As I threatened... er... promised... er... implied, DNAWC has updated.  Issue 4 was done with a dip pin and ink, rather than a sharpie marker.  I also had a lot more fun with the fonts.  In retrospect, it would have looked better if I'd carefully cut the bottom left caption so it was blocked by the contours of the drafting table, but that lies far beyond my feeble Photoshop skills.  Right now, about all I can do is clean up a stray line here or there and do the lettering.

There will almost certainly be a 5th installment.  I have a wacom tablet I haven't used much.  Learning to ink digitally seems like a good idea, so my plan is to draw it in pencil, scan the pencils, and ink over them with the tablet.  And if that doesn't work out, I'll go back to pen and ink. :)

This isn't my only web comic.  I'm working, slowly, on a more serious one with my friend, Lisa Hartjes.  When we've got the first issue done (about 12 more pages, I think) we'll start posting.  In the meantime, I may decide to post some of the artwork for that here.

I should really put up some new gaming content one of these days.  The thing is, I've used up most of the old stuff, and nothing has really grabbed my attention for new stuff.  Still, I can't very well be a rogue game writer if I don't write any game stuff, so I should try to dig up something.

See y'all later.

Victory was actually mine five days ago, at 10:45 PM central time.  I finished the first draft of my NaNo.  I'd technically "won" two days earlier by breaking 50,000 words, but I didn't consider the job finished until I got to the end of the story.

Now I'm letting it sit for a while before I decide what to do with it.  I think it's a decent beginning of a book, but it needs a lot of work.

In the meantime, I'm not sure what I'm doing next.  Probably just focusing on the very slowly progressing webcomic I'm working on with Lisa.

I'll try to come up for something to amuse my legions of fans before too long, though.

Hi y'all.  Things have been quiet here for a few weeks, and now I'm ready to tell you why.  I've been getting ready to write a novel.  Every year, on November 1st, thousands of people join in the task of trying to write a short (50,000 word) novel in 30 days.  Since the inception of National Novel Writing Month, every year previous to this one, I remembered that fact some time after November 12.  But this year someone reminded me ahead of time and I have decided to go for it.

During the past several weeks, I've mulled over ideas and pulled together an outline and some character descriptions.  And today, about four hours ago, I started writing.  As of right this minute, I have 1230 words or so.

I'm trying to decide if I want to post the novel here, or leave it more private.  At the very least, I think I'll get around to writing up some of the characters in Unisystem, just for the amusement value.  Since I'm not exactly using the Buffy setting, there will be some compromises, but they might still be useful as NPCs.

But mostly I'll be writing like mad, since I need to write about 1667 words a day, seven days a week, to finish on time.

We will return to our (ir)regularly scheduled gaming content in about a month. :)

Acherix (Aka Hive Demons)

 

The Acherix demons are not native to Earth and never arrive on their own.  Instead, they must be summoned here.  This, unfortunately, is something that all to many sorcerers are willing to do, as having control over an Acherix colony gives one vast power.  This is a dangerous path to power, however.  A hive is a hungry thing, and more than one occultist with more knowledge than wisdom has found himself in the feeding pits of his own colony.

 

Short of a nuclear strike, an Acherix colony is difficult to remove.  A group of dedicated hunters might kill scores, or even hundreds, of workers and slaves, but still might never reach the queen or her drones.  As long she survives, she can breed up a new colony.

 

The infestation begins when someone summons the queen, using the ritual of Belial’s Wine and inducing a chosen victim to drink the bitter draught.  Within a few days, she will be transformed into a queen, and will start picking drones.  The summoner would be wise to protect himself from the queen’s wiles, as she can be most persuasive.

 

Thereafter, the queen and her drones retreat to a place of safety and begin to breed.  Their complete transformation takes one full moon, during which time they will acquire a few initial hosts for workers and warriors.  The hive will be established somewhere safe, often isolated or well hidden.  Acherix are far from mindless.  Their hives will be defended as well as humans could defend them, and will always have some kind of cover that explains their isolation and behavior.  Doomsday cults were popular in past centuries, as were isolated villages, although these could run short of humans before the hive grew very big.  Today, cults are still popular, but so are survivalist communities and subterranean homeless “cities.”  And those are fairly limited possibilities.  A queen with the proper resources at her disposal, or with a wise “handler” could set up a popular religious movement, a housing subdivision, or perhaps even a corporation.  The colony might have interests all over the world, although it will always have a central hive where all members spend at least some of their time.  Extensive seperation from the hive weakens a lone member.  After about a week, they start losing one point off each of their attributes per day until Strength and Constitution both reach zero, at which point the acherix dies.

