The Dealer's Guide to Spirits
from the work-in-progress Hex Rangers playtest document
SPIRITS
Spirits are magical beings that live in the invisible world but can cross over into the physical world. Most of them are agents of natural forces, both benign and malign. Many spirits were once revered or even worshipped by the Native Americans, while others were reviled and feared as dangerous forces that must be appeased or avoided. Of course, once they’re angry, all spirits can pose a danger to people. And these days, they’re nearly all angry.
All spirits are unique. Many of them have similar powers and domains, but none of them have the same overall profile.
Spirits share these qualities with human characters:
· Attributes. However, instead of Sand they have Eeriness. Their attribute scores also need not add up to any specific amount.
· Traits. However, their traits are hidden; the players must work and investigate to discover them, or else only have them revealed when you use them against the players. Their trait scores (including Complications) max out at 5 cards, and are set arbitrarily by you, based on how threatening you want a particular trait to be.
· Chips. The amount varies with the strength of the spirit; a piddling little spirit (best as a minion of or supplement to a larger Threat) may have as low as 20, whereas a major, deified spirit may have as high as 150. Their chips are also replenished each Segment, like the PCs.
· Spirits are capable of performing magic, just like the Hex Rangers, and also have Powers (see below), which count as magic for the purpose of the magical conflict rules, but require no ritual. Spirits may have, as traits, magic that they are assumed to have made in the past.
The special qualities of a spirit are the following: a Domain, a Desire, one or more Manifestations, a Vulnerability profile, and one or more Powers.
TIP
Remember that nature spirits are not unique to Native American religions and mythologies. Consider the possibility of European, Asian, or African spirits emigrating to America along with people originating from those lands. Who’s to say that a few goblins and trolls aren’t strolling about the Waxhaws of Tennessee?
Domain
The Domain is where the spirit intersects with the visible world. This can be something very local - a certain deer, a certain tree, a certain mountain. Or it can be more general - storms, forests, stone. It can even be conceptual - luck in the hunt, good harvests, warfare. Basically, the spirit must have some link to the world of humans; otherwise, what is it doing here?
This link is central to the spirit’s profile. Its Desire, Vulnerability, Manifestations, and Powers should all flow from its Domain (but feel free to use poetic logic here). After all, it is through the Domain that the spirit acts on the mundane world. Really, it is the Domain that gives the spirit an identity at all.
Desire
What does the spirit want? What is its motivation for being a threat to people? Look at its Domain for ideas. Perhaps a buffalo spirit would want to put an end to the en-masse slaying of the buffalo during the Indian Wars. A mountain spirit in, say, Nevada, could want to put an end to the silver mining going on in its bowels, and to shake off the boomtowns like so many fleas. A mischievous, trickster spirit could have no other desire than to simply cause mayhem, for no other reason than that is what it does.
Here’s a thing to remember: a spirit cannot act against its Desire, unless Compelled. And even then it will revert to pursuing its Desire as soon as it can. That’s how central Desire is to the spirit’s identity.
You will use the spirit’s Desire and Powers to craft its agenda, so don’t skimp here!
Manifestation
How does the spirit project itself into the visible world? Does it take the form of an object? Animal, vegetable, or mineral? Or is it even visible? It could Manifest as a cold wind, an oppressive stench, a disembodied voice; anything that can be experienced by humans, even if it goes beyond the five senses. For instance, what about a spirit that Manifests in dreams?
What limitations does its Manifestation imply? For instance, how might it limit movement, communication, and/or the use of particular Powers? How might its Manifestation be linked to its Vulnerability? What are the limitations on when it can Manifest, if any? Must it do so at specific times, or perhaps wait a certain amount of time after de-Manifesting?
A spirit may have multiple Manifestations. Its attribute scores may vary by Manifestation, and specific traits, Powers, and Vulnerabilities may be associated only with a particular Manifestation - the spirit may even have a form in which it is invincible!
A spirit need not always be Manifest; it may retreat into the invisible world (which is a good Fold action for spirits), but it cannot act on the visible world when not Manifest.
The PCs may use magic to force a spirit to Manifest or de-Manifest, or even to force it to Manifest in a particular form - possibly even one that is foreign or unnatural to the spirit! Of course, clever spirits may have made magic (represented as a trait) to protect them from such fates...
Vulnerability
In what ways is the spirit open to attack, and in what ways is it immune to attack? Can it be harmed by physical violence? Is it especially weak to fire? Silver bullets? Or is something magical called for? Are there specific conditions that must be met in order for it to be harmed, or for particular sorts of magic (say, conjuring, banishing, binding) to work on it?
Specific (in)Vulnerabilities may also be traits, and thus benefit the spirit or its enemies (depending on whether it’s a weakness or a resistance) when activated.
