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Symbiote 3.0; "What makes me special? Is it the alien symbiote that's bonded to me like a souped-up parasite?" - Venom, Space Knight
Topic Started: Oct 4 2015, 02:47 AM (519 Views)
SirSoundwave
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Foreward


Symbiote

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There is a taint in your flesh, alien and unclean. Perhaps you were born with this warped physiology, your bloodline infected with an alien presence long ago. Perhaps you encountered an alien being that took up residence in your innards, providing power for a meal ticket and place to stay. Perhaps you're the product of mad science gone horribly wrong - or horribly right. No matter the circumstances, you are now forever set apart from your mortal brethren... but you are not alone. There is a presence within you, slippery and just within your perception. And yet, as time goes on, you become closer than siblings or lovers. And sometimes you cannot help but feel you are losing yourself to this... thing... inside of you. Or maybe you grow together into something new and singular.

Those who have become a Symbiote may see it as a blessing, a curse, or a mixed bag, depending on their resulting self-image and relationship with their tenant. More important is how they are seen by the world around them. Many an unfortunate soul has attempted to confide in their loved ones about their true nature, often met with fear and disgust, sometimes morbid fascination, and sometimes with scalpels and cold exam tables. The life of a Symbiote can be a lonely one, and soon enough they turn to the creature within them for companionship and acceptance. And the deeper the bond grows, the further they slip away.

Nonetheless, though you hear whispers from something Other, your mind is your own. You are Changed, and the question remains... what are you going to do now?



The Tell: As a Symbiote spends Synch, their flesh becomes more warped. The taint becomes apparent in shape, coloration, scent, and presence. Eyes may appear sightless or alien. Their voice may gain a flanging quality. As more Synch is spent, the Symbiote's posture and mannerisms become more alien. Their voice may gain a flanging quality. Jaws and teeth may become an all devouring maw. Skin may toughen into leathery hide.


POWERS:

- Dual Minds: You have your skills, the tenant has its own, as well as its own brain power, which can meld with yours. By spending 1 Synch, gain +1k1 to any test using mental characteristics.

- Living Weapon: By spending 1 Synch as a half action, the Symbiote manifests their tenant as a living weapon. This lasts for a the remainder of the scene. The character now has natural weapons (2k1 R or I; Melee; Brawling); choose the damage type each time you use this ability, and change it as though readying a weapon. The tenant also armors the character with AP equal to their Integration on all locations. If you are already wearing armor, it breaks off as the Tenant twists and flows over your skin and you take damage equal to that armor's AP. The armor cannot be used again until it is repaired.

- Unsettling: As the host and tenant join together, they become more and more alien and frightening to other people in general. Start at the Hostile Disposition with non-exalts, and Unfriendly with Exalts.

- Strange Anatomy: As the symbiotic bond between Host and Tenant grows, the Symbiote's physiology becomes warped and more resilient. Increase your hit points by 2 + Integration. However, due to the blasphemous deviation from your species' baseline anatomy, all Medicae checks to help you take a -2k2 penalty. If you would die from critical damage that isn't E, X, or magical in nature, you instead enter a comatose state where your Symbiote focuses all of its efforts to mend your broken body. This comatose state lasts for 8 hours, during which you are vulnerable to being fairly easily killed. Upon awakening, you are ravenously hungry.

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POWER STAT: Integration: Integration represents how closely the Host and Tenant have fused with one another. Higher Integration leads to a stranger appearance and a warped sense of "self."

RESOURCE STAT: Synch: A Symbiote regains Synch equal to their Integration at the end of each sleep cycle. You may also assimilate a fallen creature as a half action to gain Synch equal to half its size (round up.) This can also be performed as part of a melee attack action that kills by spending 1 Synch. A Symbiote may have Synch equal to their Willpower + Composure + Integration.


[O - Regeneration: A Symbiote may spend Synch to recover Hit Points in combat as a free action in combat.]


[OO- Delicious Brains: When you assimilate a creature, if its Head is intact (has not taken life-ending critical damage), you gain immediate insight on who they were, what they thought, and how they acted. By spending one Synch, add your Integration as rolled dice on Disguise tests made to impersonate that creature for the remainder of the scene, as you assume their form. You may also spend 1 Synch to use its skill ranks or specializations in place of your own for a single test.]


[OOO - Malleable: By inflicting one point of damage to yourself as a Free Action, you may increase one of your physical stats by 2 until the end of the scene or until you use this ability again as the symbiote metabolizes and repurposes your collective flesh. This damage cannot be healed by Regeneration. ]


[OOOO - Spawn: Once per scene, the hero may spawn a group of minions by inflicting damage to themselves equal to twice their Minions' Threat Rating. These Minions have a Damage Rating of 1. These Minions are a swarm of small creatures (but still equivalent to 5 normal creatures) and may pass through nooks and crannies inaccessible to the hero and obey her commands as a free action. The damage taken for this ability cannot be healed through Regeneration, but the HP may be recovered by reappropriating the applied biomass.]


[OOOOO - Abomination: Once per scene, spend 5 Synch as you and your tenant become One. This behaves as Living Weapon. Your natural weapons gain +1k1 damage. Gain Stuff of Nightmares. Gain Fear 3. You now have additional limbs and may take an additional half action per round. Gain size +3. Gain +3 dots to Strength and Constitution. This lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Constitution + Integration + Willpower.]




