I have been involved in two Series, Twilight and Walking in Shadow. Twilight used standard Buffy vampires and demons and everything was kept for that power level. Walking in Shadow however, turned things up a notch in Season Three when vampires and Slayers got a worldwide upgrade thanks to that season’s Bait-n-Switch Big Bad, and again in Season Five. For those, I’ve applied a little annotation in italics (WiS) for all those that are for added or increased for the Walking in Shadow power level.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Now that's a long story..."
-The Archangel Gabriel to Katherine, The Prophecy
Angels are rarely encountered in the modern age. The Powers That Be do not directly act through intermediaries anymore, and those that do, tend to use demons of various kinds, lending a question as to what exactly The Powers That Be are. Nevertheless, angels do exist, though not in the warm, fuzzy, fat-baby way most people envision. Angels are powerful messengers, and in some cases, executioners of divine will. As magic has waned in the world, they can no longer manifest in true form except in rare occasions, so they have to take on mortal form.
These are angels who have descended to Earth. If the game moves to another plane, hell dimension or heavenly, then the angel in question should undergo some form of power-up. In a Hell Dimension, they might not be at full strength, but even that would allow them to assume their true form and power. In a higher plane, an angel should be unstoppable by anything other than another angel (or a god).
Removing the heart kills the vessel, but it is unclear what happens to the angel itself. The consensus is that when the heart is removed here, they die permanently; however, there have been instances where the angel was powerful enough to survive (i.e. Gabriel's return in The Prophecy 2). At the GM's discretion, spending Drama Points or maybe even a very difficult Survival roll may allow the angel to return to a higher or lower plane to acquire a new vessel later in the game.
Some more powerful angels have powers other than what is described here. Some can cause people to spontaneously combust, others can raise the dead, or at least put death on hold for a while, long enough to acquire some mortal assistance in their mission. Some angels are connected to a concept. Gabriel is considered by some to the angel of death; Azrael the angel of vengeance; Michael the angel of war. If allowing a Named angel like this, the GM should allow the character to develop a special power or two fitting with this connection. For example, the angel in my old campaign, Barachiel (whose name means “Lightning of God”) had the ability to throw lightning bolts and have fun with thunderstorms.
A rare few angels can be outcast from heaven without being turned into a Fallen. The exact details vary on the whim of God (Game Operations Director), from being stripped of power and memory, to just power. It is possible to regain their power, though this tends to require a bit of a minor miracle, pun intended. These rare few lose their Obligation, and over time, their Outcast status in human society. In games involving other gods and powerful spirits, angels can be used as a good example of what an avatar of one of those being would manifest as in the Buffyverse.
This is a rare Quality as vampires in the Buffyverse cannot breed. This generally requires some kind of mystical accident (i.e. interference). The only known instance of this was when Vamp Buffy from my campaign's version of Dopplegangland swapped bodies with the real Buffy. The demon essence merged with the still-living body to create something new. This could also be used to build Connor. The Dhampyr does not have a game face, but does have a pair of long razor-sharp canines that tend to stand out when smiling or talking.
This works the same as mortal sorcery, but is capable of healing others, raising the dead without penalty, and curing mental and physical illnesses. What mortal sorcery cannot do without great risk and consequences, divine sorcery can. This is different than even White Magic, as it requires the wielder to be a conduit for some Higher Power, which means no book-learning will ever grant these abilities. They must be given. Usually only messengers from the Upper Realms and a handful of chosen mortals in any given lifetime have this Quality, and those that do tend to come with very stringent Obligations. Those who do not live up to these obligations lose ability to cast Divine Sorcery.
The Witchblade does have a male counterpart that has been dubbed Excalibur. It is uncertain if this is the legendary blade of King Arthur or if it is merely a borrowed pseudonym. Regardless, it is a potent weapon, though the full breadths of its abilities are even more of a mystery than the Witchblade. The male bloodline is believed wiped out long ago, hence why it has not been seen in centuries. There was rumored to be a connection between the male bloodline and one of the female bloodlines that the Witchblade seems to prefer, though this is impossible to prove now.
In combat, it can extend a blade equivalent to that of a long sword, but it acts much as a Blessed Sword. It deals Strength times (Success Levels plus 3) in damage to evil creatures. Otherwise, it deals Strength times 4 points of damage like any normal sword. The blade is also unbreakable and trace fragments that have been analyzed indicate it’s not made of any material seen before.
While the Witchblade takes the form of a bracelet, Excalibur takes the form of a silver ring. Its basic powers are probably identical to the Witchblade, so treat it as such. A female attempting to wield Excalibur should follow the same rules as a man attempting to wield the Witchblade; the same for Pretenders. It lacks the Adversarial quality of the Witchblade since it is believed lost and not even the current wielder, or his master, is aware of the exact nature of what he wears, only that it gives him insight into the world around him. It currently lies dormant, only providing its sensory abilities (Psychic Visions, Fast Reaction Time, and Situational Awareness) to whoever wears it. Should it awaken and make its powers and presence fully known, this would change immediately.
A person with this quality is a truly believes in some religious or spiritual path. They obey the tenets of their faith as best they can, and in return can wield the appropriate holy symbols against vampires and undead. This is not the same as being a fanatical follower of a particular religion. That is covered by Mental Problems (Zealot).
"No one down here but the FBI's Most Unwanted."
-Fox Mulder, The X-Files
The character works for one of the various government law enforcement agencies, such as the FBI, DEA, ATF, and the US Marshalls. This would also include fictional agencies along the lines of CTU and the DSA, and any government agency whose primary job is the enforcement of rules and regulations. Those wishing to work for the Spook Side, should see the quality Intelligence Operative.
