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Skills
Skills are a character’s tools when performing actions in the game. He may have a rating of 0 (untrained, or no skill) to 6 (superbly trained) in the skills he possesses. A higher rating not only helps the character succeed in situations where his skill is challenged by another, but also allows him to perform certain actions with automatic success at the level of the skill he possesses.
Choosing Your Beginning Skills Ongoing Accumulation Of Skills
Because mechanics are not central to the enjoyment of Immortal, we have listed only skills which might be useful in the everyday life of an immortal. Academic skills such as archeology, while not detailed in this book, are based on the same principle as any other skill. The relative levels and degree of mastery within each level are as follows: Untrained -- rank 0. A character who is untrained has yet to master (and practice) all of the basics of the talent. He may possess theoretical knowledge, and even have tried it a few times, but must make a conscious effort to check himself on even the most basic tasks. Example: Driving, rank 0. An untrained driver may run through a checklist before taking any new action, such as changing lanes. ("check the mirror, signal, look over the shoulder, check one last time, go"). The time it takes for him to get from point A to point B is lengthened by his caution, as other driver are whizzing by him and honking their horns. Familiar -- rank 1. A character who is familiar with a talent has a decent grasp of the basics, and can handle any routine task without conscious thought. Most talents a character possesses initially will most likely be at familiar level. If a character uses his talent recreationally or to supplement another primary talent, he most likely possesses the talent in question at this level. Example: Driving, rank 1. A typical motorist in a passenger vehicle, most likely with a year or more of casual driving experience. If you drive to and from work every day, and have made at least one trip of over 100 miles as a driver, you’ll probably qualify. This driver can handle most ordinary road obstacles, including the typical weather conditions in his area, while still carrying on a conversation. Trained -- rank 2. A character who is trained has the equivalent of a college degree with a major in the subject. This could come from a year or more of intense, on the job experience using primarily this talent, or from school, or both. Example: Driving, rank 2. A police officer who has been through an intensive driving training course and had the opportunity to use those skills in the real world would qualify for this rank. Also, professional cab drivers, truckers and racers with at least a full year of professional experience (above and beyond any special training they’ve undergone) qualify. These drivers can handle more difficult obstacles without a second thought, and have experience with a wider range of driving tasks than the typical driver. Pro -- rank 3. A pro has all the skills of the trained character, and several more years of experience on top of it. This talent is most likely the primary source of income for the character, and is used constantly nearly every day. The character could probably qualify for a master’s degree in the subject, if one is offered. Example: Driving, rank 3. At this level, a driver can handle all but the most extreme hazards he can expect to encounter. Conditions which would make a typical driver white-knuckled with tension do not even require a conscious thought. Master -- rank 4. A master has explored all the ins and outs of his talent. This character has over a decade of professional experience with a constant drive to explore both the underlying principles and the current frontiers of the field. Humans at or near the top of their field are most likely Masters. Example: Driving, rank 4. This driver is cross-trained to be familiar with all sorts of vehicles from dune buggies to race cars to semis. He is well respected professionally in whichever vehicle he primarily drives. In all probability, driving is his passion. Laureate -- rank 5. The laureate has moved beyond the level of even those at the top of his profession. He develops new methods and is either widely hailed as the authority or superstar in his field, or treated as a pariah. He is one of the people most likely to be identified with his talent in the public’s perception. Example: Driving, rank 5. This driver pushes the limits of his profession. In competition, he is nearly always the favorite, able to win multiple national titles. He can make vehicles do things no one else would think to try. Quite possibly, he is hailed as a genius, even by those outside his field. Virtuoso -- rank 6. This rank represents achievement beyond mortal capacity. Where a legendary swordsman known through the ages would be a Laureate, the Virtuoso has a level of mastery attainable only by study through multiple mortal lifetimes, end even then only by the most gifted. Achievement of such a status is rare even among immortals. Example: A virtuoso driver can take his vehicle confidently into places where others would have an extremely high probability of crashing. He has a preternatural sense, as if the car and himself were one. The most spectacular driving stunts in the movies pale next to what this guy can do.