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ASSETS:

Blood Vector
Blood represents the heat of passion and the wonder of emotion. Tenants with this vector show a stronger rapport with their hosts and with other humanoids. You do not have the normal penalties of Unsettling. By spending 1 Synch you can gain +2k1 to any social Test as your Tenant adjusts your features and pheromones in just the right way to be enticing.

Breath Vector
Breath is an unceasing tide, drawing in from the world and flowing out to meet it... it calls the storm and sets it free. The tenant borne upon its host's breaths has a strange affinity for magic. When you use Living Weapon, you gain Aura equal to your Integration. In addition, you can spend 1 Synch to have your natural weapons gain the Orgone Array property and treat them as magic for the remainder of the scene.

Flesh Vector
Flesh represents lust, hunger and thirst, madness and rage... it's the core of identity and the vector of change. The tenant housed within his host's flesh sings in ecstasy as you rip and tear and gouge at your foes. When you use Living Weapon, your natural weapons gain Penetration equal to your Integration, and you can spend 1 Synch to give your natural weapons the Razor Sharp and Balanced (R only); Two Hands, Volatile and Unbalanced (I only); or Reach and Flexible properties for the remainder of the scene.

Marrow Vector
Marrow represents secrets buried deep within the flesh, the power of dark and hidden places. The tenant secreted deep within his host's bones wants little more than to be left in peace, and offers his help by aiding the host's attempts at skulduggery. Gain the Back Stab and Sneak Attack feats, and a static bonus on Stealth and Larceny tests equal to your Integration.

Soil Vector
Soil resonates with the seminal urge, the lure of life and the power of decay, the hungry whispers that wait on the threshold between life and death. Your tenant pays attention to these whispers, translating their portent for you. Gain one rank of the Divination magical power. You may purchase this power as if it was part of any class you belong to. Get +1k1 on Focus Power tests to cast Divination spells.

Jade Vector
Jade monoliths often evoke a feeling of steadfast perseverance in the face of grim fate. Such a tennant seems to show a sense of duty to protecting it's host, aiding in surviving the dangers of the world has to offer. Gain natural armor equal to integration. This stacks with armor from Living Weapon, and you gain 1 Resilience during Living Weapon.
Edited by SirSoundwave, Oct 4 2015, 11:34 PM.
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Eisenritter
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Old Iron Knight
...Jumping the gun, weredrago? It's pretty much the same as Zed's, same thing I fixed up before. All he changed was a couple powers and we're currently discussing a change to the assets.
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weredrago2
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He Who Posts Too Much
I would tell you I need sleep, but what I really need to do is finish my online assignments that are due in an hour.

I will say this, though. Blood Vector giving you armor seems a little wonky to me. I also miss having Blood give you some social benefits. Perhaps the social elements could go to Soil? I don't think free Divination belongs on this Exalt, really.
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Eisenritter
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Old Iron Knight
Soil gets Divination because that's the definition of necromancy hinted by the flavor text, "gaining information by evoking spirits of the dead." Blood is social, because blood is passion.
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weredrago2
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He Who Posts Too Much
So you're making Blood give you a social bonus again? I like the idea behind Marrow being sneaky, but I also liked it when it gave you Natural Armor.
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SirSoundwave
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That's the issue we're discussing, how to divide up the social/stealth/tanks assets, and making sure asset fluff is appropriate for each.

Also, food offerings are not often meat, more often fruits, although meat is certainly in there. As far as it's viabilty more towards the idea of beinga vector of infection, I'm thinking of it more as sustenance in general than food specifically.
Edited by SirSoundwave, Oct 4 2015, 10:34 PM.
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Eisenritter
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Old Iron Knight
And the edible portion of a fruit is generally described as "flesh," yes. Blood would similarly cover other humors, while Marrow also covers fat and other "unwanted" portions of an animal, which were traditionally burned along with the bones as an offering to whatever deity was being invoked.

The last thread as an offering to the dead is still gold or jade, the grave coin placed under the tongue as payment for the psychopomp guiding the deceased to the afterlife. While gold is nonreactive, most other materials used for coinage can cause reactions in the body. In particular, I might think of that monolith from Dead Space and the mutations it caused...
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SirSoundwave
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I'm really liking the idea of the monolith from Dead Space. The fundamental idea of a monolith gives a sense of sheer fortitude, although it would still be an issue of finding good wording for the name.

Perhaps something based on form of coinage made of a reactive metal, as that is a good direction to go with the offering to the dead theme.
Edited by SirSoundwave, Oct 4 2015, 10:56 PM.
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Eisenritter
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Old Iron Knight
Go with a Jade Vector, then. Jadeite and nephrite are inosilicates, a group of minerals which also includes asbestos.
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SirSoundwave
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Changes:
Swapped Blood Vector back to Social bonuses. Increased the bonus for spending Synch as Unsettling isn't quite as directly punishing anymore, inherintly weakening the asset's avoidance of it.

Reading up on some science and culture stuff to get a good description for the new Jade Vector for tanking, should be up shortly.
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weredrago2
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I remember Pathogen: the Infected naming their X Splats (in this case, how they got their disease) Vectors. Fluffwise, that could mean that your character got their Exaltation from their matching Vector asset.
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