500 10
500-1000 11
1000-1500 12
The following backgrounds are possibilities for immortal
characters. See Vampire for explanations of most of these backgrounds
(except for Arcane, which comes from Mage).
Allies - Friends who can be counted on to help the character out. They
probably know of his immortality.
Contacts - The number of information sources the character possesses.
Fame - The character's renown in the mortal world.
Influence - The character's political or social sway or power in the
mortal world.
Mentor - An older immortal who advises and, to a certain extent, looks
after the character:
* Mentor is less than a hundred years older than you.
** Mentor is between 100 and 300 years older than you.
*** Mentor is between 300 and 600 years older than you.
**** Mentor is between 600 and 1000 years older than you.
***** Mentor is between 1000 and 1200 years older than you.
****** Mentor is over 1500 years older than you.
Storytellers should bear in mind the possibility that an
immortal character's mentor might be killed, unless they have
"retired".
Resources - Wealth, belongings, and monthly income.
Arcane - ( See Mage: the Ascension ) Immortals tend to have a tendency
to scatter headless bodies around them, yet they don't seem
to draw attention to this fact: hence the Arcane. Also, isn't
it strange how they manage to hide such large swords inside
those trenchcoats of theirs?
Finishing Touches:
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Immortals get 18 freebie points to spend. Again, this gives
them more points in attributes and abilities than their fellow
players, but this is balanced by their inability to raise Quickening
except through killing other immortals. Also, their very nature makes
them hunted by the Technocracy, fellow Immortals, and of course the
Watchers/Hunters (these are outlined in Chapter Five).
Point Costs
Quickening - 7 points per dot
Attributes - 5 points per dot
Abilities - 2 points per dot
Willpower - 1 point per dot
Backgrounds - 1 point per dot
Spark of Life:
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"Ya talk funny, Nash... where ya from?" "Lots of different places..."
- Garfield & Nash
This is a very important part of character creation, and,
unfortunately, one that is skipped over far too often. This is a
role-playing game, and the Storyteller system is designed so that
players can immerse themselves in their character. However, you cannot
do this if you don't know your character.
- Background & History
Where was you character born? What was his childhood like? How
did he "die"? What was the reaction to his miraculous revival? How did
he find out about his immortality - Did a mentor (like Ramirez) tell
him about it, or did he gradually find out for himself? Did he leave
his home and family, or did he stay around and watch them grow old and
die? If so, how did it affect him? Where has he been in the
intervening years? Was he involved in any famous historical incidents?
In the present day, where does your character live? Or is he a
wanderer, moving around continuously?
- Appearance
"Who cut your hair?" "I am in disguise... this way, no
one will recognize me."
- Connor MacLeod and Kurgan
What does your immortal look like? How does he dress? Is he
a classic member of the "trenchcoat brigade", or has he settled on
another method of carrying his weapon (like the Kurgan and his
briefcase)? These sort of decisions help determine a look, and also
are useful for game play later.
- Contacts
"Hi, Brenda. I did what you asked. I spent all night
going through the old deeds to Nash's house on Hudson Street, right
back to the original owner, Montague, in 1798..."
- Rick
How long has your character been in his current home? What
friends has he made? Unlike Vampires, Garou, or Magi, immortals live
amongst the humans and (for the most part) treat them as equals.
Hence, they make connections with the human race, which will come up
during game play (either for help or for hostages, depending on
Storyteller mood).
- Outlook
"Love is for poets."
- Connor MacLeod
What kind of personality does your immortal have? Is he dark,
moody and unfriendly, or bright and extrovert? What drives them, keeps
them going? Is the ambition to win the Prize the thing which consumes
their lives, or do they revel in life generally? The things that have
happened to an immortal down through the years can often affect his
outlook on life - love and war are probably the most common ones, but
other things can greatly influence the way a person views life.
- Quirks
"I have something to say... It's better to burn out, than
to fade away!"
- Kurgan
Immortals are often unusual individuals. Note from the
series: Gregor's tendency to put mortals into danger to get a
secondary rush from it, or Amanda's tendency to doublecross her
partners. These things help define the character, and yet aren't
shown in the characteristics above. Perhaps your character has a
phobia or a hatred of some particular thing. Perhaps your character is
afraid of heights, and has a hatred of Vampires... Pick interesting
quirks, and write them down; they will add greatly to the role-playing
experience. See also the Merits and Flaws section below.
One of the most important things to remember when writing up
your character's background is that, unlike the Garou and the Kindred,
(and the Mages, to a certain extent), immortals are human. They may
live for extraordinary lengths of time, but they are still very human,
with the very same feelings and thoughts as us.
Personality Archetypes:
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Vampire introduced Personality Archetypes to help define
characters' personalities. A character has two archetypes - his Nature
and his Demeanor, and the key to using Archetypes effectively is
understanding the difference between the two.
A character's Nature is her true personality - that which she
is, but will not necessarily reveal to other characters in the
Story. People do not bare their soul to everyone they meet, and thus
they develop false fronts.
A character's Demeanor is this false front. While a
character's Nature would only change in exceptional circumstances, her
Demeanor can be as consistent as their Nature, or it may change
frequently. Also, if the player so chooses, a character's Nature and
Demeanor may be the same.
Personality archetypes are also a method of (re)gaining
Willpower, as the Storyteller will award Willpower when a character
lives up to their Nature/Demeanor.
Merits and Flaws:
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Vampire also introduced the Merits and Flaws system, which is
a method of really making your character seem alive and
individual. Merits and Flaws are purchased just before you spend your
freebie points. They cost or give between one and five freebie points
- ie. purchasing a five point merit would mean you had five less
freebie points to spend, while taking a five point flaw would mean
that you had an extra five freebie points to spend. Merits and Flaws
are also tied to Willpower, but less so than the Natures and
Demeanors.
The full rules for Personality Archetypes, and Merits and
Flaws can be found in the Vampire and Werewolf Players Guides.
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