Due to time in their particular academy, agents gain +1 to any two attributes. Also, Federal Agents are trained in the use of firearms, Hand-To-Hand combat and chasing down suspects, receiving a +1 to Acrobatics, Driving, Gun Fu, and Kung Fu. They are also trained investigators, receiving a +1 to Crime and Notice. They also start with a Rank of 1 (Agent), showing that they’ve graduated from their training and are with the agency full-time.
Agents also choose a specialization as they advance. As such, they receive 4 skill points to apply to any skills they choose. Better combat skills are the first choice of field agents. Investigators would put them in Crime and Notice. Tech Specialists would add points to Mr. Fix-It, Science and Wild Card (Demolitions). And the scary people in Interrogation would focus on Doctor and Influence. Forensic Investigators are more likely to invest in Doctor and Notice.
Federal Agents have the same broad authority that Cops and Detectives do, some might say more-so. They can arrest, detain, and commandeer civilians and their vehicles, provided they can justify it after the fact to their superiors and possibly the attorneys. Pushing this too far can get an agent in a heap of trouble. Of course, some agents don’t care.
All of this is balanced out by an agent’s duty to the organization. Agents are hindered by a Major Obligation (the Agency), meaning they have to obey official policy as well as normal civilian laws. Agents who break these rules and push their authority too far are listed as Rogue and quickly gain an Adversary in the form of their own agency in place of this Obligation.
"So why do they call you Spanky?"
-Angel, Episode 5.1: Conviction
This “drawback” represents any sexual peccadilloes a character may possess. Each level has a number associated with it, each representing the penalty to social interaction rolls should the person you’re talking to be aware of your tastes. This also becomes a bonus to social interaction rolls should the person you’re talking to share this trait, as well as the number of points gained for this drawback.
Examples:
Mild (1) – light bondage play, spanking
Moderate (3) – heavy domination, bloodplay
Extreme (5) – severe S&M, bestiality
This isn't so much a new quality as it is a new spin on an old one. Basically, take the Demon Creation Rules from the Angel Core Rulebook, and instead of coming up with demons and half-breeds, you can use them to concoct Weird Science creations, mutations, and other silly stuff. I'm reviewing the Demon Creation rules now, and any traits I think should be added to or subtracted to the list to make it fit better with this concept, I'll post.
A character with this quality works for the CIA, NSA, DIA, or other equivalent agency. While trained in combat skills, an Intelligence Operative does not brandish a badge and make arrests the way Federal Agents do. They work in the shadows, trying not to draw attention to themselves.
Intelligence agents undergo a rigorous training program, focusing on developing the mind as much as the body. As such, they gain +1 to any Physical Attribute, as well as +1 to any Mental. Basic training includes +1 to Driving, Gun Fu, Kung Fu, and Language. Analysts gain +2 to Knowledge and Notice. Techs gain +2 to Computer and Mr. Fix-It. Also, all agents start with Rank 1 (Agent), though this can be increased through gameplay and with experience.
The mythical Undercover Operatives get +2 to Crime and Influence, as well as 3 free skill points to allocate as necessary, be it to combat skills or extra languages or some on-site hacking skills. This bonus if offset by the fact that all Undercover Operatives have a Deadly Secret (Identity), that if blown, could result in death at best, torture for themselves or their loved ones at worst.
All Operatives have a Minor Secret (Their Job). While many can admit they work for an intelligence agency, few are allowed to discuss the particulars of their day with anyone, even their families. They also have a Major Obligation to the Agency they work for, given the large amounts of time and stress this career can put on them and their social lives.
Ever notice how some people seem to be able to speak or read any language, or if not, seem to be able to pick a new language up on the fly? While mainly a cinematic convention, there is precedent for particularly gifted people in the field of linguistics, and yours is one of them. For 2 points, when you invest ranks in the Language skill, you don’t just pick a language to be fluent in. When encountering a language you are unfamiliar with, you make an Intelligence + Language check and ever Success Level grants a greater level of fluency for that encounter. One Success Level means you can get the gist of what’s going on, but you’re missing the finer points. Three Success Levels means you can understand and if necessary respond in kind with only your accent giving you away. Five or more Success Levels means you speak like a native. Please note, this is only for the duration of a single scene. Unless the language is purchased normally, you must make this roll on every encounter.
Lycanthropes are those who have either been cursed by magic or bitten by another lycanthrope. A beast suffuses their body and on nights of the full moon, they succumb to that beast, shift into a either a large beast or monstrous hybrid form and go out and hunt down fresh meat and blood to feast upon for three nights a month. They are little more than monsters, so the legends say.
The legends are a tad unfair. While transformed, a lycanthrope does submit to the beast within, their self-awareness is not entirely lost. Given time and acceptance, any werewolf can have a modicum of control over their actions in beast-form. They cannot deny the impulse to feed and hunt and kill, but a kernel of self-awareness is there, allowing them to direct their actions. If locked in a cage with a trusted friend on the night of the full moon, a lycanthrope will feel compelled to feed on them, but some, especially Alphas, can resist it long enough to find an alternate food source. Unfortunately, if one doesn’t present itself soon, the beast will lose patience and eventually wins out.
As humans, all lycanthropes get stronger, faster and tougher. Their senses sharpen and they become generally all-around tough. However these improvements are only a hint of what awaits them when they give into their beast and transform. Their strength and speed becomes truly superhuman and their senses shift into spectrums denied to most natural creatures.
