Playbook: The Queen

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Playbook: The Queen
« on: October 27, 2014, 04:46:01 AM »
In the flavor of Anri Sonohara from Durarara!!! who is a rare heroic Hive Queen.  http://durarara.wikia.com/wiki/Anri_Sonohara

This could be a pack of vampires, werewolves, hives of were-wasps, webs of spider people, brothels of succubi, people possessed by a cursed sword, or any other collective consciousness where the focus of leadership is on the originator.

The Queen

I did not ask for my powers.  Nor did I seek out to acquire my people.  It just sort of happened.  But if it has to be this way, we will do some good with it.


Name

Looks: choose one of each

1 - Man, woman, boy, girl

2 - Dead eyes, shy manner, seductive walk, determined poise, magnetic aura

3 - casual clothes, business clothes, para-military clothes, goth clothes, fashionable clothes

4 - inhuman appearances are optional

Ratings - choose one

Charm +2, Cool +0, Sharp +1, Tough -1, Weird +1
Charm -1, Cool +2, Sharp +0, Tough +1, Weird +1
Charm +1, Cool -1, Sharp +2, Tough +0, Weird +1
Charm +0, Cool, +0, Sharp +0, Tough +2, Weird +1
Charm +2, Cool -1, Sharp +0, Tough -1, Weird +2

Infection Vector - Choose one

Cursed Weapon - You have a magical weapon that curses every one it harms to be connected to it. The weapon desires to spread its curse and only your willpower keeps it in check. When not in use, the weapon resides within your body and you can pull it out or manifest it at need.  The exact nature of the weapon is up to you, but it a 3-harm hand weapon.  It can be disarmed while manifested.  Members of the hive will collect imitations of the original weapon (people infected by a cursed sword will collect a dagger, paper cutter or kitchen knife that similarly bonds to them and can spread the curse)

Injury - Like so many other supernatural curses, yours is transferred by injury.  If you are in battle and an enemy is injured by the method granted by this infection vector, they may later be transformed.  Choose one of the following: (Fangs 3-harm intimate) (Claws 2-harm hand) (Stinger 1-harm hand, target is stunned by the venom).  The GM may sometimes force you to act under pressure to avoid biting and infecting others.

Embrace - When you engage in sexual acts with someone, you risk changing them.  The more passionate the exchange, the more likely the resulting transformation.  You can change your apparent gender and due to your looks and pheromones, you may always attempt to manipulate individuals.  However, whenever you use your supernatural beauty and pheromones to manipulate someone and you succeed with a 10+, the Keeper can choose to call on you to make an act under pressure move to avoid giving into your instincts and follow through on seducing them.

Aid - You have powers which can be used to help others, but every time you help someone you risk adding them to your hive.  You may roll +Weird to aid a fellow Hunter or bystander. For a Hunter, on a 10+ you grant them a +1 ongoing for the rest of the scene.  On a 7-9 you grant them a +1 ongoing for the rest of the scene, but at the end of the scene they must act against pressure or a transformation begins.  On a miss, they receive no benefit but begin to slowly be transformed.  For a bystander on a 10+ you grant them some supernatural aid for the scene without problem, on a 7-9 you grant them supernatural aid and they will likely become part of your hive.  On a miss, they will transform quickly and receive no aid.  The nature of the benefit that gives the bonus is up to you.  Perhaps it is supposed to be a temporary transformation.  Perhaps it is an enchantment.

The process of the transformation is between you and the Keeper, but it is suggested to that it takes an extended time after exposure (barring missed rolls speeding things along or Keeper moves).  Other Hunters should get a chance to cure it before it completes.  Hunters transformed gain the appropriate infection vector and any necessary changes to appearance.  Already monstrous types like Divine, Summoned, Monstrous and Changeling cannot be transformed regardless. 

Specific transformations are almost always complications rather than benefits since it has little effect on the operation of the Hive as a whole.  But some people might take exception to you changing people into monsters.