 

Types of Acherix

 

The Queen

The queen always requires a female host, and prefers an attractive one.  (If the initial offering isn't attractive enough, the Queen will emerge very angry and nearly uncontrollable, and will, after likely killing the summoner, magically transform the host to be pretty enough.)  Somewhat like a vampire, the Acherix queen demon overwhelms the human soul while maintaining the body and mind.  And very similar to a vampire, the queen has new goals.  She wants drones, and she wants sex.  Then she wants a safe place to breed.  She may pursue these goals in different orders.

 

 

 

Name: Acherix Queen (Stage 1)

Motivation: "Do me, baby."

Critter Type: Demon

Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 7, Constitution 3, Intelligence 3, Perception 3, Willpower 5

Ability Scores: Combat 20, Muscles 12, Smarts 12

Life Points: 99

Drama Points: 5

Special Abilities: Emotion Control: Lust (-3 to resist), Infection, Increased Life Points, Hard to Kill 5, Hypnosis 3, Natural Weapon (Str x2 shashing + paralytic venom), Regeneration (Con/hour), Supernatural Senses (Basic, Night vision)

 

Combat Maneuvers

Maneuver	Bonus	Base Damage	Notes
Dodge	20	None	Defensive Action
Grapple	22	None	Resisted by Dodge
Kick	19	4 Bash
Punch	20	3 Bash
Stinger	20	12 Slashing	+ Venom

 

Description

At this stage, the Queen looks pretty much like a normal person, most of the time.  There's a stinger in her throat that can extend like a whip, about three feet long.  It's razor sharp, and delivers a paralizing poison (Roll Constitution to resist.  Each SL on the hit roll adds a progressive -1 penalty).  Further doses of the venom can turn a male victim into an Acherix Drone (see below)  She wants sex, lots of sex.  And fairly soon she'll start producing eggs, which must be implanted in hosts (either male or female).

 

Name: Acherix Queen (Stage 2)

Motivation: "All will love me."

Critter Type: Demon

Attributes: Strength 3, Dex 7, Con 8, Intelligence 3, Perception 3, Willpower 9

Ability Scores: Combat 20, Muscles 12, Smarts 12

Life Points: 134

Drama Points: 5

Special Abilities: Armor 10, Emotion Control: Lust or Worship (-5 to resist), Infection, Increased Life Points, Hard to Kill 10, Hypnosis 3, Natural Weapon (Str x4 slashing + paralytic venom), Regeneration (Con/minute), Supernatural Senses (Basic, Night vision, Telepathic link to all "children"), Telepathy.

 

Special Drawbacks: Limited mobility.  The Queen can't move on her own at more than about a foot per combat turn.  She is easily outmaneuvered, and could well be too large to ever leave her nest.  Antisocial Impulses (Anger and Greed)

 

Combat Maneuvers

Maneuver	Bonus	Base Damage	Notes
Dodge	10	None	Defensive Action.  Mobility Penalty.
Grapple	22	None	Resisted by Dodge
Stinger	20	12 Slashing	+ Venom

 

Description

A fully evolved Acherix Queen is barely recognizable as human.  Her limbs atrophy and her belly swells to monstrous proportions to support almost daily multiple births.  Plates of chiton cover her body in places, and her face is stretched by mandibles and antennae.  She can no longer speak, as her mouth-stinger is now much larger and longer.  She can hardly move on her own, and is constantly tended by dedicated workers and drones.

 

Her lust is unabaited, and her mindcontrolled drones are only too happy to service her.  However, her temper is very short.  If her "children" fail to please her, she kills them.  Drones are particularly vulnerable.

 

 

Drones

The Queen's first few victims will be males, generally attractive males.  One by one, She'll seduce them, magically or otherwise, and have sex with them.  Then she'll sting them into oblivion.  When the unfortunate guy wakes up from "getting lucky" in about twelve hours, he will be an Acherix Drone.

 

Drones are completely devoted to the Queen.  They'll do whatever she needs them to do.  Initially, there are two things: Keep the Queen happy and bring her hosts for her first eggs.

 

Drones look pretty human, though as they get older, their insect-like features become more prominent.  By the time the Queen is in stage 2, most of her initial drones now have compound eyes and stubby antennae, and have lost the ability to speak.

 

Name: Acherix Drone

Motivation: "We love you, mummie."

