Zombie Pirates!

As the Aztec civilization fell to European invaders, the Aztec blood gods took one final stroke of vengeance, cursing a stone chest full of sacred coins so that anyone who stole them would never die, but never live.  All pleasure would be denied the thieves, and the moonlight would reveal them as the rotting husks they were.

Naturally, some pirates stole it anyway.  Now they sail the seas, trying to find every last coin, because the curse cannot be lifted until each one is returned and paid for in blood.

Undead Curse Victim (57-point Quality)

Just in case some enterprising Cast Member decides turning into an immortal zombie would be a good idea, here's what you get for your Doubloon of Death.  Keep in mind, though, that this is a *curse*.  The Aztec blood gods have no sense of humor, and will not take kindly to you abusing their divine justice.  And besides that, it's not very pleasant in the long run.  Generally speaking, this Quality should be strictly theoretical.

The curse turns you into a walking dead man (or woman.  The blood gods aren't sexist).  You'll never die, no matter how much you suffer.  You don't need to breathe, eat, or drink.  Damage doesn't damage you as much as most people.  Pieces can get cut off, but they keep working, and you can just put them back on.  You won't heal from any lost parts you lost before the curse, though.  Essentially, you're completely invulnerable to physical damage.  Some forms of magic might be able to hurt you, though, so don't get cocky.

(Essentially, you're paying for Reduced Damage level 3 for everything (you take 1/10th of any damage received, with no multipliers) and Con/Turn regeneration, which doesn't quite cover full invulnerability, but it should do for most purposes.  Like I said, normally Cast Members won't have this Quality for long enough to really need to pay for it.)

With all that, you'd think people would be lined up 'round the block for a chance to steal some cursed Aztec gold, but there are some pretty significant drawbacks to that course of action.  You cannot feel any pleasure at all.  Food tastes like ashes.  The best wine tastes like lukewarm piss.  (Unless you *like* ashes or lukewarm piss, in which case it probably tastes like something else.  And you need help.)  Your lust can never be satisfied.  You can't really enjoy *anything*.  No, not that either.  Nothing.  Nada.  And if that weren't enough, whenever the moon shines on you, you're revealed as a rotting zombie, even if you just stole the gold a few minutes ago.  As a rotting corpse, you're at -10 to Attractiveness.  You don't actually get any bonus points for this.

Also, the Aztec blood gods have your number.  If you should ever find some way to escape the negative side of the curse, you'll have them as an Adversary worth as many points as the Director decides is appropriate.  Or they might just wait until you're about to get killed and lift the curse.

----

Undead Pirate Grunt

Here's your basic zombie pirate.  He's a tough customer, but not unbeatable, except for the fact he's invulnerable, and pretty mean.  You'll notice that he has Life Points, even though they're mostly pointless.  You still need to know them to calculate decapitation and limb removal.

Undead Pirate Grunt

Motivation: "Yo-Ho, Yo-Ho!  A pirate's life for me!"
Critter Type: Undead
Attributes: Strength 4, Dexterity 4, Constitution 3, Intelligence 2, Perception 2, Willpower 2
Ability Scores: Combat 14, Muscles 14, Smarts 10
Life Points: 38
Drama Points: 1
Special Abilities: Invulnerability (total)

Combat Maneuvers

Maneuver	Score	Damage	Notes
Dodge	14	None	Avoid getting hit
Pistol Shot	14	12	Bullet damage
Punch	14	8	Bashing damage
Sword	14	16	Slash damage

----

Undead Pirate Lieutenant

Here's a pirate a little further up in the chain of command.  He's got life points, too, along with a little Hard to Kill to make him nastier.

Undead Pirate Lieutenant

Motivation: "If anyone so much as thinks the word "Parley," I'll have his guts for garters."
Critter Type: Undead
Attributes: Strength 4: Dexterity 5, Constitution 4, Intelligence 3, Perception 2, Willpower 3
Ability Scores: Combat 16, Muscles 14, Smarts 11
Life Points:47
Drama Points: 2-4
Special Abilities: Invulnerability (total), Hard to Kill 3, Situational Awareness, Nerves of Steel.

Combat Maneuvers

Maneuver	Score	Damage	Notes
Dodge	16	None	Avoid getting hit
Pistol Shot	16	12	Bullet damage
Punch	16	8	Bashing damage
Sword	16	16	Slash damage

----

Undead Pirate Captain

This guy has a really fancy hat, and could easily be a Big Bad, in which case he probably deserves a full character sheet.  As is, he's pretty tough, with 5 levels of HTK and lots of combat related advantages.  There's a reason he's the captain.

Undead Pirate Captain
Motivation: "For too long I've been parched of thirst and unable to quench it. Too long I've been starving to death and haven't died."
Critter Type: Undead
Attributes: Strength 4, Dexterity 6, Constitution 4, Intelligence 5, Perception 4, Willpower 4
Ability Scores: Combat 18, Muscles 14, Smarts 15
Life Points: 57
Drama Points: 5+
Special Abilities: Fast Reaction Time, Hard to Kill 5, Invulnerability (total), Nerves of Steel, Situational Awareness.