All this comes with a weakness to silver. A couple of silver bullets can easily kill all but the strongest lycanthrope, and modern cinema has made this common knowledge to anyone with the luck to survive an initial attack. Silver acts as a poison, counteracting their amazing ability to heal, and any contact with silver burns them like a cross would a vampire.
A victim bitten by a lycanthrope while in Were- or animal-form must make a Constitution (doubled) roll to resist infection by the lycanthrope curse/virus/whatever. A bite or scratch from a werewolf while human has no risk. There is some argument whether this is a disease or a curse of some kind. While designed for Walking in Shadow, this Quality would make an interesting replacement for the standard Buffy werewolves.
Those with Willpower of 4 or greater are considered Alpha among their kind. What this means is that they can control their form on any night (except the nights of the full moon when they MUST change). Note that this control comes over time, so even a new Alpha is slave to the moon until he learns some discipline. An Alpha lycanthrope can also make a contested Willpower (doubled) roll to force or prevent another of his kind from changing shape on nights other than the full moon. It’s been rumored that some Alphas can fully transform into a large animal of the breed they belong to. Treat this as having the same stats as the human form, but with the enhanced senses and natural attacks of the beast-form.
Any lycanthrope can make a Willpower (doubled) check at a -3 penalty to control their urges on the nights of the full moon. However, this is only a temporary measure. Another check is made every minute, with an additional Success Level required to maintain control. Example: first check, one Success Level is needed, a minute later, at least two Success Levels are needed to keep the beast at bay, and so on.
Common Traits
Werewolf
Werecougar
Wererat
Werebear
Due to the size of this particular quality and some related drawbacks, I've given it its own section. Please follow the link above.
A Necromancer is someone with a deep connection to death and the afterlife, as well as the undead. They are typically regarded as innately evil by western culture, though they are by no means demonically tainted the way vampires are. This is a separate ability from Sorcery, and the two qualities must be bought separately. Necromancy can replace Sorcery for casting (ritually or Quick-) any spell that effects the death, the undead, or ghosts.
The roll for any Necromancy effect is Willpower + Occultism + Necromancy Levels (up to 5). If they possess both Qualities, they use the higher of the two Qualities, and receive a bonus equal to half the lesser Quality’s level. Certain powers are gained at specific power levels of Necromancy.
Level One – Animation: this is the most common ability of necromancy. With a simple animal sacrifice, a recently dead corpse can be raised from the grave as a zombie and made to speak. The age of the dead to be raised is limited to a decade per Success Level, plus a decade for the size of the sacrifice. Chickens and goats are worth a decade. Larger size equals better, and supposedly sacrifice of a sentient being is worth at least a century. The soul does not return to animate the corpse, and if the head is destroyed, it is essentially mindless. Once raised, the necromancer can make the zombie answer any question truthfully. An offering of the blood of the caster is required to bind the zombie to the necromancer to maintain true control. If a zombie goes rogue, any necromancer can wrest control with a contest Willpower (doubled) roll.
Level Three – Improved Animation: This functions the same as the lesser power, but can be used to raise and control multiple zombies simultaneously. Instead of raising older zombies, the Success Levels of the roll can be used to indicate how many dead within a lesser age bracket rise from the grave.
Level Five – Bind/Banish Ghost: This ability allows the necromancer to engage in a battle of wills with the spirit of a dead person, to either make them do their bidding or put them to rest, much as they can do with zombies.
Level Six - Control Lesser Undead: This power grants the necromancer the ability to control lesser intelligent undead such as ghouls and revenants. They can not only command them, but they can control their bodies as if they were puppets on a string.
Level Eight – Control Greater Undead: This allows the wielder to control vampires and mummies (as well as liches if such a thing exists in your world) as if they were a mere zombie. What’s more, they can use their power to destroy a vampire’s heart, instantly killing him, with only a simple Necromancy check. Success Levels equal the penalty to the vampire’s Survival Test to avoid instant dusting.
Level Nine – Heal the Dead: this power can be used to temporarily rejuvenate the corpse of a zombie into a “fresher” state, or to heal a vampire of lethal damage. A Necromancy roll is made and restores a number of Life Points equal to the caster’s Willpower doubled per Success Level to the undead creature.
Level Ten – Transfer Spirit: The necromancer can now transfer the soul of one living being into an intact, unspoiled corpse and restore that body to life. In theory, this power can also be used to rip the soul out of a Vampire With Soul.
Levels Eleven+: This is uncharted territory, but rumors of legendary powers exist, such as a necromancer being able to truly resurrect the dead in their original body. Other legends tell of necromancers who could restore a vampire to life. This power level should be left to Director’s discretion.
Instead of treating Dracula as a normal vamp with "showy Gypsy stuff", I decided to treat him as a mix between the one from Bram Stoker's book and the one from the USA movie starring the same guy from Buffy Season 5, Episode 1. ;) These vamps were created not by a demon, but by a curse leveled upon the first Nosferatu. Dracula himself has proven impossible to permanently kill by any means. His children aren't quite so resilient, though anyone who treats them as a normal vampire is in for a big surprise when they don’t stay dust.
With the tilting of the world towards death and entropy, vampires have grown more powerful, and so have those who hunt them. The dark energy that fuels the Slayer line has increased, gifting them with abilities to fight the new breed of vampires that stalk the world. This Quality is designed to bring the Slayer more in line with the new power level of Walking in Shadow, as well as to allow Directors to introduce the Slayer into other modern fantasy settings which tend to have more powerful vampires.
A character with this quality is a member of the armed forces of some nation. This quality represents enlisted personnel, though officers must go through this level of training as well. This quality is broken up into levels of training : basic, officer, and SpecOps. Still, even officers must go through basic training, and so should possess this quality as well.