Critter Type: Demon

Attributes: Strength 3, Dex 3, Con 3, Intelligence 2, Perception 2, Willpower 2

Ability Scores: Combat 12, Muscles 12, Smarts 10

Life Points: 54

Drama Points: 1

Special Abilities: Armor 5, Increased Life Points, Natural Weapon (Str x2 slashing), Regeneration (Con/hour), Supernatural Senses (Basic).

 

Combat Maneuvers

Maneuver	Bonus	Base Damage	Notes
Dodge	12	None	Defensive Action
Kick	11	4 Bash
Grapple	14	None	Resisted by Dodge
Melee Weapon	12	Varies
Parry	12	None	Defensive Action.  -2 against thrown attacks
Punch	12	3 Bash

 

Workers

Once the Queen has drones, she needs workers.  Before her transformation goes too far, she can recruit a few herself, but a lot of them will be recruited by the drones.  Hosts for workers can be male or female.  Their creation is a simple matter.  Once the queen lays eggs, those eggs need to be kept warm and provided with food when they hatch into larva.  So the queen inserts into the stomach of a paralized human, where they grow, eventually eating most of the human host's internal organs and taking over the body. The process is excruciatingly painful for the host, who doesn't die until it is complete.

 

Workers are completely loyal to the queen and not as limited as Drones.  They do all the hard work like maintaining and expanding the hive and dealing with the public.  They're not much good in a fight, but will defend the nest to the death.

 

Name: Acherix Worker

Motivation: "We hear and obey"

Critter Type: Demon

Attributes: Strength 5, Dex 2, Con 4, Intelligence 2, Perception 2, Willpower 2

Ability Scores: Combat 10, Muscles 16, Smarts 10

Life Points: 56

Drama Points: 1

Special Abilities: Armor 5, Increased Life Points, Natural Weapon (Str x2 slashing), Regeneration (Con/hour), Supernatural Senses (Basic).

 

Combat Maneuvers

Maneuver	Bonus	Base Damage	Notes
Dodge	10	None	Defensive Action
Kick	9	6 Bash
Grapple	12	None	Resisted by Dodge
Melee Weapon	10	Varies
Parry	10	None	Defensive Action.  -2 against thrown attacks
Punch	10	5 Bash

Warriors

 

Worker drones modify a few of the queen's eggs out of every batch to be warriors.  The warriors are more powerful, but more limited than the workers.  They can look mostly human, although there's something "off" about a warrior, but when they need to fight, they transform into armor-clad, clawed, fang-mawed monstrosities easily as powerful as any vampire.

 

Warriors mostly guard the hive.  They leave it very rarely, excpet to help workers on missions.  Warriors are incredible bloodhounds.  They can follow a scent trail anywhere.  Even in human form, their mouths and jaws have been modified too heavily to permit speach.  They are armed with stingers similar to the queen's, albiet without the infectious properties.

 

Name: Acherix Warrior

Motivation: "Kill, Mangle, Maim!"

Critter Type: Demon

Attributes: Strength 7, Dex 6, Con 6, Intelligence 2, Perception 6, Willpower 2

Ability Scores: Combat 18, Muscles 20, Smarts 10

Life Points: 82

Drama Points: 1

Special Abilities: Armor 10, Increased Life Points, Natural Weapon (Str x3 slashing + paralytic venom), Regeneration (Con/hour), Supernatural Senses (Basic, Tracking).

 

Combat Maneuvers

Maneuver	Bonus	Base Damage	Notes
Dodge	18	None	Defensive Action
Claw	18	21 Slash
Kick	17	8 Bash
Grapple	20	None	Resisted by Dodge
Melee Weapon	18	Varies
Parry	18	None	Defensive Action.  -2 against thrown attacks
Stinger	18	21 Slash	+ Venom

 

New Spell

 

Ritual of Belial's Wine

Quick Cast: No

Power Level: 1 (technically 0)

 

Requirements: Six ounces of Royal Jelly from a single beehive.  Various rare and noxious ingredients.  A dozen apricots picked by a virgin girl on a night of a full moon.  The ingredients are mixed together according to an ancient formula and allowed to ferment for a full lunar year.  On each night of the  full moon, the cask must be placed in a mystical circle and chanted over for a full hour, beginning at midnight.  (Fully prepared casks are available from certian shady dealers.  Sometimes on eBay)  On the thirteenth full moon, the magician pours the resulting brew into a vessel along with a live queen bee larva and recites a magical chant.  If she's done everything correctly, the larva will disolve in a flash of steam and the mead-like brew will take on a dark, red color like deep wine.  To use the spell, the caster must get a female human (no vampires, demons, or whatnot) to drink the entire glass.