Keep in mind that there may be ways that a spirit can be harmed, separate from how it can be destroyed. However, a method that can destroy a spirit should not automatically kill it; it must merely be used in order for the spirit to be killed as the result of a conflict or magic. Also, the spirit may very well be impossible to destroy! Banishment or containment may be the only way to neutralize it.
Drop hints regarding the spirit’s Vulnerability profile! Tie it to the spirit’s Domain, so that the players have something to go on. Also, encourage the players to use trial and error in determining what the spirit is and isn’t vulnerable to. It’s dangerous and fun!
Powers
What special, supernatural abilities does the spirit have?
Powers work like traits: they provide cards in conflicts, and may have complications. They also work like magic: they can be used to combat magic, and can be combated by magic. However, they don’t require a ritual. You just do them. Keep in mind, though, that in a conflict, the use of a Power may be Called by any means - for instance, someone may Call your use of a Power by preventing you from getting it off.
EXAMPLE SPIRIT: THE DREAM EATER
Domain: Dreams, especially nightmares.
Desire: To feed off of mortal’s dreams (this suggests, by the way, an agenda to somehow put a large population of people to sleep - forever).
Manifestations: Normally, the Dream Eater takes the form of a nude, ash-colored man with no eyes, nose, or ears - just a mouth on its face. When threatened, it assumes the form of a hairless, quadrupedal beast with an enormously long neck and a mouth large enough to swallow a man whole. It can also Manifest in dreams, in either of these forms.
Vulnerability: The Dream Eater is vulnerable to physical violence when physically manifest, but can only be injured, not destroyed, by it. It can only be killed within a dream.
When entering a dream or feeding off of one, the Dream Eater is susceptible to capture in a talisman made to capture dream energies - for instance, a dreamcatcher. It is also vulnerable to amulets against nightmares {0/3}.
Powers: Hold someone in a dream indefinitely, as long as the Dream Eater remains manifest in that dream {5/0}
Harm a dreamer, when manifest in the victim’s dream {3/0}
Gain strength by consuming dreams {3/0, or 3/2 at a distance}
Teleport, when in man-form {2/1, or 3/0 in dreams}
Attributes:
In Man-form: Vigor 10; Wits 10; Touch 10; Eeriness 25
In Beast-form: Vigor 25; Wits 10; Touch 5; Eeriness 25
When in a dream, add 10 to Wits.
Traits:
In Beast-form: Long, extending neck {2/0}; large mouth & powerful jaws {2/0}; terrifying appearance {3/0}
In Man-form: terrifying appearance {2/0}
Type your cut contents here.
SPIRITS
Spirits are magical beings that live in the invisible world but can cross over into the physical world. Most of them are agents of natural forces, both benign and malign. Many spirits were once revered or even worshipped by the Native Americans, while others were reviled and feared as dangerous forces that must be appeased or avoided. Of course, once they’re angry, all spirits can pose a danger to people. And these days, they’re nearly all angry.
All spirits are unique. Many of them have similar powers and domains, but none of them have the same overall profile.
Spirits share these qualities with human characters:
· Attributes. However, instead of Sand they have Eeriness. Their attribute scores also need not add up to any specific amount.
· Traits. However, their traits are hidden; the players must work and investigate to discover them, or else only have them revealed when you use them against the players. Their trait scores (including Complications) max out at 5 cards, and are set arbitrarily by you, based on how threatening you want a particular trait to be.
· Chips. The amount varies with the strength of the spirit; a piddling little spirit (best as a minion of or supplement to a larger Threat) may have as low as 20, whereas a major, deified spirit may have as high as 150. Their chips are also replenished each Segment, like the PCs.
· Spirits are capable of performing magic, just like the Hex Rangers, and also have Powers (see below), which count as magic for the purpose of the magical conflict rules, but require no ritual. Spirits may have, as traits, magic that they are assumed to have made in the past.
The special qualities of a spirit are the following: a Domain, a Desire, one or more Manifestations, a Vulnerability profile, and one or more Powers.
TIP
Remember that nature spirits are not unique to Native American religions and mythologies. Consider the possibility of European, Asian, or African spirits emigrating to America along with people originating from those lands. Who’s to say that a few goblins and trolls aren’t strolling about the Waxhaws of Tennessee?
Domain
The Domain is where the spirit intersects with the visible world. This can be something very local - a certain deer, a certain tree, a certain mountain. Or it can be more general - storms, forests, stone. It can even be conceptual - luck in the hunt, good harvests, warfare. Basically, the spirit must have some link to the world of humans; otherwise, what is it doing here?
This link is central to the spirit’s profile. Its Desire, Vulnerability, Manifestations, and Powers should all flow from its Domain (but feel free to use poetic logic here). After all, it is through the Domain that the spirit acts on the mundane world. Really, it is the Domain that gives the spirit an identity at all.