Basic Training: Thanks to basic training, all those who join the military gain +1 Constitution and +1 to either Strength or Dexterity. In addition, Soldiers gain +1 to Acrobatics, Kung-Fu, Gun-Fu, and Mr. Fix-It. Also, most have to choose their specialty. Field troops get another +1 to Hand-to-Hand or Marksmanship. Technicians get +1 to Mr. Fix-It or Sciences. Pilots and Mechanized Infantry get +1 to Driving or Wild Card: Pilot (choose one). All soldiers have a three-point Obligation to their nation, and those who betray it gain a three-point adversary in the form of those they served. It goes without saying the Military Rank feat is almost a requisite for anyone who wants to be an officer. This entry assumes the soldier to be just out of basic training with the Military Rank Quality at -1 (Private or equivalent). Basic Training costs 3 points.
Officer Training: After Basic, qualified candidates can enter Officer Training School. Military Officers are trained for command responsibilities and focus less on field training. Officers receive a +1 to one mental attribute, as well as +1 to Influence and Notice. They also get two skill points to assign as they see fit. The Officer also gains an additional Major Obligation to the troops under his command. Completing Officer Training is worth another 3 points, and the character must also purchase 3 levels of the Rank Quality if they have not already done so.
Special Forces Training: The next level is the Special Forces Commando, elite soldiers trained to handle missions normal soldiers can’t. They undergo intense physical training for combat skill and endurance, and are psychological tested and trained for intense loyalty. A character with this quality gains two points to assign to any two attributes. They also gain +1 Acrobatics, Crime, Kung-fu, and Gun-fu. They also gain Nerves of Steel, Resistance (Pain) 1, and Mental Problems (Mild Zealotry for their government). Now this conditioning has been known to backfire should the focus of their loyalty betray (actually or perceived) them, which of course has been a chief source for cheesy action movie plots for the last decade. SpecOps training is worth an additional 7 points.
Retirement: Not everyone stays in the service forever, and many only serve a few tours before returning to civilian life. In fact, many government agencies and police forces have former military in their employ. For characters who wish to retire from active duty, increase the cost of Basic Training by 3 points, and Officer Training by 2 and remove the Obligations from the character’s Drawbacks.
Not so much as a revision as a few tweaks to the original Quality present in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG Revised Core Rulebook. These are viable for either a standard Buffy game or a more poweful Cinematic game like Walking in Shadow. Unless otherwise stated here, this Quality functions the same as described in the RCRB Chapter Four: Playing with Primal Forces, and The Magic Box.
For every level of Sorcery, a sorceress can cast one spell of that Power Level or less without penalty before having to rest. For example, Willow had Sorcery at Level 3 back in the day. She could cast 3 spells of Power Level 3 or less before taking penalties for fatigue and risking Magical Addiction. Unfortunately, our favorite redhead didn't learn to quit while she was ahead.
Casting a spell of a higher Power Level than the character's Sorcery level is inherently difficult as they are meddling with powers past their comprehension. In addition to having to hit a high Success Level, they take a -1 penalty to the roll for every Power Level it is above their Sorcery rating. Should they fail, they also gain that penalty as a bonus to the Spell Failure Mishap check. Yes, this limits the ability of normal occultists to cast high Power Level spells without a lot of time,ritual work, and maybe a Drama Point, which honestly is how it should be, in my opinion. Of course, you're free to ignore this, like everything else on this site.
The soul-mate is a classic term used to describe a deep and powerful bound shared between two people. This goes beyond mere companionship and even beyond love; the souls of the two people are connected at a deep and fundamental level. Some scholars even speculate soul-mates share one soul between two physical people.
The soul-mates are often aware of each other on a preternatural level. While this not a full blown telepathy or even empathy it is beyond what the normal senses would allow. This manifests itself in mundane ways as two lovers humming the same song at the same time with no outside influence, husband and wife completing each others sentences, separated twins living parallel lives, or even one sibling knowing her other sibling is about to walk into a room before the event happens.
Soul-mates can be, and often are, lovers, but they are not limited to that alone. Some soul-mates can also be very close siblings or very deeply devoted friends. Sometimes the connection can be forged in battle, giving rise to a “brothers-in-arms” effect. The Soul-mates can also have a deep connection resulting from life times of being together, often both having the Old Soul Quality.
The only prerequisites for this Quality are the two characters must love each other, as represented by the Love drawback (but never Tragic Love).
This quality offers several benefits
Extension of the senses (“I Will Always Find You”): This acts like a mild form of Empathy or a lesser Situational Awareness that extends only to their soul-mate. This grants +2 to locate their soul-mate via mundane, magic or psychic means. This also gives each soul-mate a broad sense of the other’s health and well being.
Boost Morale (“I’ll Stand by You”): When soul-mates are together even dire situations do not seem as grim. With a soothing word or even a knowing look a character can grant his soul-mate +10 on any one test. Best of all, he can do it after the player has already made this test. The granting character spends his Turn explaining he is doing this to aid his beloved. This can only be done once per game session per character.
These effects cost two (2) Quality Points. In addition the soul-mate must choose one or both of the effects below. These are extensions of this quality, but must be trained in order to be used. Training is represented in a point cost and some time devoted to the pursuit.
Combat Effects
The benefits detailed above have some application in combat as well. The Situational Awareness and Empathy translate into making the soul-mate a particularly effective fighting team. In order to gain this benefit the soul-mate actually need to train together in a fighting style. Players should decide which style (martial arts, medieval weapons or even guns) they will train together in. This training offers a +2 bonus to all attacks of that type and damage for each. Both can also effectively fight against one opponent with out penalty due to room. Soul-mates naturally avoid each others weapons.