 

Effects: Belial's Wine transforms a female human into an Acherix Queen.  The full transformation takes place over the course of a day, with growing symptoms leading up to her becoming a full-fledged stage-one Acherix Queen.

 

At first, she becomes more attractive and alluring.  The effect is more psychological and mystical than physical.  She gets the benefits of the Attractiveness Quality without necessarily changing physically.  Every three hours, she gets one additional point of Attractiveness.  Every eight hours, she gets one additional point of Mental Problems (Lecherous) to go along with it.  She is not incurable until the passing of the 24th hour.  Before that, various purification rituals might save her.  The longer the delay, the greater the risk.  The cure involves coughing up the Queen Larva now growing within the host.  The victim has to make a Survival Test with a penalty of -1 for every three hours she's been infected. 

 

Modern surgical techniques could reduce the risk, but you'd be amazed how often that doesn't come up.

 

Breakdown

Participants: 1   +0

Casting Time: Very Lengthy -2

Scope: Noticeable +1

Duration: Slowest -3

Spell Requirements: Unusual Ingredients/Difficult Use -1

Effect: Awesome +5

 

New Enchanted Item

 

The Eye of Belial

Power Level: 6

 

Appearance: For all its power, the Eye of Belial is not very impressive to look upon.  It looks like a round gemstone a little bigger than an inch in diameter, cut from deep black stone into a multitude of hexagonal facets.  It was carved, so the legends say, from a gem within the hell dimension from which the Acherix originate.

 

Requirements: To use the Eye, the user has to insert it into one of his own eye

sockets (which must be emptied out first).  That's really it.  After that, the user reaps all the benefits of the Eye.

 

Effect: The most obvious effect of the Eye of Belial is that the user can still see out of it somewhat normally, assuming it's not covered by an eye patch or something.  He still has depth perception, but now also has, if not 360 degree vision, at least wider than human normal.  This provides two points of Perception bonus.  But that's hardly worth gouging out one of your own eyes.

 

Any Acherix workers, warriors, or drones who see the wearer of the Eye will react to him as if he were part of their hive, unless the queen orders them otherwise.  He can also try to command an Acherix queen, enslaving her will.  This works as an opposed Willpower doubled test, for which the wearer of the Eye gets a 2-point bonus.  Fully mature queens gain a great deal of willpower.  More than one summoner has learned this to his cost.  A few things can tip the balance in his favor, though.  Half of his Sorcery levels (if any) are added to his Willpower for purposes of the test.  Situational modifiers can apply as well.  If the wearer of the eye acts like a drone (which I will leave as an exercise for the reader's imagination), the queen is more likely to respond favorably to him.  Bribery works, too.

 

If the queen ever breaks free of his control, though, all bets are off.  Warriors, workers, and drones will see the wearer of the eye as an enemy.  He might be able to re-establish control, if he's powerful, but more often he ends up getting eaten.

 

Breakdown: I didn’t actually do the breakdown.  Choosing PL 6 was just an arbitrary point that seemed appropriate, and makes it hard enough that most PCs won’t think about making one.

I really dig the Storm Dragons and Tao Chi, particularly the way Tao Chi stays just barely out of wire-fu territory.  The martial arts powers from Enter the Zombie are a lot more visually impressive, but don't quite fit with the WitchCraft vibe.  And yet, Tao Chi users are sort of limited.  Pretty much, what you can use Tao Chi for is hitting people.  Hitting people is all well and good, but there's more to life than that.  So I've written some new powers.  None of these are playtested yet.  I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who uses them.  Or who just wants to talk about them, for that matter.

Body Equilibrium

Masters of this ability can perform amazing feats of agility, running up walls, nearly flying. To activate this power, the Chi Master must spend enough Essence for the effect he wants and roll Willpower + Body Equilibrium. Two points will allow the character to double his leaping distance, and eleminate any penalties due to treacherous ground. 4 points will allow the character to triple his leaping distance and run up walls at his full running speed. 6 points will allow him to run along any solid surface, even if it would not normally hold his weight (also useful for not tripping landmines), and jump 4 times his normal distance. He is immune to being tripped or otherwise falling, so long as there is something under his feet. 8 points will allow him to nearly fly, jumping 5 times his normal distance, and running even across water. Body Equilibrium lasts for one Turn per Success Level.