Desire
What does the spirit want? What is its motivation for being a threat to people? Look at its Domain for ideas. Perhaps a buffalo spirit would want to put an end to the en-masse slaying of the buffalo during the Indian Wars. A mountain spirit in, say, Nevada, could want to put an end to the silver mining going on in its bowels, and to shake off the boomtowns like so many fleas. A mischievous, trickster spirit could have no other desire than to simply cause mayhem, for no other reason than that is what it does.
Here’s a thing to remember: a spirit cannot act against its Desire, unless Compelled. And even then it will revert to pursuing its Desire as soon as it can. That’s how central Desire is to the spirit’s identity.
You will use the spirit’s Desire and Powers to craft its agenda, so don’t skimp here!
Manifestation
How does the spirit project itself into the visible world? Does it take the form of an object? Animal, vegetable, or mineral? Or is it even visible? It could Manifest as a cold wind, an oppressive stench, a disembodied voice; anything that can be experienced by humans, even if it goes beyond the five senses. For instance, what about a spirit that Manifests in dreams?
What limitations does its Manifestation imply? For instance, how might it limit movement, communication, and/or the use of particular Powers? How might its Manifestation be linked to its Vulnerability? What are the limitations on when it can Manifest, if any? Must it do so at specific times, or perhaps wait a certain amount of time after de-Manifesting?
A spirit may have multiple Manifestations. Its attribute scores may vary by Manifestation, and specific traits, Powers, and Vulnerabilities may be associated only with a particular Manifestation - the spirit may even have a form in which it is invincible!
A spirit need not always be Manifest; it may retreat into the invisible world (which is a good Fold action for spirits), but it cannot act on the visible world when not Manifest.
The PCs may use magic to force a spirit to Manifest or de-Manifest, or even to force it to Manifest in a particular form - possibly even one that is foreign or unnatural to the spirit! Of course, clever spirits may have made magic (represented as a trait) to protect them from such fates...
Vulnerability
In what ways is the spirit open to attack, and in what ways is it immune to attack? Can it be harmed by physical violence? Is it especially weak to fire? Silver bullets? Or is something magical called for? Are there specific conditions that must be met in order for it to be harmed, or for particular sorts of magic (say, conjuring, banishing, binding) to work on it?
Specific (in)Vulnerabilities may also be traits, and thus benefit the spirit or its enemies (depending on whether it’s a weakness or a resistance) when activated.
Keep in mind that there may be ways that a spirit can be harmed, separate from how it can be destroyed. However, a method that can destroy a spirit should not automatically kill it; it must merely be used in order for the spirit to be killed as the result of a conflict or magic. Also, the spirit may very well be impossible to destroy! Banishment or containment may be the only way to neutralize it.
Drop hints regarding the spirit’s Vulnerability profile! Tie it to the spirit’s Domain, so that the players have something to go on. Also, encourage the players to use trial and error in determining what the spirit is and isn’t vulnerable to. It’s dangerous and fun!
Powers
What special, supernatural abilities does the spirit have?
Powers work like traits: they provide cards in conflicts, and may have complications. They also work like magic: they can be used to combat magic, and can be combated by magic. However, they don’t require a ritual. You just do them. Keep in mind, though, that in a conflict, the use of a Power may be Called by any means - for instance, someone may Call your use of a Power by preventing you from getting it off.
EXAMPLE SPIRIT: THE DREAM EATER
Domain: Dreams, especially nightmares.
Desire: To feed off of mortal’s dreams (this suggests, by the way, an agenda to somehow put a large population of people to sleep - forever).
Manifestations: Normally, the Dream Eater takes the form of a nude, ash-colored man with no eyes, nose, or ears - just a mouth on its face. When threatened, it assumes the form of a hairless, quadrupedal beast with an enormously long neck and a mouth large enough to swallow a man whole. It can also Manifest in dreams, in either of these forms.
Vulnerability: The Dream Eater is vulnerable to physical violence when physically manifest, but can only be injured, not destroyed, by it. It can only be killed within a dream.
When entering a dream or feeding off of one, the Dream Eater is susceptible to capture in a talisman made to capture dream energies - for instance, a dreamcatcher. It is also vulnerable to amulets against nightmares {0/3}.
Powers: Hold someone in a dream indefinitely, as long as the Dream Eater remains manifest in that dream {5/0}
Harm a dreamer, when manifest in the victim’s dream {3/0}
Gain strength by consuming dreams {3/0, or 3/2 at a distance}
Teleport, when in man-form {2/1, or 3/0 in dreams}
Attributes:
In Man-form: Vigor 10; Wits 10; Touch 10; Eeriness 25
In Beast-form: Vigor 25; Wits 10; Touch 5; Eeriness 25
When in a dream, add 10 to Wits.
Traits:
In Beast-form: Long, extending neck {2/0}; large mouth & powerful jaws {2/0}; terrifying appearance {3/0}
In Man-form: terrifying appearance {2/0}
Type your cut contents here.