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The Hive - You must design your hive/pack/brood.  Each hive has two benefits and two negatives to it. 

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Good traits

Look Human

Free Will (for the most part, but can still be heavily influenced)

Supernatural Powers

Human Disguise (even if they have an inhuman form, they have a way to hide it)

Bonds of Loyalty

As above, so below (they tend to mirror your character's morality)

Perfected Health

Extended Life

Instinctive Tactics

Shared Memories

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Bad Traits

Enforced Affection

Inhuman Appearance

Reproductive Urges (the members of your hive desire to spread the curse and sometimes give in regardless of your commands)

Splinter Hives (sometimes one of yours splits off from your control and starts their own hive, not always with the same morality, sometimes you have to herd them up)

High Expectations (the hive expects much of you and pushes you to fulfill their desires)

Mental Pressure (you can feel the attention of your hive at all times)

Drones (the free will of your hive is suppressed)

Co-Pilots (the "transformed" individuals are merely possessed by entities that spread from you.  These entities can take over their host at demand)

Black Outs (the victim is not aware of the way they are beholden to you, when you call upon them they have blackouts and experience any physical transformation)

Not the Last Word (something else beyond you started this all and may threaten to take over with its own agenda.)

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You get this Move:

At the beginning of each mystery when the Hive is happy, roll +Weird.  On a 10+ the Hive will provide you some sort of support, either in terms of field presence or information.  On a 7-9 the Hive presses you with some concern that requires your attention, if you take on that issue then you will get help on your mission.  On a miss, the Hive demands something terrible and if you fail or refuse, then you lose the Hive's good graces until you make it up to them.

And two others:

Legwork, Yes - Once per mystery, if you are in your Hive's good graces, you can assume an automatic 10+ roll with an Investigate Mystery move by sending your Hive to collect all the information for you.

Queenly Presence - You may be the center of the Hive, but you're not a do nothing royal.  You may choose a single basic Move to upgrade to advanced.

Reinforcements - Once per mystery, if you are in your Hive's good graces, you can call for reinforcements in a fight.  Roll +Weird, on a 10+ your Hive arrives in a timely manner in overwhelming numbers.  On a 7-9, your Hive arrives either late or with only a small number of reinforcements, or the timing of your summons exposed some of your Hive to attention from other monsters or hunters.  On a miss, none of your Hive are close enough to help, and the summons may have exposed your hive to attention.  This is best used to counter other minions.  Central monsters are often too powerful for even a horde of followers.

On Jeweled Wings - You are capable of flight or some other superhuman method of movement.  This can include wall-crawling, speed, leaping, short-range teleportation or other such things.

Efficient Communication - You and your Hive are connected telepathically.  Barring magical interference there's nothing to prevent you from contacting them....there's also no way for you to shut out their displeasure with you if they are not happy.

Emergency Transformation - If a Hunter or Bystander dies and you can get to them within 10 minutes, you can opt to save their life by transforming them.  In their weakened state it will be almost immediate.  For Hunters it is up to the player of that hunter whether or not it is successful.  You can only do this once per mystery and it cannot save already monstrous characters.

Because we choose to - The loyalty of your Hive is their own choice, not magically induced, perhaps the point of transformation gave them a peek at your mind and they liked what they saw.  Magical rituals or other methods to block mind control will do nothing to stop your cooperation.  However, this also means you have less ability to stop accidentally transformed people from going off and starting their own hive.  You may roll +Charm to perform any moves that call on your Hive instead of +Weird.

Alibi - While in the good graces of your Hive, you can, once per mystery, provide yourself and anyone you choose with unbreakable alibis to present to police or anybody else interested in your presence.

Defense of Many - You have the benefit of several minds linked together on at least the subconscious level.  When you are forced to act under pressure to avoid mental domination, induced fear or other such attack, you may roll +Weird instead +Cool.  This cannot be used if the mental attack came from within your Hive.