Circle of Awareness

The Chi Master has learned to attune his Chi to the world around him, becoming supernaturally aware of his environment. To establish the Circle, the Chi Master spends 2 Essence per yard (meter) of radius, and rolls Perception + Circle of Awareness. The Chi Master cannot be surprised by anything that originates within the bounds of his Circle. He gets to defend against any attack, so long as he has actions available to do so, regardless of direction. Similarly, The success levels The Circle test are added to any Perception tests he makes. The Circle lasts for Success Level in minutes. If the Chi Master wishes to maintain his circle for longer (for instance if he is standing guard), he may maintain the circle for longer by spending 1 more Essence to extend the duration by as many minutes as he originally earned. This power is very meditative in nature. A Chi Master must be completely focused on one task to use it. Activating your Circle of Awareness for guard duty, and then playing video games will produce very high scores on your video games, but will not really help you with guard duty.

Fade from Mind's Eye

This technique allows the Chi Master to subtly redirect the flows of Chi so that those around him are unaware of his presence. Masters of this technique can literally walk into a room full of enemies, strike, and flee without being seen.

To activate this technique, the Chi Master spends 3 points of Essence for each -1 penalty to Perception tasks relating to him. The effect lasts for a number of minutes equal to the Success Levels he generates, and may be extended by paying 3 points of Essence for each additional minute. While so protected, the Chi Master is very difficult to spot, so long as he makes reasonable efforts to disguise his presence. He must remain hidden with some level of cover or concealment for the power to work, but far less than might otherwise be necessary.

Anyone who sees the Chi Master while he tries to activate this power is unaffected, so wise Chi Masters either activate it before encountering witnesses, or use some sort of distraction, like flash bombs or smoke grenades to provide cover.

I may add to this later.  I have ideas for a few more that I've never quite hashed out.  And I'm still thinking about how I might undertake Greater Tao Chi abilities.  My favorite method is to say that Chi Mastery 10+ substitutes for the "Old Soul" prerequisite for Enlightened, and the Greater Tao Chi powers are really just Abhijaha powers with a new name.

For some strange reason, I can't seem to edit the original post.  This one is slightly cleaned up since my other one had a few small errors in format

The Perfect Weapon

Character type: Champion

Attributes

Strength: 5 (+1 from Demon Hunter, + 1 from Athlete)
Dexterity: 5 (+1 from Athlete)
Constitution: 5 (+1 from Demon Hunter)
Intelligence: 2
Perception: 5 (+1 from Demon Hunter)
Willpower: 4

Life Points: 65
Drama Points: 10

Qualities (20 + 10 from Drawbacks)

Demon Hunter, Athlete, Attractiveness Quality: 3, Nanjin Adept, Supernatural Senses - Empathy (from Perfect Weapon), Hard to Kill: 5 (From Perfect Weapon), Natural Toughness (from Perfect Weapon), Situational Awareness (from Perfect Weapon), Nerves of Steel (from Perfect Weapon), Fast Reaction Time (from Perfect Weapon), Perfect Weapon,

Drawbacks (10)

Physical Disibality - Impaired Language: 3 (from Perfect Weapon), Adversary ("Father"): 5, Adversary (Various): 1 (From Demon Hunter), Antisocial Impulses (Violence): 1 (from Perfect Weapon), Honorable: 2, Mental Problems - Delusions (Supernaturals are evil): 1 (From Demon Hunter), Outcast

Skills (30)

Acrobatics: 5, Art: 0, Computers: 0, Crime: 4, Doctor: 1, Driving: 0, Getting Medieval: 6 (+1 from Demon Hunter), Gun Fu: 0, Influence: 0, Knowledge: 0, Kung Fu: 6 (+1 from Demon Hunter), Languages: 0, Mr. Fix-it: 0, Notice: 5, Occultism: 3, Science: 0, Sports: 4, Wild Card: 0

 

Combat Moves

Maneuver	Bonus	Damage	Notes
Catch Weapon	8	None	Ranged Defense Action
Decapitation	8	Varies	Total damage x 5
Disarm (GM)	11	None	Resisted by Parry
Disarm (KF)	10	None	Resisted by Parry
Dodge	13	None	Defense Action
Grapple	15	None	Impairment Varries
Jump Kick	10	18 bash	Dex + Acrobatics roll adds SL to damage
Kick	12	12 bash
Parry	13	None	Defense Action; -2 against ranged attacks
Punch	13	10 bash
Stake	13	10 slash
Through the Heart	10	10 slash	x 5 damage for vampires; x 4 for other folks
Sword	13	20 slash
Takedown	13	5 bash	Knocks target down

Background on the Perfect Weapon

Words are... hard for me.  I was raised with no words.  My... father... made sure no one spoke to me.  Where you learned to speak, I learned to... move.  I learned to fight.  I learned to kill.  He wanted me to be... like him?  Worse?  Better.

