DP Tool Club 17/CD_ASCQ_17_101194.iso/vrac/vampires.zip/MUMMYJOB.VMP

Internet Message Format | 1993-09-07 | 11KB

Date: Sat, 21 Nov 92 15:41:36 CST
From: evan richard franke <[e-mail]>
Subject: Careers for enterprising Mummies :-)

        Yet another note of clarification before I dive into my topic.  I
being the socially condition automaton I am do not use standard White Wolf
conditions with respect to SHE and HE.  I have been saying "he" all the way
through my Mummy writings, but do not mean to imply that there are no women
Mummies in the Andes.  We have many stories and historic documents listing
women in positions of power, though the normal prejudice against womean as
"warriors" seems to have run through a indea of gender where men and women
were "equal" but had seperate spheres in which the operated, thus one might
conclude that certain of the following paths might be innappriopriate
(specifically the path of War).  There is, however, mythic precident to
ignore this as Mama Wako (MAH-mah WAH-koe) sister of the first Inka is said
to have been a wild warrior woman who terrorized, killed and cannabalized the
first enemies the Inkas had upon entering the valley where they would found
their capital.  Nuff said.

        I have divided the backgrounds of Andean Mummies along the lines of
"careers" Leadership (King, emperor, chief, general/war chief, queen, etc.),
Priesthood (Priest, craftsman/specialist, vestal, priestess, oracle), and
Shamanism (Shaman, ritual specialist).  These are the leaders and powers
behind any Andean community.  The SHaman is the most "egalitarian" as one is
not a SHaman by birth, but rather by "experience" usually through some
supernatural encounter: being struck by lightning, having visins, being
insane, etc.  The Chief is another old position, from the time of the first
villages, starting as somewhat "elected" and later becoming rigidly
hereditary.  Priesthood, really only comes in after the rise of complex
civilization, where there are formal temples, vast numbers of specialists in
charge of counting, creating and distributing goods, and a need for leaders
of large organized yearly rituals.  I have tried to imagine non-overlapping
paths which I can describe in terms of 5 levels of adeptness, but the
mechanic is leaning more towards number dice allowed to gain so many success
in conjunction with Llapa to produce various magical effects.
        Well, let's explore:

Rulership
        A Mummy with this past Career Path has been a leader of people in his
first incarnation and has served in similar roles throughout his cyclic
reincarnation.  The three powers associated with this path are War,
Leadership, and Command.

        Career Path Powers work in the following Manner: Each Power has a
rating from 0-5.  This is both the number of dice used to roll for the power
and the maximum number of successes that can be rolled or bought with Llapa
in employing the power.  To activate the power, the Mummy declares how many
successes are desired and rolls against a 6 (normally, with the below noted
exceptions).  Each success costs 1 Llapa.  Each success still needed to reach
the desired total costs 3 Llapa.  Whether successful or unsuccessful the
power cannot be employed again in that scene.  The power last one scene
normally.  A botch means that twice the desired number of successes of Llapa
are lost and the power is deactivated for the rest of the scene.

War:  With this path the Mummy may increase hisPhysical Attributes
temporarily up to a limit of 10 (5 base + 5 successes with a War rating of
5).  The exact effects of high attributes can be found in the WOD: Mummy
book, or can be invented by the Storyteller.  Note that while any of the
three attributes can potentially be raised for a scene only one can be
affected by the power for any one scene (not both Dexterity and Stamina,
etc.)

Command: With this path the Mummy may increase any one of his Social
attributes as per the sytem for Physical attributes outlide in War.

Leadership: With this path the Mummy can increase his Mental Attributes as
above.

Priesthood
        Mummies with this Career path have been a Priest, Priestess or
special religious functionary, including craftspersons, and lorekeepers.
They have continued to serve this purpose in their various incarnations.
They too have three Powers.