Cost: 1 Quality or Skill Point
Magic or Psychic Effects
When soul-mates cast magic together it is more than mere cooperative casting in the same way an orchestra is more than a few instruments playing the same song.
To use their magic together, soul-mates must be able to grasp hands and concentrate. It is a simple matter of rolling a normal 1d10 + Perception + Occult roll. If they both roll a 9 or higher they are in synch. Keep track of the average Success Levels as this is their Synchronicity Score. This only needs to be rolled once per magical situation. Such situations like scrying, or lifting a rock together or one session of combat would qualify.
When soul-mates cast they can add their Synchronicity Score to the spell’s Success Levels after figuring out all the effects of casting together. This results in a little extra bookkeeping during game play, but also some amazing effects. For Directors that want less bookkeeping, soul-mates can roll their Synchronicity score at the beginning of each game session and use it throughout. This could be part of a special ritual used to “tune” each other’s magic.
This is added even to spells where two or more casters are required. As a “side effect” of this magical synchronicity soulmates can use each other’s ritual tools without penalty.
Cost: 2 Quality or Skill Points
This quality grants the character the ability to store, channel, and manipulate life energy, as it is generated through sexual contact. This makes them a potent mystical battery, even if the character has no levels of Sorcery. The first five levels are the standard abilities for someone with this gift and deal with sex directly, no exceptions. The next five are more legendary abilities and should not be available to run-of-the-mill types (even for the Buffyverse) without Director consent and a lot of forethought. These powers cross the line from mere sex to working with pure life energy, and can be game-busting, depending on the focus of your Series.
This power is not without severe risks. At lower levels, Covetous (Lechery) is a common drawback for many who possess it. Some others go the opposite route and develop Emotional Problems (Fear of Sex) instead. At higher levels, the energies being played with can become physically and psychologically addicting to the point that going without for extended periods of time can actually become debilitating, and those without the proper mental fortitude can gain the Addiction (Sex) drawback all too easily.
Level One: Tantric Focus: the character is a channel for mystical energy that is generated through sex. If the character is engaged in sexual intercourse or some similar act, the character can make a Willpower plus Constitution roll. This grants a bonus to any Magic or Sorcery-related roll equal to the number of Success Levels rolled, effectively boosting a mage’s spell-casting ability for the duration of a scene. For this power, the Focus must either be engaged in sexual activity during the casting of the spell, making it only really useful for ritual work, or a Sorcerer with a REALLY good concentration and multi-tasking abilities.
Level Two - Tantric Battery: the Focus can store the energy generated through sexual contact for mystical purposes, for ten minutes per Success Level on the Willpower plus Constitution roll. This makes it a bit more useful for combat spellcasters and those who don’t want their coven to get a free peep show.
Level Three - Sexual Healing: the character can make a Willpower plus Constitution roll. The use of this power can have one of two effects. First, a successful roll can grant restored Life Points equal to double the healer’s Willpower times the Success Levels. This cannot be used to restore more Life Points than the receiving character’s maximum. At Director’s discretion, any excess Life Points may be distributed to anyone else standing very close to the… ritual.
Also, if this power is used on anyone who is already fully healed, they feel recharged and good to go, as if they’ve just had a great night’s sleep and have eaten a good meal. Any fatigue or exhaustion effects should be removed for an hour or two, and the partner should even receive a +1 “morale” bonus to all rolls.
Level Four - Enhanced Empathy: the character gains the ability to sense and feel the currents of emotion around her. When trying to feel lust or love, the character gets a +3 bonus to the roll.
Level Five - Limited Emotional Influence (Lust/Love): this functions the same as Emotional Influence but can only be used to generate the feelings of love or lust. There is a Willpower penalty equal to the level of Tantric Focus (starting at -5).
Level Six - Keeping It Clean: The character no longer needs sexual intercourse for the Tantric Focus and Sexual Healing abilities (with a -5 penalty to the roll). Simple intimate contact, such as tender caressing or heated making out, can be substituted at this point. The Tantric Focus has become skilled enough to pull forth the energy needed from the mere desire for sex, not just the act.
Level Seven - Forge Bond: the Focus can generate a permanent emotional bond with any subject through a Willpower roll (doubled). Five Success Levels are required and the target can resist with the same roll. It functions similarly to the Soul-mate quality, but less potent. It grants the Extension of the Senses ability as well as the Boost Morale ability, but only with a +5 bonus.
Level Eight - Drain Life: Those who abuse this power are often referred to as succubi and incubi, despite the fact that they are not the demons of myth. In actuality, they have become corrupted by this gift, as the Focus can now rip life energy from someone with mere flesh-to-flesh contact. Feelings of lust or love from the target are still required to make the connection, but at this point, the Tantric Focus is so powerful, they can force the desired emotions onto their prey and then drain them dry with a kiss.
Either during sexual intercourse, or with a successful Grapple check, the Focus rolls Willpower + Tantric Focus levels versus the target’s Survival Test. If the Focus wins, she drains a number of Life Points equal to 10 multiplied by the Success Levels of the check. This check is made every round until the target can break the grapple, or is reduced to 0 Life Points and thus to a desiccated husk. If the Focus is injured, the Life Points go directly into healing their wounds.
Level Nine - Sustain Life: This is the ability that Drain Life perverts. With proper control and discipline, every time the Focus engages in sexual activity, she gains a bit of life energy from their partner, leaving them unharmed. With regular activity of about once a day, she can stave off the effects of aging. With less frequent activity, the aging process can still be slowed considerably. However, if she goes for more than a week without any kind of regular source of energy, the years begin to catch up at the rate of one year an hour. If used in conjunction with Drain Life, then any aging effects can be instantly undone with the complete draining of life from someone else.