Someone else can say it better.  Words are hard for me.

We found her in the midst of a pack of Nosferatu, killing them at least as easily as a young Slayer might.  As best I've been able to determine, her "father" was a member of the order of Turaka who killed any mortal parents she might have had and took her to raise himself.  This behavior is not unknown amongst vampires with sufficient age to have become sentimental and sufficient willpower to be able to resist the lure of easy food.

What is unusual is what he did with her.  He made sure she never heard human speech at all.  Instead, from the time she could walk, he forced her into a regimen of physical training, teaching her acrobatics, stealth, and combat... all in complete silence.  I can only imagine how that worked.

She has been trained by the best warriors, hunters, and assassins on the planet, and possibly beyond.  Her body and mind have been honed into perfect tools of violence.  Her abilities border on supernatural.  She "reads" people's body language as easily as you or I would read a book.  She knows what you're going to do as soon as you do.  She can see your every weakness, possibly even know what you're thinking.

And she always wins at Roshambo.

She is not the most forthcoming, but I have managed to piece together the rest.  Her "father" intended to allow her to reach physical maturity, then slay her so she'd rise again as a vampire herself.  He did not reckon on her extraordinary perception.  She saw his intentions at some point and broke away, and now she hunts vampires with all the fervor with which she would have hunted humans.

We have more or less adopted her, if only to keep her under nominal control.  Left to her own devices, she has no sense of perspective and no idea when to quit.  She also has almost no ability to deal with modern society.  She can only barely speak a few words, and is completely illiterate.  In fact, I think she's severely dyslexic.  Her spatial and linguistic thought centers are irrevocably intertwined.

Nonetheless, I hope we will be able to improve her quality of life, and god forgive me, we need her on our side.

Quote: "..."

Roleplaying the Perfect Weapon

You're a highly-trained, utterly ruthless assassin, except that you have a deep regard for life.  You don't mind killing vampires.  In fact, you like it.  But you don't want to kill humans.  Hurting them is fine, though.

You're also a teenage girl (or boy, if you'd prefer.  We're not sexist here), with all the hormone-driven insanity that brings.  And things are really complicated for you.  On one hand, you have no social skills at all.  On the other hand, you can tell what other people are thinking by just looking at them.

So now you hunt monsters, knowing that at some point a showdown with your "father" is inevitable, and you try to figure out how to be a person instead of just a weapon.

Sample Equipment

Sword, Leather armor, Throwing Knives (bat-shaped shrunken optional)

 

 

 

 

Character Sheet by UniForge Version: 1.1. Last Modified 2006-08-07 17:25:32

Comments: As I said, not quite perfect.  Cassie should be able to understand any language, which is an ability worth two or three points.  But then again, she probably understands only basic, declarative, concrete concepts, so I guess it all evens out.

I'm starting a collection of Full Unisystem stuff.  I don't know how much it will grow, though.  WitchCraft and Armageddon are a little less fun to write enchanted items for, since they're generally just sub-effects of various existing powers.  If I start needing items with interesting history behind them, I'll probably post them here.  The plot hooks and whatnot are more useful than the stats in that case.

I might also see about converting some of these to Buffy items.  We shall see.

First up, one from a game I played over on devermore.net.  The sequel game is still running, and this item is still around.  Incidentally, I thank the nice folks at RPG.net for helping me with the name.

Die Märchenlanduhr

"The Fairy-Tale Land Clock" is a 17th Century German clock made by the eccentric genius Albrecht von Wittenberg. It is an ornate, baroque long case clock (aka. a grandfather clock) with numerous animated figures that emerge to dance the hours. The clockworks are insanely complex, and do different things in response to different hours or even seasons.

But the clock's mundane aspects are the least of its properties. When placed on a Place of Power and properly set, the clock reveals its true power. On the stroke of midnight, the entire clock changes. The outer section of the face flips over in tiny segments so that there are now 13 hours. The clock starts running backwards as well. The figures rotate 180 degrees, revealing different sides. They begin to dance the hours to a new, haunting chime tuned to a minor key. And a Gate to Faerie is opened. It will remain open for thirteen hours, after a fashion. Anyone who goes through once can go back through any time within thirteen hours of it opening, but it’s only a round-trip. To go to Yessod, back to Malkuth, then to Yessod again would take two days.

This effect can be turned off (for the safety and sanity of the clock owner) by turning a special key within the clockworks. This deactivates the special figurines and changing clock face, making the clock just act like a normal long case clock.