Combat Maneuvers

Maneuver	Score	Damage	Notes
Dodge	18	None	Avoid getting hit
Pistol Shot	18	12	Bullet damage
Punch	18	8	Bashing damage
Sword	18	16	Slash damage

Hello everybody,

Some time ago, I decided it was time to learn to use Microsoft Excel, so I built a chart that calculates combat maneuvers for the Cinematic Unisystem, using all the ones included in Angel.  It's not very pretty as Excel worksheets go, but it does the job.

Unfortunately, then I accidentally deleted it.  But fortunately, before that I had uploaded it to a friend's website.  So now I have it again, and I'm posting it here.  That way, when I accidentally delete it again, it'll be easier to find.

EDIT:  Oops, forgot to actually upload the file.  Boy is my face red.

buffy angel cmt.xls (24.5 KB)

The format is changing slightly since I am writing these with benefit of some nifty chargen software I didn't have several years ago when I wrote most of the Buffy Archetypes.  The main thing is that Uniforge doesn't give me output that breaks down where all the stat and skill bonuses go, so you'll have to trust me.

These are, on the other hand, "made fresh" rather than recycling old material.

This one is one I'm playing in a PBP game right now.

 

The Reluctant Seer (Investigator)

Attributes:

Strength: 2 Dexterity: 2 Constitution: 2

Intelligence: 4 Perception: 3 Willpower: 4

Life Points: 26
Drama Points: 20

Qualities (10 + 10 from Drawbacks)

Contacts (Supernatural): 1 (1), Occult Investigator: 1 (4), Supernatural Senses - Basic: 1 (1), Supernatural Senses - The Sight: 1 (3), Occult Library: 1 (1), Supernatural Senses - Insight: 1 (5), Supernatural Senses - Fortune Telling: 1 (5)

Drawbacks (10)

Addiction (Smoking): 1 (-1), Adversary (TBA): 3 (-3), Emotional Problems - Fear of Commitment: 1 (-1), Honorable: 1 (-1), Impaired Senses (Vision, Corrected): 1 (-1), Mental Problems - Cruelty: 1 (-1), Resources Drawback: 1 (-2),

Skills (25)

Acrobatics: 0, Art: 0, Computers: 1, Crime: 2, Doctor: 1, Driving: 1, Getting Medieval: 2, Gun Fu: 1, Influence: 0, Knowledge: 5, Kung Fu: 1, Languages: 4, Mr. Fix-it: 0, Notice: 0, Occultism: 5, Science: 2, Sports: 0

Background on the Reluctant Seer

It all started with the Enigma of Astaroth.  Not Astaroth the demon of Sloth, just some 14th century sorcerer who liked his name.  Like there's fifty Balthazars, ya know.  But anyway, I'm a folklorist.  I studied various occult traditions and folkways for years without ever believing it.  Vampire attacks were just urban myths, like the Highway Hook Murderer (who is also real, by the way).  Wicked witches were just old religious propaganda.

That changed when the Enigma wound up on my desk, which was due to a screwup at the shipping company, but I didn't know that until later.  The Enigma was a book with a strange lock on it.  To open the lock, you had to work out the combination, which was a tricky math puzzle.  I love math puzzles.  So I worked it out.  After that, things got a little weird.  Then things got a lot weird.

I could see all kinds of stuff I didn't want to see, and I kept getting visions of the future.  So I did what anyone would do.  I tried to play the lotto a lot and ignore the rest of it.  An encounter with a fire spirit in the Dean's office put an end to that (and resulted in some not entirely voluntary time in a psychiatric hospital)

Now I'm trying to learn all I can about real magick.  A lot of what I know is true, but a lot isn't.  And let me tell you, nothing's quite as embarrassing as throwing a bunch of poppy seeds at a vampire and having him laugh at you.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm not some big bad hero here.  I'm just trying to survive.  That first fire spirit wasn't the only one.  It seems like every month or so, something new and interesting tries to kill me.

Fortunately, I've hooked up with some folks who are into this whole "fight the good fight" thing.  They're not the sharpest tools in the shed, but they have swords and guns and stuff that come in really handy when all the dead bodies in the cemetary arise and try to kill you.

Quote: "I predict that if you don't surrender now, there will be blood, pain, and ultimately death.  I just wish to hell I knew if it was going to happen to you or me."

Roleplaying the Reluctant Seer

You're a smart guy, but not at all a brave one.  And you're geeky enough to realize that it's a terrible cliché that you've taken up smoking, wearing a battered overcoat, and not shaving regularly.

You'd like nothing more than to somehow remove your powers and forget any of this ever happened.  Except...

