see the previous post in this series
see the next post in this series
Ratlings
 |
| Image via happymag.tv |
The Humans took a long time to realize they were not alone in their own cities. They never had been. From the moment they began hoarding grain, Humanity had rent-free tenants in the storehouses. They were often caught and killed, of course, but the smartest, the fastest and the most well fed among the survivors survived and bred. Those rats' children in turn were culled and the survivors concentrated. Over countless generations, some rats began expressing supermurine abilities. rudimentary speech, opposable thumbs, and the ability to walk on their hindlegs came first. Generations later, these first Ratlings stepped out into the common rooms of inns, farmsteads, and royal halls, announcing themselves as equals. Surprisingly, some took them seriously. Now, hundreds of generations hence, Ratlings are an expected sight in most major cities and not uncommon in rural areas. They take up work where they can, often serving as lens cutters, jewelers, scouts, explorers and many walks of life in between. Not everyone appreciates their presence, but most Humans regard Ratlings as one does a particularly smart dog. The Ratlings are more than happy to allow them this delusion.
Ratling Traits
Inhuman Perspective - You are decidedly inhuman in your manner of thought. Where humans might see refuse, you see sustenance. Where humans find hate or revenge, you recognize a stronger foe and give due respect. You come from mundane rats, hundreds of generations removed, and your behavior is impacted by that. The collective is more important than the individual and you are rarely alone.
Diminutive - You are between 8 inches and 18 inches tall, and bipedal. If your hands are free, you can scurry and climb without penalty. You can fit through gaps as small as 1 inch in diameter so long as you are not wearing armor or packs. All your equipment must be specially made, costing twice as much as a human-size piece of the same equipment. Human sized daggers and knives count as longswords. You may carry up to 1 size of objects in your paws.
Voracious - You have to eat constantly, requiring just as much food as a human. However, you are capable of eating any non-toxic plant matter, including straw, hemp, and cotton. You only need water once every three days.
Short Lived - The most venerable of your kind live to be twelve years old. You reach maturity at six months. As a result, Ratlings are highly specialized. Choose a single Camp action: This is the only one you can take while Camping. You train your Class when leveling up twice as quickly as Humans.
Resilient - You have a 1 card bonus when resisting any form of disease or poison, are immune to damage from falling if your hands are free and you are unarmored, and you may elect to ignore the first instance of damage received on an adventure provided you are free to move.
Ubiquitous - Your kith and kin inhabit every nook and cranny they find, even where humans and other creatures would not dare tread. With a successful Black Check, you can find familiar whiskered faces anywhere not actively hostile to life (volcanoes, underwater).
Accounter
"On four counts of erroneous existence, I hereby condemn the affixed to nullification and forced mundanity. The affixed stands accused of possessing the following aberrant traits:
1. Willful disregard of the sanctity of death.
2. Forcible egress through physical barriers.
3. Over-loud shouting resulting in loss of sanity.
4. Inability to have notice of mundane interdiction affixed without extreme effort due to incorporeality."
-The condemnation of the specter of Hill Manor by Accounter Jules Vermin.
Aspect: Sense
Stock: Human or Ratling
Requirements: Sense >2, Determination >2
Starting Gear:
- Sheaf of paper
- Charcoal Pencil
- Rubber Stamp and Ink Pad
- Box of Nails
- Small Hammer
Class Ability Tract
Level 0: Audit
You were born with a seventh whisker, no pupils, or another physical manifestation of power. This marks you as different than your kin, be they Human or Ratling. You can sense the presence of the Veil without any effort, enabling you to detect the location of supernatural forces or Denizens within a number of feet equal to ten times your level, minimum 10 feet. Decide how this sense manifests to your character, such as a pressure, strange wind, or other phenomena.
Level 1: Reject Unreality
By focusing your mind upon a supernatural presence or Denizen as an action, you can dampen a number of random effects or abilities equal to your level by passing an Aspect Check. Doing so disables those abilities until you stop using an action each round to focus on them.
Level 2: Suppress Aberration
You may write out a list of claims, stamping the notice and nailing the paper to a supernatural force or Denizen to attempt to make it mundane. Writing out a list in combat takes one turn per claim. Make a Red/Black check with +1 Card for every valid claim listed on the document, up to 5 Cards (ex. "Willful ignorance of physical barriers" or "Unreasonable toxin expulsion"). If the Denizen is capable of resisting, you must succeed on an Attack with your hammer in order to take this action. If you are successful, you affix the notice to the target and any supernatural effects it is capable of are suppressed, rendering it mundane until the notice is removed with an Aspect Check from a different entity. You may retry this check on subsequent turns if it fails.
Level 3: Unravel Gossamer
Pierces in the Veil no longer affect you unless you allow them to do so, or the source is outside of your Audit range.
Level 4: Proof of Contradiction
You can write a blistering thesis against unreality and post your admonishment for all to see. You may spend one week to write a single page of thesis, and an additional week for each page thereafter. When posted in a public space, each page negates supernatural effects within a radius of ten feet per page of thesis until removed by a mundane creature. You may prepare theses in advance, and 5 theses are a size 1X object.
Level 5: Banish
By focusing your mind upon a Denizen as an action, you can make a Red/Black check. If you succeed, the Denizen is banished beyond the Veil. If you fail, you ignore all of its abilities, permanently, allowing you to damage it as if it were mundane.
Censorship
If a card in your Baize matches the suit or value of a card drawn on a check for a supernatural effect or Denizen ability, you may spend it to nullify that card.
Bonus Table!
|
Rubber Rejection Stamps |
|
DISMISSED W/O APPEAL |
|
VOID |
|
NO |
|
INDECENT CONTENT |
CLAIM DENIED |
IGNORE THIS ENTITY |
No comments:
Post a Comment