Craftsmanship:  WIth this power the mummy can create objects of rare beauty,
power and magic.  Most of these objects require permanent sacrifices of Llapa
to enchant, however, Nawpa Llapa can be used at a rate of 3 per point of
permanent Llapa required.  Different Objects require different levels of
success.
        o The mummy may create objects of art and function which withstand
the passage of time and even rought treatment.  Such objects are suitable
grave goods for one who may return from death, led by the Priest or some
other person versed in Hurin Pacha.
        oo The Mummy may create objects which contain Llapa channeled into it
fron a Mummy, who can then regenerate their personal score normally and may
used the stored Llapa for their powers.  This power costs 1 Llapa per Llapa
point the object is to contain.  The sacrifice may be made by the Priest or
the recipient of the object (or some combination).  The priest may also
create objects which contain powers placed into it by some Mummy, like spells
in stasis.  So a Ruler with War could put four successes in Strength add into
a war club or some other item and use their power normally to increase
Stamina.  The cost is the maximum level of success the object may contain in
Llapa and the object may only hold one Power and if the power is of multiple
aspects (War can be Strength, Dexterity, or Stamina) it can only hold one
aspect.
        ooo The mummy can bind spirits from one of the three realms into an
appropriate object given that they may command those spirits with the
appropriate Realm Power.  A stone spirit must be kept in a stone object, a
dead spirit in their own skull or a fetish with their hair and some other
part of their body (skin?, finger bones, etc.), a celestial elment must be
bound into an object of precious metal.  The cost is 5 Llapa per "major"
power possessed by the spirit (skill adds, offensive or defensive power,
fertility, elemental influence, etc.).  The exact powers must be worked out
between the Storyteller and the Mummy (if they are not one and the same).
        ooo The mummy may create new spirit objects for a Mummy whose objects
have been lost or destroyed.  The Mummy must sacrifice Llapa on the following
scale:
        1 object 2 Llapa
        2 objects 3 Llapa
        3 objects 5 Llapa
        The reason for the increasing cost is the vulnerability and risk of
one object.  As long as the mummy has one object which his spirit can reach,
even if it is not in association with his body, he has a chance to reform.
WIth multiple objects there is a greater chance to make it back
        The Mummy may also <bulletin: please note this is the LEVEL 4
description not 3 (ooo) as noted above, sigh> enchant non-Mummy powers into
objects at cost of 2 permanent Llapa per level of the Gift, Discipline, Spell
or Power.  The particpant providing the pattern for the power may or may not
be a willing participant.  Compelled sharing of powers should definitely be
roleplayed.  The power invested into the object is one use, but the power may
be entered again as with the Level 2 version of this power.
        ooooo The Mummy may create amulates, and other objects which produce
permanent powers (such as permanent Strength add etc., as long as the amulate
is worn)  This costs 5 Llapa per level invested, and wearing the amulate
prevents the normal use of the power duplicated.  The recipient or other
participant of the creation of the object may contribute the Llapa.  The
object so created must be attuned to a specific individual, and reattunement
is only possible with permission of the original owner and an expenditure of
1 permanent Llapa per level containe by the object.  These object obviously,
are highly prized, and their original owners will return again and again for
them.

        Botches with the Craftsmanship power result in destruction of the
items being enchanted in some way, or may result in a cursed item, or a loss
in skill level by the Priest.  Possibly permanently expended Llapa is lost to
no effect.  Storytellers descretion as always.

Judgement
        With this power, the Mummy is able to decern truth and to enforce his
will of justice (or injjustice) at higher levels)

        o The Mummy can tell who is telling the truth and who is lying.
        oo The Mummy's opinion on a certain issue will seem reasonable and
non-self-destructive orders will be carried out by the targets of this
Judgement, though they may roll their wits in an opposed roll against the
Mummy's Judgement against a 6.
        ooo The Mummy can radiate an Aura of power and respect and only those
able to roll a number of successes equal to the Mummy's Judgement with a
willpower roll against a 6 will be able to directly confron and oppose him
verbally.  THose confronting the mummy physically must make a like roll, and
any difference between the number of successes on the willpower roll and
Judgement are counted as dice penalties the character suffers for the rest of
the scene.
        oooo The Mummy can determine the Nature, and exact motivations and
background of the target character.
        ooooo The Mummy can lay a kind of Geas on the target, forcing them to
spend a willpower point each day they are not trying to actively persue the
goal that has been laid upon them (this would be bad for a Kindred, say, told
not to drink Blood).  The priest may lift this punishment after a time, or
may never lift it.

Oracle
        This is used to fortell one possible future and can be used to see
alternate paths from the "most likely"

        o Can see what may happen to a person or place in the next week.
        oo Can see altenate possibilities to dire possibilities in the
immediate future (i.e. the next week).
        ooo Can look into a person or places' life and see one possible
future
        oooo Can look into many possible futures of a person or place a pick
out criticle events.
        ooooo Can see designs in the cosmic scheme and forsee the pattern of
individuals and events through a shifting web of possibilities.  Can suggest
the outcome of any event and speak in mysterious ways of how to prevent
unwanted futures and cause desired events.  The actually capacity to guide
events are left in the hands of the troupe  and the storyteller, but when
things look bleak or a Utopia is sought, the oracle can guide the way.

        Shamanism will have to wait until later.  My brain is fried
currently.  I'm sure these things can be improved and they are a first ass
anyone wishing to rewrite my system is welcome too.  On the Oracle power:
various things are used ritually to fortell the future, sacrifices of guinea
pigs, llamas, reading coca leaves, speaking to statues and nature spirits.

        Hope this still has plenty of oomph.  Until later,
                                                                        Evan