Except, you like knowing what's going on.  Except, you know what it's like to be the normal person suddenly dumped into the deep end of the supernatural swimming pool, and you don't really want to see it happen to anyone else.  Except, you're pretty sure someone is trying to kill you, and he'll keep trying until you figure out who it is and make him stop.  Except, deep down, you really are a hero.  Maybe it's arrogance, but you know that you need to be doing what you're doing.

Sample Equipment

Laptop computer, The Enigma of Astaroth (a spellbook), Notepad.  No gun.  He doesn't really like guns.

Here's one more Buffy Archetype.  I think I'll try some Angel ones next.

The Teen Wolf (Hero)

Life Points 57/81 (as Werewolf)
Drama Points 10

Attributes (20)

Strength 4/8 (as Werewolf)
Dexterity 4/6 (as Werewolf)
Constitution 4/6 (as Werewolf)
Intelligence 3
Perception 4
Willpower 3

Qualities (20 +5 from Drawbacks)

Acute Senses [Smell] (from Werewolf Quality), Attractiveness (1), Fast Reaction Time (2), Hard to Kill 5 (5), Jock (3), Natural Toughness (2), Werewolf [full control] (12)

Drawbacks (10)

Adversary [Vampires, Demons, and the occasional Werewolf Hunter] (3), Clown (1), Love (2), Secret [Werewolf] (2), Teenager (2)

Skills (20 + 5 from Drawbacks)

Acrobatics 3 Art 3 Computers 0 Crime 1 Doctor 1 Driving 2 Getting Medieval 1 Gun Fu 0 Influence 2

Knowledge 0 Kung Fu 3 Languages 0 Mr. Fix-it 1 Notice 3 Occultism 1 Science 0 Sports 4 Wildcard 0

Combat Maneuvers

Maneuvers	Bonus	Base Dam.	Notes
Claw	10	16	Slash/stab; wolf
Bite			Slash/stab; wolf
Dodge			Defense Action
Kick			Bash
Punch			Bash
Slam-Tackle			Bash; no parry; possible target prone
Stake			Slash/stab
(Through the Heart)			x5 vs. vamps

Background on the Teen Wolf

They say puberty brings on many changes. I'm here to tell you, they don't say the half of it. One day you're joking around with your friends, playing on the B-Ball team, getting into a little inoffensive trouble. The next day you're running down a dark alley trying to get away from a werewolf hunter who wants to stuff and mount you.

The first time the change hit me I almost ate my best bud. We were fighting over a girl. He hit me. He didn't mean anything by it, ya know, but it cheesed me off royally. I snarled at him, and I mean really snarled. Then I felt funny, and Ed was giving me this look. I looked down at my hands, and my nails had grown a little - like an inch.

I ran all the way home, and it only got worse. By the time I was home I was covered in fur, with inch long fangs.

I ran up to my room, trying to avoid my mom. I was totally freaked, so I ended up knocking over a lamp, and a chair, and a table.

Mom found me in my room, and she wasn't surprised at all, just kind of sad. She told me about my dad, who had died when I was like six, and about the gypsy curse and the way it had gradually changed so we could control it. She said she hadn't mentioned any of this before now because she hoped it wouldn't hit me. Sometimes it skips a generation.

Ed was cool, but he was freaked, and he started talking. Pretty soon I was getting funny looks from other people. About a month later I had my first run in with a professional werewolf hunter. Fortunately, he was expecting a mindless monster, not somebody who would slash the tires on his Harley.

We moved after that, though. Of course it seems that we've moved to Weirdness Central. A couple of months ago, I saw an honest-to-god Vampire attacking this girl. I didn't even think about it, I just wolfed out and tore the bloodsucker to shreds. Then this other girl with a wooden stake tackled me and tried to rip my head off before the first girl told her to stop. Then this English guy said something about it not being the full moon, and the girl stopped hitting me, which was really good.

Now I'm helping these people out. On the sly, like. I don't want the whole school to know I'm a furry freak, and I'd kind of rather my mom not know I'm out fighting vampires.
 

Quote: "So help me if you offer me one more dog-biscuit I'll bite your arm off, and I may not wait to change shape first."

Roleplaying the Teen Wolf

You want to be just a normal kid, play on the team, maybe form a band (You're pretty good at that guitar thing), party, you know. On the other hand, you can't just stand by and watch other people get hurt while you can do something about it. With great furryness comes great responsibliliy, right?

You're not about to make a spandex costume, and you sure as heck don't want anyone outside the Scooby Gang to know about you, but when it's time to throw down with the forces of darkness, you're a lean, mean werewolf machine.

Oh, and that girl you saved from the vampire that time is a hottie.

Sample Equipment

"Vintage" car, Letter Jacket, Tire Iron.