Effect: Opens a Gate to a specific spot in the Faerie Lands of Yessod, at a clock-tower on the border from Light and Darkness. Nearby is the massive Labyrinth. The Clock itself is a Gate, and uses the Activate Gate effect, 13 hours of duration purchased at 5 points per hour. (A special rule that players can’t do, just because that’s scary) The
Strength: 8
Recharge: 4
Essence Pool: 90
Uses: 1 before the pool is drained

Like the Spells and Qualities articles, this one will be updated from time to time.

I started this item to be part of another Archetype, but I decided you'd have to be insane to ever let anyone have this.  It makes a good plot device for a limited duration, and it might work in some really high-powered game, or a one-on-one game, but for a regular Buffy or Angel game, I think it's far too powerful for regular use.

I might write up an evil version later on, which would work better as a plot device, a'la Darth Rosenberg.

Caster Pistol

Power Level: 6
Appearance: A Caster Pistol is normally an ornate, old-style pistol, and is usually quite bulky.  It fires Caster Shells, which are shotgun-shell sized, metal, and come in a variety of colors.
Requirements: The Caster Pistol must be loaded with a Caster Shell and fired as a normal pistol.
Effect: Hokey religions and ancient superstitions might not be a match for a good gun at your side, but with a Caster Pistol, you can have both.  Caster Pistols (and perhaps Caster Rifles, but they lack the personal touch) are created in realms of magic and technology, and even there, the weapons aren't all that common.  They're difficult to make, difficult to arm, and exact a cost on the user.  But even with these disadvantages, they are powerful weapons in the right hands.  The Caster Pistol can let a non-Sorcerer fire off spells.

A Caster Pistol is generally a single-shot, breach loading pistol.  Double-barreled and revolver variants are exponentially rarer.  Automatic pistols of any description are virtually unknown, as they would have some severe drawbacks.  Few arcane artificers even know the secrets of making them or their specialized ammunition anymore.  A Caster Pistol uses pistol ranges, and, if one were to fire normal bullets in it, would have damage equal to a "Big Ass Pistol."  That would be a terrible waste of potential, however, and might damage the delicate arcane circuitry of the pistol.

The true ammunition of a Caster Pistol is a Caster Shell, about the size of a 12-gague shotgun shell.  Caster Shells are essentially assemblages, but they're difficult to make.  Besides the efforts involved in casting the spell as normal, the gunsmith must also hand-craft each shell.  This requires a Mr. Fix-it test with a penalty equal to the power level of the spell being imbued into the shell.  WC: Gunsmithing cuts the penalty in half.  Alternately, the WC: Castersmithing skill can be used, which removes the penalty entirely.  If the crafting test fails, the shell is inert, even if the spellcasting test was successful.  For that matter, normal penalties for miscast spells apply, but only when the shell is fired, which can lead to interesting situations.  The shells are made from orichalcium (which isn't really all that difficult to acquire.  It's just an alloy of bronze with a particular red hue.  Real life is so boring sometimes.)  They change color and acquire mystical symbols based on the spells imbued into them, such that an Occultism test will tell a trained observer what a given shell does.  Inert shells look just like live ones.  There's no way to tell if the Caster Shell is live without firing it.

(As such, we suggest that the Director keep the rolls used to craft shells secret, to preserve the sense of wonder and adventure for the players.  Most of the time, it's safe to assume a shell got the minimum SL for a successful casting and not worry about it.  Inflicting defective or inert shells on Cast Members is probably worth a Drama Point or two.)

So why didn't the weapon smiths of old crank out millions of these things and arm every Tom, Dick, and Roland with one?  Well, besides being hard to make, the Caster Pistol has one big downside.  Spells take mystical energy, and that energy has to come from somewhere.  Where it comes from is the life-force of the user.  Every time you fire a Caster Shell, you do so at the cost of a little piece of yourself.  Most of the time, it's no big deal.  You use little bits of your life-force all the time.  But the Caster Shells take more than most people can easily deal with.

For Sorcerers, each Caster Shell fired counts as casting a spell of whatever power level the Caster Shell contained.  For normal folks, it's more difficult.  for Caster Shells with a PL of 3 or less, there's no problem, but for shells with a PL of 4 or greater, the cost adds up quickly.  When a Cast Member engages in extensive Caster Pistol usage, keep track of the shells he uses.  Once he stops (or whenever the Director thinks it's a good point) he needs to make a Consciousness Test.  Each shell with a PL of 4-6 adds a -1 penalty to the test.  Each shell with a PL of 7+ adds a -2 penalty.  Instead of Constitution doubled, use Constitution and Willpower for this test.