Level Ten - Give Life: With time, training, and great will, the dark side of this power can be turned to good use. The character can transfer some of their life energy to restore someone to life. There must be a body, but its needed condition to allow for this is up to the Director. If simply giving energy from oneself, no roll is required. The character merely gives the number of Life Points needed to restore the target to full life and health. This drain is healed normally (Con per day), even if the Focus has some kind of Regeneration. Sexual Healing also cannot be used to speed this up.
This can be done as often as the Focus has Life Points. Should multiple uses drain them below 0, they make a Survival Test as normal, but get no bonus for Hard to Kill. They are willing giving their life, so can’t be fighting to hold onto it with all their will. It is important to note that for every attempt to use this power without allowing themselves to heal fully, they get a -2 penalty to the Survival Test as they are straining themselves beyond their capacity to sustain their own life. Even this gift has its limits.
This is the ability to move objects with your minds, and to toss them about, and in some cases even stop objects in motion. This Quality allows the character to take the Wild Card (TK) skill, though they start with no ranks when they first purchase this. This skill is normally used in conjunction with Willpower. When trying to lift an inanimate object, make sure their Willpower is high enough to lift the object desired, and simply roll. One or more Success Levels indicate the object is moving. To move multiple objects simultaneously requires a minimum of one Success Level per object being moved. All a character needs is sufficient Willpower and one Success Level on the roll to levitate himself or another human being.
TK Throw: The most basic TK attack and the one even novices pick up pretty quickly is grabbing something that isn’t nailed down and throwing it at someone. The roll to hit is Perception + TK versus the target’s dodge, and the base damage is 2 x (Willpower – 1).
TK Strike: In combat, Willpower + TK is used for attack maneuvers. The normal strike is basically a TK punch, with things like knocking people down takes the usual combat penalty for a Takedown attack. The same for called shots like grabbing someone’s hand (or gun in said hand). A concern is defending against these attacks. Fortunately, most TKers tend to make hand gestures or hard looks at what they focus on, an opponent who is aware of the character’s TK power can make a dodge roll to no longer be in the area the character is concentrating on. If a player wishes to be good enough to not have these little “tells”, then the Director can set an appropriate skill level where their control has become so fine that they can go without. I recommend 10+, personally.
TK Grapple: This works as a normal grapple for the most part with a Willpower + TK + 2 roll, assuming they fail (or don’t realize what they’re facing) and can’t make a Dodge roll to avoid getting caught in the first place. A TK Grapple can be resisted with the opposed Strength roll versus the psychic’s Willpower (doubled). The one complication comes when the TK character wants to use TK to lift an opponent off the ground. Without leverage, the target is near helpless, meaning they can only resist the Grapple with a Strength (singled) roll. However, should the person then be slammed into a wall or moved past an object they can try to grab, this can grant them the full Strength (doubled) check to shake off the grip.
TK Parry: Perception + TK is used for defensive purposes. Instead of literally dodging, the character tries to telekinetically divert or slow the incoming attack, reducing damage. Treat as a normal Dodge or Parry, reducing the Success Levels of the incoming attack. When two TKers engage each other in combat, they can resist each others TK strikes with contested Willpower + TK rolls.
TK Kill: For when someone fails you for the last time, this can be used to pretty much kill someone dead in a near-untraceable fashion. This is only a single attack action, and may be used multiple times in a turn. First, the telekinetic must roll Willpower + TK – 5, as instead of merely choking the target by the neck with invisible hands, they are trying to crush the trachea directly, or trigger an aneurysm by pinching a blood vessel shut, or any of a dozen little fatal little pressure points buried inside the body itself. Damage is Willpower times Success Levels in bashing damage, which ignores all Armor Values.
In addition, multiply this damage by five. If this drops the character below 0 Life Points, make a Survival Test, with every 10 points below 0 giving –1 penalty to the roll. If they fail, they die. Like decapitation and stakes through the heart, this multiplied damage is only there for purposes of determining a Survival Test. If they succeed, they take only the normal damage mentioned above.
The target itself is not helpless (unless the character decided to lift them in the air before trying this little stunt), but has a -2 penalty to all actions made while under the effects of this attack. If they are aware of who’s attacking them and can manage it, a successful damage-dealing attack against the character disrupts their concentration and renders the target unable to use the power again for their next action.
Bullet Stop: To pull off a cinema favorite and stop an incoming hail of bullets, one must declare themselves going for Full Defense, as this defensive maneuver requires total focus. Then they can make a Willpower + TK roll. The Success Levels indicate how many bullets are stopped. Even if your character wears a priest frock and cool shades, you may want to consider spending a Drama Point if faced with a lot of automatic weapons fire.
"Children of the night... shut up!"
-Dracula, Dead and Loving It 
Vampires are the boogey-men of the supernatural world. While yes, werewolves are scarier, and demons even worse, vampires have long held a special terror for mankind, perhaps because for all their darkness, they are still closer to us than the other things that go bump in the night. A vampire is created by simply feeding a dying human a vampire’s blood. Soon thereafter, the person will rise as a vampire. Sometimes it takes nights, other times mere hours.
Besides the obvious traits of being strong, fast, and very hard to kill, vampires also possess the ability to manipulate mortal minds, to either inspire terror or even pleasure as they feed, and to make weak-willed humans serve them as slaves, if they’re lucky, as dinner if they’re not. And these, are just the average run-of-the-mill vampires, what is referred to by some as, the Servitors. A Servitor is a slave to the commands of the vampire that created it, thus their name. They literally cannot say no to an order given by their sire. And it gets worse.