The Hierophant (Hero)

Life Points 45
Drama Points 10

Attributes (20)

Strength 2
Dexterity 2
Constitution 3
Intelligence 5
Perception 5
Willpower 8 (3 from Hierophant Quality)

Qualities (20+10 from Drawbacks)

Artist (2), Attractiveness +2 (2), Contacts: spirits 2 (from Hierophant Quality), Enchanter 1(1),  Hard to Kill 5 (5), Hierophant (16), Occult Library 2 (2), Resistance: Mystical 4 (4), Spirit Medium (2), The Sight (3), Sorcery 2 (10)

Drawbacks (10)

Adversary: Forces of Darkness 5 (From Hierophant Quality), Clown 1,  Emotional Problems (Fears Commitment) 1, Honorable, 1 Love (tragic) 4,  Misfit 2,   Recurring Nightmares 1, Obligation (Powers That Be) 3 (From Hierophant Quality)

Skills (20)

Acrobatics  Art 4 Computers  Crime 1 Doctor  Driving  Getting Medieval  1 Gun Fu  Influence 2

Knowledge 2 Kung Fu 2 Languages 1  Mr. Fix-it Notice 2 Occultism 4 Science  Sports 2 Wildcard

Combat Maneuvers

Maneuvers	Bonus	Base Dam.	Notes
Aiming (crossbow)	6		Success added to Crossbow shot
Crossbow Shot	4	16 Slash/Stab
Dodge	4		Defense Action
Kick	3	6 Bash
Club	4	8 Bash
Punch	4	4 Bash
Stake	4	4 Slash/Stab
-Through the Heart	1		x5 to Vampires

Background on the Hierophant

There are things on heaven and earth undreamt of in your philosophy. 

Been there, done that, got the T-shirt (and the scars).

See, about a year ago, my father died.  I never knew I even had a father in any sense other than the theoretical.  Mom left Dad when I was like three years old.  She'd never talk about him.  There was a picture, old and faded and kind of burned around one edge.

So I dealt with not having a dad, and with having a mom who was always a little flaky.  We always had a horseshoe over the door, and mom was kind of weird about spilling salt, but she was totally not into any New Age stuff.  She caught me and some friends playing with a Ouiji board once, and went totally ballistic.  

I found out why not long ago.  

I woke up in a cold sweat after a nightmare.  I don't remember much of the details, but there were flames and... bad stuff.  And then there was this man in my room in an old, battered coat, and leaning on a twisted wooden stick polished to a black sheen.  He looked tired, and a little sad, and exactly like the guy in the picture.

He said, "I'm sorry that I was never there for you."  Then he faded away.

The stick stayed.  I got out of bed and picked it up, and right then I got my first parapsychic migraine.  Years of occult knowledge rushed into me, kind of a crash-course in weird.  My Dad had done something to store up all his knowledge and power in the stick, and to transport it to me.  Mom's horseshoes made sense all of a sudden.

The weird only got weirder after that.  I started seeing things.  Mostly ugly things.  Ghosts, monsters under the bed, that kind of thing.  But some of them weren't so bad.  I learned to leave a cup of milk out for the house fairy, and I never lost another sock in the dryer.  There are spirits all over the place.  Most of them are too busy upholding the fundamental nature of reality to bother talking to people, but a few of them are nice folks.  A bunch of them knew my dad.  It seems that he was some kind of hereditary gatekeeper between the living lands and the Other Side, and when he died, I got his job.

And here, I wanted to be an airplane pilot, or a firefighter.

One of the spirits told me how my father had died.  She led me to the site of his final battle, and to his library.  There was a lot of damage, but even so there was more stuff than I could carry out.  Even if I could have, I don't think mom would have taken well to me moving the Encyclopedia Britannica set she bought out of the way so I could put in a bunch of tomes of dark and forbidden lore.  So I've got it all hidden in some trunks at the back of my closet.

Since that day, I've been trying to do Dad's job.  I'm not very good yet, but I've found some people to help.  It turns out that I'm not the only one saddled with a hereditary destiny that shortens the life-expectancy.

Quote: "I see Dead People.  All the time.  They're even more annoying than living people, and not really any smarter."

Roleplaying the Hierophant

You never wanted this. Well, actually, you fantasized about havin super powers all the time, but you kind of thought you'd be the only one who had them. Ghosts, goblins, ghouls (which are really nasty) and things that go bump in the night weren't part of the equation. 

Still, you're going to give it your best shot. You want to get good at this magical guardian thing. One of these days, the thing your Dad died to banish will come back, and you're going to kick its ass.

He may have never so much as sent you a birthday card, but he was still your Dad, and no elder demon from the third pit of Hell is going to kill him without answering to you, right?

Suggested Equipment

Magic Staff (Making it actually do anything would require scraping up points for the Enchanted Item Quality, so mostly it just looks cool and has sentimental value.  But it does have a knob on the end), Occult paraphernalia, Bomber Jacket, skate board.