If the unlucky spellslinger fails the Consciousness test, he must immediately make a Survival Test with 1/10th the penalty applied to the Consciousness Test.  If he fails the Survival Test, he falls into a coma and will lose 1 from all his stats per day.  Once he's out of stat points, he dies, unless heroic measures (or Drama Points) save him.  If he passes the Survival Test, he's merely in a coma for a while: 24 hours per point he failed the test by, divided by his Constitution.  So a spellslinger with a Constitution of 2 who fails his Consciousness test by 4 points would be unconscious for 2 days.  If he'd only failed by 1 point, he'd be out for 12 hours.  And he should really think about building up his endurance if he's going to go around firing Caster Shells indiscriminately.

Directors are free to determine what types of Caster Shells are available.  It's possible that the secrets of smithing them have been lost, so not even Enchanter/Superscientist Cast Members can make new ones.  By far most Caster Shells are damaging spells, but if your Director is amenable, there are other options.  Healing spells would seem like a bad idea, though.

The Colt

Power Level: 7
Appearance: A Colt Peacemaker, crafted by Samuel Colt himself, with a dark finish and a handle made of wood from a hanging tree.  The barrel is engraved with the latin motto "non timebo mala."  ("I will fear no evil.")  There were originally thirteen bullets, each cast from the metal of a blessed cross.  How many are left now is up to the Director.
Requirements: The user shoots something he wants to kill.  This requires a normal Gun-fu roll.  Period, hand-made revolvers aren't terribly accurate.  Increase all range modifiers by +1.  The gun works normally if loaded with normal ammunition.  Its true power is tied to the thirteen bullets.
Effect: When fired from the Colt, the magic bullets can kill anything, no matter how invulnerable it normally might be.  So long as the shooter isn't specifically aiming to wound (Targeting a limb, for instance) any shot is fatal.  Humans, werewolves, vampires, demons, even hellgods are all vulnerable to the Colt.

Notes: This is more a plot device than something a player would use long-term, but it might make a neat toy.  Say he's got 5 bullets left, and after that, he's down 14 XP (if you charged him for it).  He'd want to be really choosy.  And since he still has to hit, it's not a for-sure kill every time.

Emerald Flame of Life

Power Level: 7 (Don't even think about trying to make one)
Appearance: A green lantern, and a green ring crafted from the same strange green metal.  Only the lantern is really necessary.  The ring, though, acts as a smaller, more convenient remote unit, and keeps anyone else from using the power of the Lantern while it is worn.
Effect: The Emerald Flame of Life is an extraterrestrial source of vast power, perhaps sent to Earth by the Powers that Be.  It grants the user the equivelent of Sorcery 5, although rather than Occultism, the Emerald Flame requires its own Wild Card skill.  Rather than "Spells" the ring can do pretty much whatever the user can imagine, but it takes some time to figure out the more esoteric ones.  You can (assuming your Director allows it) probably whip out any PL 3 effect or less that you want.  Any others require you to purchase a special Quality called "Flame Kenning." (2 points per level)  This gives you access to new effects just as if you were a Witch with an Occult Library of the same value.  Invoking particularly powerful ones for the first time might require a Drama Point. 

The Emerald Flame also extends the life of its host.  If you began the game with the Emerald Flame, that's a reason to buy the Age Quality.  If you've raised your WC: Emerald Flame skill to at least 7, you can have the Ageless Quality, so long as you possess the ring.

The Emerald Flame of Life is not all-powerful, so users need to keep a few things in mind.  First of all, since it is the power of green and growing things, it is powerless against wood and plants, although processed plant fibers (cloth, rope, etc...) are fair game.  Why?  The forces of magic are just weird, that's why.  Also, the Flame is primarily a thing of White magic.  Using it for evil is difficult.  Any negative effects resulting from backlash are bumped up level.  So you're often wiser using the ring to protect yourself while just hitting people in the conventional way, rather than blasting them with bolts of verdant fire.  One final limitation: the ring can operate any distance from the lantern, even in other dimensions, but it needs to touch the lantern every 24 hours.  If it doesn't, then, starting on the 24th hour, it begins to lose 1 level of Sorcery every minute until it has none.  When it hits zero, it loses all power until it touches the lantern again.

The Flame is not just a power source.  It is also an intelligent being with vast wisdom.  The Bearer of the Flame can make friends with it, buying it as a Supernatural Contact worth two points.

I have just added "The Hellrider" to my Unisystem Qualities collection, completely suitable for an Angel or Buffy game.  Enjoy.