There is another kind: the Master Vampire. These have the strength of will and the power to command others of their kind. Any servitor takes a -2 penalty to any check to resist the command of any Master Vampire. They are fortunately somewhat rare, but you can be sure, wherever you find a group of vampires operating with an agenda, somewhere there is a Master directing them. Unlike servitor vampires, who seem to hit an artificial power limit at around five hundred years old, Master Vampires have potential without limit, and many have shown an ability to gain unique powers with time (see the Vampiric Age Quality).
A newborn master vampire gains +4 to Strength and +3 to both Dexterity and Constitution. A servitor vampire gains only +3 Strength and +2 to Dexterity and Constitution. They also gain 2 levels of Hard to Kill, up to a maximum of 10. Being essentially an animated corpse, vampires take only 1/5th damage from kinetic impacts like falling and being hit by a car, but more importantly, from being beaten and shot. Vampires are not someone to tangle with in a fist-fight.
Even if you damage a vampire, they heal rapidly. They heal damage at an advanced rate, gaining a normal Regeneration quality of Constitution per Hour. If actively feeding on a living being, this rate increased to Constitution per Turn, and then drops to Constitution per Minute for the next hour. Feeding also gives them the flush of life and a bit of a pulse, making it harder for modern technology to distinguish them from the rest of their herd. Oh, and we can’t forget their senses. Vampires can smell and hear really well, gaining +3 to all Perception rolls involving those senses. And when it comes to smelling blood, they get +6.
All vampires have an array of mental abilities as well. Their gaze can mesmerize mortals, making them hesitate and lose focus on the vampire, which helps account for their legends of being able to cross the room in a blink of an eye. They can also toy with the emotions of others, filling them with dread. All vampires start with Hypnosis 1 and Emotional Influence 0. Master Vampires have an additional gift: they can summon and control one specific type of animal (raven, wolf, bat, etc). This power extends to people bonded with an appropriate animal spirit, such as a Totem Warrior or lycanthrope, though this results in a contested Willpower (doubled) roll.
All this doesn’t come without some drawbacks, however. Vampires are incredibly vulnerable to sunlight. While they can move about during the day, they do so lethargically, taking a -2 penalty to all actions while the sun is up. They also tend to go up in flames within 3 rounds of direct exposure to the sun. Servitor vampires are vulnerable to being staked through the heart and crumbling to dust. Master vampires can make a Survival Test to survive the trauma. Still, all vampires die when you cut off their head, so that’s a plus.
Despite common myth, crosses don’t normally work on vampires. However, sometimes they do. If wielded by someone who truly believes in the appropriate higher power, a holy symbol can hold a vampire at bay and will even burst into flames, burning the vampire with holy fire. Oh, it should be noted that any kind of fire damage, whether from crosses or sunlight or just being set on fire, heals at a normal rate, even for a Master Vampire. The damage is equal to the wielder’s Willpower times Five in flame damage. See the Faith Quality for more details.
Vampires do have one Achilles Heal for the aspiring vampire hunter to really exploit. Silver ruins their day. While one silver bullet won’t reduce them to ash like in a popular series of vampire movies, wounds inflicted with silver weapons do not heal as rapidly, just like fire. And being shot or stabbed through the heart with silver has a chance to dust a vampire the same way a wooden stake can.
Now to the gory details; all vampires must feed. They have to. A newborn vampire comes with an Addiction to Blood at level 5. With time, some vampires can learn to control this urge, bringing to down as low as level 1, but they can never be rid of it. Whenever in the presence of freshly spilled blood (unless it’s the middle of combat the blood is from the person they’re already trying to kill), they have to make a Willpower (doubled) roll at a penalty equal to the level of Addiction or stop what they’re doing and move to feed on the blood that’s drawn them.
A Master Vampire is worth 17 Points, and a Servitor Vampire worth 14 points.
Author’s Continuity Note: Obviously, these vampires aren’t for the standard Buffy continuity without some MAJOR changes to the world setting. In our current game, Walking in Shadow, all the vampires (and the Slayers) got a major power boost thanks to a necromancy defeating an avatar of Death itself and thus tipping the scales of the world towards entropy and decay in Season Three.
Then in Season Five, reality was altered, giving all vampires souls, blended with the demonic essence animating them, giving all vampires a chance to steer their own fate a bit better. This was done by the Big Bad to 1) muddy the moral waters of those who fought them and 2) to convince the supernatural community that humanity was seeking a way to “castrate” the demon world, to bring them all to heel, thereby striking a match that would lead to a full-fledged war between mundanes and supernaturals.
Thus there is no higher cost for an “ensouled” vampire. These vamps contain the remnants of their soul, but the body is animated by some outside (ie probably infernal) source, and the soul now has to contend with the need to feed.
While all master vampires develop unique powers and abilities now, masters and servitors who come from the direct lineage of a single powerful ancient master vampire show a trend to develop certain powers and/or weaknesses, much the way human families share marked characteristics. A sample few are listed below
Dracula’s Bloodline (5 point Quality)
Not created by a demon, but supposedly by a divine curse, Dracula and his children are possessed of great gifts. The touch of the sun only strips them of the supernatural powers, but allows them to walk around in daylight. They also have the ability to shapeshift into wolf, bat, and mist, in addition to the other powers of the vampire.