*The Magician's Obligation works a little differently than the official version.  His power comes from the spirit world, and if he doesn't toe the line, the spirits will withdraw his power.  If he uses it in ways they don't approve of, he can find his Sorcery cut down to level 1, for instance.  They also cut off the Psychic Friends Network (Contacts Quality) until he makes it up to them.  Jerks.

Gamer Geek (White Hat)

Life Points 37
Drama Points 20

Attributes (15 + 2 from Nerd quality)

Strength 2
Dexterity 2 
Constitution 2
Intelligence 4 
Perception 2 
Willpower 5 

Qualities (10)

Hard to Kill 5 (5), Nerd (3), Photographic Memory (2)

Drawbacks (8)

Clown (1), Emotional Problems [fears rejection] (1), Impaired Vision (1), Mental Problems [delusion: thinks life should be like RPGs] (1), Misfit (2), Teenager (2)

Skills (15)

Acrobatics Art 2 Computers 2 Crime  Doctor Driving Getting Medieval 2 Gun Fu 1 Influence

Knowledge 3 Kung Fu 1 Languages 1 Mr. Fix-it 3 Notice 1 Occultism 3 Science 4 Sports 0 Wildcard (urban spelunking) 2

Combat Maneuvers

Maneuvers	Bonus	Base Dam.	Notes
Crossbow Shot	4	16 slash	Ranged attack
Dodge	4	none	Get out of the way
Pistol Shot (paintball)	3	varies	Ranged attack
Punch	3	4 Bash
Stake	4	4 slash
(Through the heart)	1	4 slash	x5 vs vampires
Sword (ratan/boffer)	4	varies

Background on the Gamer

This was all a big mistake. Huge. Monstrous (or even Shift X). I heard, ok overheard, ok eavesdropped on... some kids at school. They were talking about going out on patrol to hunt down some vampires and a demon prince. I thought they were talking about a LARP. They mentioned an address, and I decided to show up.

I always go all out on costumes and stuff for a LARP. I mean, if you're not going to do costumes, why not just stay in the basement where there's a sofa and potato chips? It turned out to be a pretty good thing I did. I think my chainmail coif saved my life when this goth chick (who turned out to be a vampire) tried to rip out my throat.

The kids showed up then, and a couple of them beat up the vampires. I managed to make myself a little useful - the Slayer broke one of my ratan swords over one vampire's head, and used the pieces to stab another one.

I've been with the Scoobies ever since. I know all kinds of cool stuff about the occult and magic, and I'm learning more all the time. I can also help out with other stuff. I took martial arts for two years, and I learned to swordfight in the SCA.

Quote: "Wow. Critical hit... It means you hurt him really bad. Can I have my bastard sword back now?"

Roleplaying the Gamer

You don't know near as much as you think you do, and you tend to get things from gaming manuals mixed up with things from tomes of occult netherlore, but on the other hand you remember EVERYTHING. You're also reasonably intelligent and can fill in for just about any other geek type in a pinch.

You can't fight very well, which you may figure out before you get killed. However, you have a huge arsenel of archaic weapons, and quite a few of them are sharper and more functional than your parents know.

Byzantine Errant (Hero)

Life Points 61
Drama Points 10

Attributes (20)

Strength 5 (1 from Demon Hunter Quality)
Dexterity 5 (1 from Demon Hunter Quality)
Constitution 4
Intelligence 2
Perception 3
Willpower 4 (1 from Demon Hunter Quality)

Qualities (20 +4 from Drawbacks)

Demon Hunter (4), Enchanted Item 1: Blessed Sword (2), Fast Reaction Time (2), Good Luck 3 (3), Hard to Kill 5 (5), Iron Mind (3), Nerves of Steel (3), Situational Awareness (2)

Drawbacks (10)

Adversaries [Demons and Vampires] (4, 1 from Demon Hunter Quality), Honorable (2), Humorless (1), Mental Problems: Mild Delusion, all supernatural beings are evil (from Demon Hunter Quality), Misfit (2), Reckless (2)

Skills (20 +6 from Drawbacks)

Acrobatics 4 Art 0 Computers 0 Crime 2 Doctor 1 Driving 1 Getting Medieval 6      (1 from Demon Hunter Quality) Gun Fu 0 Influence 1

Knowledge 0 Kung Fu 6      (1 from Demon Hunter Quality) Languages 1 Mr. Fix-it 0 Notice 2 Occultism 5 Science 0 Sports 0 Wildcard 0

Combat Maneuvers

Maneuvers	Bonus	Base Dam.	Notes
Aming	9	--	Add Success Levels to shooting roll
Axe	11	25 (s)
Crossbow Shot	11	16 (s)	See p. 119
Decapitation	6	varies	x5 damage
Dodge	11	--	Avoid getting hit, duh!
Punch	11	10 (b)
Stake	11	10 (s)
(Through the heart)	8	varies	See p. 112
Sword	11	20 (s)

Background on the Byzantine Errant

My order is fallen, destroyed by the Beast.  But we had fallen before that.  I knew it the day I watched my brothers pursue the Slayer as she and her friends fought and bled to protect the life of an innocent.  We were meant to be protectors and heroes, but we had become thugs and murderers.