Font of Power - Once per mystery you may empower your Hive to perform the tasks you assigned them.  Roll +Weird.  On a 10+ your Hive is further empowered by your Will and performs all of its assigned tasks for this scene with great ability while you are fatigued and will have a -1 ongoing until you can rest five minutes.  On a 7-9 your Hive is either empowered to a lesser degree or you take 1 Harm.  Either way you become fatigued and take -1 ongoing until you get an hour's rest.  On a miss, you and the entire Hive take 1 Harm each and no one is empowered.  You pass out.  This is best used for when you have your Hive doing stuff off screen such as rushing to fulfill the needs of a Big Magic ritual for the spooky hunter or else moving to be guards over known targets.  This move is not affected by "Because we choose to".

Decoys - Your Hive can shape-change to take on your appearance and act as a decoy whenever you or they desire.  Roll +Sharp.  On a 10+ they successful performed their decoy task and escaped unharmed.  On a 7-9, they decoyed the target but were either found out or injured in the course of the mission.  On a miss, one or more decoys died and you will receive a -1 the next time you roll to be in the good graces of the hive.

Friends in Need - Once per mystery, if you are in the good graces of your Hive, you can roll +Weird to deal with any problem where money or resources might be helpful.  On a 10+, your Hive is able to provide you with exactly what you need from hard to get reservations at a exclusive restaurant to large gobs of cash.  On a 7-9, you Hive is able to provide you with some of what you need, or they are able to provide some of what you need but it stretched their resources and you must return the favor.  On a miss, you have offended the Hive.

Rituals - Once per mystery, if you are in the good graces of your hive, you can call in all the help you need for a Big Magic ritual.  Resources, research, and time to cast will still need to be acquired.

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Gear

Choose two weapons in addition to any natural or cursed weapons.

Sword (3-harm hand, messy)
Revolver (2-harm close reload loud)
Shotgun (3-harm close messy)
Cane/Golf Club/Baseball Bat (2-harm close innocuous)
Pistol (2-harm close loud)
Martial Arts (your fists deal 1-harm hand)
Dagger (1-harm hand)

Introductions

Introduce yourself to the hunters

History

They were the ones who convinced you that you didn't have to be evil.  Tell them how they did that.

You came close to transforming this person one time.  Ask him if he's aware of how close he came.

He did something that saved your entire hive. Did he find a way to return their free-will (assuming that's a trait your hive has) or did he actually save their lives?  Ask him.

You had to convince her not to purge your entire hive. Ask her how you convinced her.

For some reason, you cannot transform this person even though they seem to be a normal human.  How do you respond to this?  Ask him if he's aware.

This person is trying to convince you and your hive to transform more people, them especially.  Ask them their reason for this and tell him what you and your hive think of that.

One or both of you is attracted to the other and has not said anything about it.  Settle between you the details of the relationship.

Your hive does not like this person.  Ask him why.

This person has given you a promised to kill you if you turn evil.  Tell him if the promise was demanded or unsolicited.  Ask him if he plans on following through.

This person doesn't get the hive connection.  Ask him what he thinks is really going on.

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Luck: as normal

Harm: as normal

Experience: as normal

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Improvements:

+1 to Weird (max 3)

+1 to Charm (max 2)

+1 to Cool (max 2)

+1 to Tough (max 2)

One more Hive Queen move

One more Hive Queen move

One move from another playbook

One move from another playbook

You gain Royal Court, a collection of Hive members that are loyal to you no matter what your status with the rest of the Hive.  They are a team of 2-6 members with one of the 6 ally motivations.

You gain a Haven similar to the Expert with two options

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Advanced Improvements

+1 to any trait (Max +3)

Change this hunter to a new type

Make up a second hunter to play in addition to this one

Mark two of the basic moves as advanced

Mark two of the basic moves as advanced

Erase one used Luck

Retire this Hunter to safety

This Hunter becomes evil (again?) and "retires".  She and the hive are now a Threat.

Remove one Bad Trait from your Hive traits.
« Last Edit: October 27, 2014, 05:35:37 AM by Thrythlind »