Lucien’s Bloodline (0 point Quality; for you Forever Knight fans)
The Roman general Lucien, brought across nearly 2,000 years ago, and his progeny have some unique gifts, at the cost of some others. Instead of Emotional Influence, they can fly at twice their movement rate (using the optional Speed rules in BtVS RPG Corebook Chapter Three). And replacing the Summon Animal Ability, they have an additional Hypnosis power to alter memory, using a contested Willpower roll.
One of the more frightening truths about vampires is that, like humans, the older they get, the better they become. Not only do they gain the skill and wisdom that comes with long life, but their own supernatural abilities seem to grow and increase the older they get. Servitor vampires hit a kind of plateau in their abilities (5 levels of this Quality, maximum), but masters continue to grow and evolve even over thousands of years. Rapid advancement slows after the first thousand years, and every level of this Quality after 10, represents a thousand years instead of a hundred.
This functions identically to the original Age Quality. You gain a number or skill points equal to your Intelligence for every level of Age you possess, but you also gain a level of Adversary to keep track of who you had to step on to stay alive. They may also increase a single attribute by one, or choose a new supernatural power (or raise the level of an existing power) from the Demon Creation Rules of the Angel Core Rulebook (with Director approval, of course) regardless of the point cost of the power.) For example, a Vampire with 3 levels of Vampiric Age (300 years old) can increase his Dexterity by 1, his Perception by 1, and increase his Hypnosis power from level 1 to 2.
This trait represents someone who has bonded with, but does not wear, the Witchblade. This is usually a man who has tried to wear it and survived the experience. It grants him a limited telepathic and empathic awareness of whoever currently wields the Witchblade, and allows them to experience their more intense moments as if it were happened to them on a physical level. This can be blessing, or a curse, as anything associated with the Witchblade. One who is bonded with it can also tell when the Periculum is in progress, though that person is also rendered incapacitated for the most part, due to his connection.
A woman not chosen by the Witchblade may attempt to wield it, and sometimes the Witchblade will even allow it. When it does, they gain the physical benefits, as well as the psychic visions and limited heightened perception. What it doesn’t grant is the skill enhancements, or the Obligation. What it DOES do is lead the Pretender into pain or death, usually in a much quicker and more brutal fashion than the chosen Wielders. The key weakness is that the Chosen Wielder can command the Witchblade even from a distance, making it abandon the or even injure the Pretender. When the Witchblade does finally abandon a Pretender, it is left with an almost insatiable desire to possess the artifact again, ignoring how it used them before.
The Witchblade is an ancient mystical artifact forged from the remains of a meteor in ages past. It is apparently sentient and chooses its wielder from among an ancient bloodline, though there are other secondary bloodlines it will sometimes bond with. It will occasionally allow others to wield it, but it tends to use them… poorly. When activated, it gifts enhanced physical abilities, as well as protecting them from harm. Even in its dormant state, it gives its bearer visions of the past and the future, though they tend to be cryptic and disconcerting. It also allows the wielder to speak with the dead, though control of this power, as with the others, is rather haphazard.
Some believe one who is chosen to wield the Witchblade has their entire life restructured, as the artifact interweaves its purpose into all facets of the wielder’s life. While the bearer of the Witchblade may go against its purposes, these usually result in some kind of “coincidental” punishment, such as the death of a lover that would distract the wielder. Though it does not issue orders as such, she who wields the Witchblade becomes entwined with its own unfathomable agenda.
The Witchblade possesses many powers, physical and psychic, but they are not at the beck and call of the wielder. In fact, the Witchblade is infamous for abandoning its wearer in her hour of greatest need. Legends tell of a test called the Periculum that the Witchblade puts the Wielder through to prove that the person is worthy of wielding it to its fullest potential, but specifics on this are few. It is said those who pass the test can command the Witchblade and its powers with a certain reliability than one who has not, but the blade can still deny its gifts at any moment should it choose to. Rumors persist that those who pass the test also live a longer life than a normal person, providing something unfortunate doesn’t happen to them, which often does, so the validity of this rumor is in question. A woman who has just bonded with the Witchblade pays 20 points for this Quality. When creating an experienced champion who has passed the Periculum, this quality is worth 25 points.
The Witchblade will only allow a woman to wield it. Any man who attempts to do so is punished harshly, inflicting 20 points of damage every turn it remains on the wrist, The wearer must make a Constitution + Willpower roll, with the Success Levels subtracting from the damage inflicted. The man must remove the Witchblade or be maimed, or even killed. If he can hold the Witchblade for 3 rounds he will form an empathic bond with it, and a limited telepathic bond with anyone else who wields it.
In combat, it can extend a blade equivalent to that of a long sword, but it acts much as a Blessed Sword. It deals Strength times (3 + Success Levels) in damage to evil creatures. Otherwise, it deals Strength times 4 points of damage like any normal sword. The blade is also unbreakable and trace fragments that have been analyzed indicate it’s not made of any material seen before.
Note: Unless your name is Clark Kent, you really shouldn’t be able to take this Quality as a starting character. You are one of the last survivors of the lost planet of Krypton, sent to Earth for your own protection. You are ignorant of your origins and the culture of your people, the only clues you have are the space you were found in, the strange cave paintings near your town, and the effect that certain Kryptonian artifacts and meteor rocks have on you.
As you become more accustomed to your abilities, you may develop new powers. These powers are all Uncontrollable when first bought. The Uncontrollable Drawback must be bought off with experience points. Possible powers include Enhanced Hearing and Vision, Flight, Heat Vision, and X-ray Vision. Any existing power may be increased with no real limit and without going through the period of Uncontrollability. An adult experienced Kryptonian will already have these powers, as well as knowledge of the Kryptonian artifacts scattered around the globe and Krypton’s history of visiting Earth in the past.