In the aftermath, I fled.  I found someone to tend my wounds.  My body recovered.

My spirit has not.  My purpose is spent, and all that I believed is dead or in ruins.  I am left with one thing I know to be true.  There are monsters who prey upon innocence, and it is my place to destroy them.

Once we were legion.  A thousand could die to bring down an enemy.  Now I am alone, and I must guard what allies I have carefully.  When I die, no other will come after me.

I only hope that I have found atonement when that day comes.

Quote: "By the light, I abjure thee.  By the Holy Three, I abjure thee.  By the unspoken name... aw, screw it.  Just die, Ugly."

Roleplaying the Byzantine Errant

You were once part of something greater.  Then you learned that it was not so great after all.  Now you fight demons, trying to make up for some of the harm you did.  You're probably a little suicidal, thinking subconsciously that if you die in glorious battle you won't have to keep dealing with your crisis of faith.

You're a pretty handy guy to have around.  The Order of Byzantium taught you how to fight, and how harden your mind against the corruption of the hellspawn.  It was insufficient to protect your brothers from Glorificus, but it serves to give you an edge that the average demon doesn't expect.  And you have a magic sword.

Sample Equipment

Blessed Sword, Chainmail Armor, Crucifix.

The Dropout (White Hat)

Life Points 45
Drama Points 20

Attributes (15)

Strength 3
Dexterity 2
Constitution 2
Intelligence 3
Perception 2
Willpower 3

Qualities (10)

Attractiveness (2), Contacts (2), Hard to Kill (5), Nerves of Steel (3)

Drawbacks (10)

Adversaries (demons & vampires, particularly Jenny -3), Emotional Problems (fears commitment -1),  Resources (below average -2), Tragic Love (-4)

Skills (15 +10 from Drawbacks)

Acrobatics  Art  Computers Crime 5 Doctor 1 Driving 3 Getting Medieval 2  Gun Fu Influence 1

Knowledge 1 Kung Fu 2 Languages 1 Mr. Fix-it 5 Notice 1 Occultism 2 Science  Sports 1 Wildcard

Combat Maneuvers

Maneuver	Bonus	Damage	Notes
Aiming	4	None	Adds SL to shooting rolls
Crossbow Shot	4	16 slashing	Ranged modifiers apply
Through the Heart	1	16 slashing	x5 vs Vamps.
Dodge	4	None	Defensive action
Stake	4	12 slashing
Through the Heart	1	12 slashing	x5 vs Vamps.
Wrench	4	12	Can use 2 hands

Background on the Dropout

You know that story about the two kids: the prom queen and the boy from the wrong side of the tracks who fall in love.  That was me.  That was us.  Then she died.  Then she came back.

I took it kind of hard.  I mean, first she was going to leave for college.  Someone in my family went to college once.  Uncle Elmo is a Janitor at UCSD.  Then we had this big, stupid fight and she stormed off and got killed by some bastard in an alley – only she didn’t die.  The night of her funeral I woke up with her pounding on my door in the rain.  I let her in and she was all over me.  Then she bit me.

I couldn’t fight her off.  She was hella strong.  But with my free hand I found the half bottle of Jack I had left and smashed it over her head.  That bought me a little space, and I stuck the candle I was burning for her in her face.  The whiskey caught fire and she ran.

The next thing I did was find new digs.  I remember she never asked to come in before.  Hell, she had a key.  I got a place near the junkyard.  I turn some bucks as a mechanic and handyman, and the junk yard’s got some good stuff.  Old man Jenknins’ dog likes me better than him.  Course, old Jenkins doesn’t feed the dog hamburgers.

After that, I built some stuff.  I fixed up an old jeep with some totally non-standard options, and I made some weapons.  It’s supposed to be a stake through the heart and fire and cutting off the heads.  I got it covered.  Then I went looking for some closure.

I found some other people with the same ideas.  They help me out.  Well, really I help them out.  They can do stuff I never dreamed of. We’ve dusted some vamps, and some other stuff.  I still haven’t got Jen yet, but every once in a while she lets me know she’s still out there.

Quote: "Trust me, it'll work.  Remember all those episodes of Scoobie-Doo?  It'll be like that, except instead of a net, it will drop a bunch of sharp stakes, and instead of taking the monster's mask off, we're setting it on fire."

Roleplaying the Dropout

You don't have much book learnin' but you're not as dumb as you let people think.  You're not up to fighting a vampire in hand-to-hand combat, but you're still a handy guy to have around.  You can build just about anything you have a mind to, and  years of having to be... creative... about acquiring parts have also made you really good at getting into places you're not wanted.

But still, you're out of your element, and close to your wits' end.  You play the part of the disinterested stoner gearhead to cover for the fact that you're really freaked out that your Ex is still hunting you, and that you're not sure you could really stake her if you had the chance.

Suggested Equipment

Toolkit, lockpicks, big wrench (use mace damage), various improvised weapons.  Truck with toolbox in the back and a crucifix hanging over the rearview mirror.

I enjoy writing spells with the Buffy magic system.  You can do just about anything you can imagine.  Here are some I've written for my games, or just for the fun of writing them.

Barrier of Koranos
Quick Cast: No (at least not exactly)
Power Level: 5
Requirements: Specially prepared parchment, ink made from a variety of expensive substances, and an alchemically prepared soot made from burning certain woods and herbs mixed with other chemicals.

Effect: Casting the Barrier of Koranos is a slow process. Each roughly two-hour ritual results in the creation of one card covered in black soot and sparkling golden ink. The cards are anchors for a protective spell. Whenever they are placed in a perfect geometric shape with an odd number of sides, up to thirteen, from three to thirty paces apart, they immediately create a mystical shield.

The shield has can take 80 points of damage, and has an armor value of 10 +2 per card beyond the third. So A five-point barrier would have an armor rating of 14.

The Barrier cards are consumed by arcane energies in the casting of the spell.

Call the Dragon's Breath
Quick Cast: No
Power Level: 6
Requirements: A ritual taking an entire day (12 hours), during which time the caster sacrifices something of great personal value. The sacrifice can be a possession, a person, a supernatural power, or even an ideal. It is up to the Director to determine if the sacrifice was sufficient. If not, the spell is still cast, but cannot succede. If the caster gets enough success levels, the spell is miscast. (see below for why this is a VERY bad thing)

Effect: This powerful, but ancient spell is used rarely, even by those few who know it. The Dragon is a powerful and terrible force, and exacts a high price.

The Dragon's Breath fills the caster, granting several benifits. Foremost among these is a Power Boost of +10. Further, the Power Level of all spells the caster wishes to cast is reduced by half (round up), for purposes of success. The effect lasts for as many hours as the caster's boosted Sorcery level, or until he exhausts his Sorcery with multiple castings. Additional Power Boosts will work as normal, further extending the duration of the Dragon's Breath.

Casting this spell is very dangerous. If the casting fails, the caster takes life point damage equal to his own Willpower x 3, and is knocked unconscious until the damage is healed. Regeneration does not speed the recovery of this damage, but various forms of magical healing might.

Succeding can be even more dangerous. If the roll succedes, but the power level is not met, the caster dies, rapidly aging and decaying to nothing over the course of a day as the Dragon absorbs all his life force. There is no way to reverse this process.

If the caster is successful, at the end of the Dragon's Breath, he still suffers a Side Effect as though he had miscast the most powerful spell he used during the duration (using the full power level, not the half one). Most frequently, the result is a coma of varying length, but the Dragon is capricious. If the caster has not completely expended the Dragon's Breath, every bonus point of Sorcery he has left is added to the roll.

note:Sweet Jesus, this is a powerful spell as written. I thought the power level would be higher. It could be lower, if I decide the sacrifice is more of a rare ingredient. I made it just -1, because while you probably don't want to sacrifice something you love, it's readily available.

Oracle's Benediction (type)

Quick Cast: No
Power Level: 4
Requirements: An Oracle (Someone with psychic powers who knows this spell)  The supplicant must make an offering to the gods, burning something of value in front of the Oracle.  At the GM's option, an
insufficient offering can cause the spell to fail or even backfire.  The Oracle then meditates and chants a ritual for a several minutes before pronouncing the Benediction, which is a cryptic phrase vaguely related to the purpose.  Hearing the phrase is what transfers the favor of the gods.  If the supplicant can't hear the Benediction, the spell automatically fails.  (Writing on a slate or sign-language counts, so long as the supplicant witnesses the actual act of writing or signing in
person.  No email or teleconferences.  The gods are big on personal contact.)

Effect: There are several seperate Benedictions, each counting as a seperate spell.  (Of course, once you know one, you can probably develop the others through research.)  Their effects are similar, but each with a different focus.  The basic effect is that the supplicant is granted supernatural insight and divine favor, making his efforts more successful than they'd otherwise be.  In down-and-dirty game terms, the supplicant gets temporary levels of Good Luck that can only be spent in circumstances befiting the particular Benediction, and are spent automatically whenever the Benediction would come into play.  (The player gets to choose how many points, however, so long as he spends enough to get at least one SL on the relevant test or just barely win an opposed test)

The Oracle's Benediction provides Good Luck equal to twice the Success Levels generated.  These points are never recovered after they're spent.

Benediction of Protection: Provides help to keep the supplicant alive. He can add Luck points to his defense tests until they run out.  These points are almost always automatically spent, but they're spent after damage is generated.  They kick in retroactively to protect the supplicant from any wound that would cause half or more of his current Life Points in damage.  Besides dodge tests, the Benediction will protect the supplicant from other forms of potentially fatal harm.  The GM can choose how many luck points are required to avoid something you don't normally get a roll to avoid.

Benediction of Success: Provides the supplicant with aid in a specific task, which must be stated at the time of casting.  Tasks must be fairly specific, or else the divine favor gets absorbed fairly quickly. Suitable tasks would be "to find the golden fleece," or "to conquor Thrace."  "To win the lottery" works, too, but there's only so much the gods can do.  You'd pick the best random numbers you could, but your chances of actually winning would still be pretty low.  "To create the best possible [something or other]" would also be good.  You'd end up burning all your Luck on an Art or Mr. Fix-It test, but you'd be able to excede your usual skill limits if the GM is imposing those.  Divine inspiration is like that.

Benediction of Aphroditie's Favor: Provides help in the wooing of a specific individual.  You get Good Luck points to spend on Influence tasks with that person.  With the GM's permission, you might also be able to spend them like Drama Points for "Plot Twists" like guessing the person's favorite song or picking a resturant they really like.  I'd suggest a sliding scale.  The first coincidence costs 1 point, then one additional point per coincidence.  (What, you expect the gods to do EVERYTHING?)

A Benediction lasts for a number of weeks equal to the SL generated.  After that, it fades and any further points spent are lost.

A given supplicant can only be under the effects of one Benediction at a time, and must wait a full lunar month between Benedictions.  Breaking this restriction invites the scorn of the gods, which comes in the form of all benedictions active upon the supplicant inflicting Bad Luck points instead of Good Luck.  Sucks to be you if that happens, so don't get greedy.

Quintra's Adept Recal
Quick Cast: Yes
Power Level: 1

This spell requires the tools of a true adept, for instance a master thief's lockpicks, or a master swordsman's favored blade. High skill is not enough. The tools must have been used for some time by a truly legendary master. The tools in question must be in working condition, and the adept in question must be dead.

By focusing his will, and chanting a prayer to Thoth, the Sorcerer (Sorcery 3 minimum) may call upon the skills of the former adept. Thereafter, until the spell fades (after several hours), anyone who uses the bespelled tools in their intended way gains a skill bonus equal to the number of extra success levels the Sorcerer rolled.

A given tool (or set of tools in the case of something like lockpicks) may only ever be enchanted in this way once. At the end of the spell's duration, the affected item(s) rapidly sucumb to decay, collapsing into dust in a matter of seconds. No force on earth can prevent this destruction.

Substitutary Locomotion
Quick Cast: Yes
Power Level: 3
Requirements: A half-hour ritual in which the caster sits within a circle inscribed with the Star of Astaroth, surrounded by candles while meditating and chanting. For Sorcerers, a little concentration and the words "Treguna Mekoides Tracorum Satis Dee"

Effect: This spell summons up ephemeral spirits that will inhabit clothing and animate it. The spell is somewhat unpredictable. The animated clothing, which can be anything from normal clothes to suits of armor, will behave according to its nature, in general accordance with the will of the caster. Animated army uniforms would move with military precision. Animated clown suits would act like clowns. About ten such sets of clothes can be animated. Available clothing will always group itself by theme, and create complete "outfits" if possible. So, for instance, if you had a set of football pads, shoes, helmet, pants, and jersey, you'd get one phantom footbal player, not five.

They will not harm the caster, and will generally be as helpful as whatever they're animating could be. They have Physical stats equal to the caster's mental stats and skills equal to his Sorcery - but cannot perform complex actions like computer programming or surgery.

They "live" for the duration of the spell (one minute per success level) or until they are destroyed (see "Breaking Stuff"). The duration can be extended an extra minute per SL with a Will roll at -1 for every extention.

Therion's Threshold Seal
Quick Cast: Yes
Power Level:5
Requirements: A chalky dust made from the ashes of a funeral pyre (or a crematorium fire) and various healing herbs - used to trace a magical diagram on the recipient's forehead or torso. The diagram is traced while the caster recites a chant to ward away the spirits of death.

Effect: The recipient of Therion's Threshold Seal must be a living, flesh & blood being who is in need of making Survival Tests and/or has 0 or fewer Life Points. When the spell is cast, the recipient is bestowed with ten levels of Hard to Kill, including the 30 Life Points.

The benifits only last as long as the recipient is relatively still. If he engages in any sort of strenuous activity (pretty much anything requiring the rolling of dice), the Threshold Seal fades at the rate of one point of Hard to Kill (along with its 3 Life Points) per minute. Fortunately, the spell leaves the recipient listless and tired. He has to make a Willpower doubled roll to get up and move around at all, and has to make another one every time he stops and wants to start again.

The Seal lasts for one hour per success level, unless it is broken beforehand.