Choosing Your Beginning Skills Because they have existed so long, older Immortals possess some rank in most any skill imaginable. Beginners (especially those who have lived a while as humans) have suppressed this knowledge, and so will be untrained (rank 0) in many skills. Most starting characters will not have many talents beyond rank 1, though this can change rapidly as they advance. Because immortals improve their skills not by experience (they have already experienced everything) but by remembering skill levels that were suppressed during their false existence as humans. We begin by selecting the skills your character knew as a human. Read through the skill list on page ##. Any skills which you think your character should have, due ONLY to his experience as a human, select for free at rank 1. Highlight any skills which you think you may have learned at a higher level; you will spend your memory points to increase these levels. Next, choose those skills which, as a mortal, were your specialties. You may select 50 memory points worth of skills to raise beyond level 1 due to your experience as a mortal. (You should have selected these skills at level 1 already.) For example, if you make a living as a journalist, you may wish to take journalism at level 2 or 3 instead of level 1. Each skill has a complexity. The complexity determines the cost (in memory points) to purchase each level. The cost for improving a character’s talent rank grows progressively.
Skills range from a complexity of 1 (cost 1 memory for the first level) to 6 (cost 6 for the first rank.) Each succeeding rank becomes more expensive. Check out the chart below as a guide for costs for your talents: Chart 3: COST OF SKILLS
For example, Lip-reading, the ability to determine what someone is saying across the room by watching their lips move, has a complexity cost of 3. Purchasing this skill at rank 1 would cost 5 memory point; rising from rank 1 to rank 2 costs 7 more memory, going to rank 3 costs 9 more memory, and so on. So, to possess Lip-reading, a complexity 3 skill at pro level costs 21 points (5 + 7 + 9 = 21)
Although not always realistic with real-world situations, we have attempted to keep the complexity costs of talents on par with its usefulness in game terms. So, while learning the finer points of microbiology may indeed require mastering more complex information than learning to fight effectively with a sword, the sword skill is more likely to be used extensively in a role-playing environment, and its complexity cost reflects this.
Quicknote: Beginning Normal Talents A maximum of 33% of a character’s beginning memory points should be spent on normal talents. When in doubt, select a talent at the lower rank; your character can remember it in greater detail as the game progresses.
Ongoing Accumulation Of Skills After the start of the game, characters begin to experience the world of Immortal, a world alien to the one in which they have lived. Their experience places them on a path of knowledge. They are learning who they are all over again, and they are learning about the world and society that spawned them. This memory-jogging adventure brings old forgotten skills to the surface, allowing the character to "remember" talents he had forgotten and which would seem alien to his "mortal" incarnation. Acquiring new skills through memory can be explored in a variety of new ways. The character may be placed in a situation where he has to perform an action using the skill, perhaps even with his welfare depending on it. For example, he may be driving in a car and have enemies suddenly pull up behind his vehicle and start firing guns at him. The player can take this opportunity to tell the narrator that he wishes to upgrade his character’s driving skill from a 1 to a 3. The player then pays the required number of points from his memory pool and the character’s skill is upgraded. Suddenly, the character is able to drive the car with greater finesse. We call this the do or die method of upgrading skills. Flashbacks are another means by which a character can regain forgotten lore. The narrator describes a scene that suddenly plays before the eyes of the character, a memory from his past so vivid that he feels he is experiencing it for real. During this vision, the character performs some feat using a skill which his future, mortal incarnation never possessed. When the character’s vision ends, he can create or upgrade the skill he used in the vision. The narrator tells the player that he has the opportunity to buy a certain skill up to a certain rank and may even give him a cost break. It’s up the the player if he wants to actually spend his memory points and secure the new skill. Some skills will come free to characters. Most commonly, after the player chooses which Calling his immortal character belongs to, he gains free skills that the profession teaches him. There is no cost associated with these skills. Free skills are listed under each Guild in Chapter 4.
Skills have a rating or rank of 1 to 6, each succeeding rank indicating greater competency of the character while practicing that skill. The numeric rank of a skill is added to the roll of a d10 and the attribute that the skill is linked to. The skill driving, for example, is linked to the yellow (agility) attribute. More details on how to use skills are given in Chapter two, Game Mechanics.
With a long existence comes vast understanding of the world which surrounds all immortals. By human standards immortals are supernatural creatures. Not only can they change shape at will, but they can call upon and manipulate forces beyond most mortal’s comprehension. The might of the immortal is often considered god-like, perhaps the only accurate element in the mythology that surrounds him. Immortals have used their powers to points of wanton destructiveness in past eras, but in modern times control them with more subtlety. Serenades and the Vox The alien sensitivity of the shard inside him curse an immortal with keener senses as well. He perceives his surroundings to such depth that he identifies the unique vibration of every form of matter and energy. The hum of gasses, the ringing symphony of flowing water or the high lilting voice of burning fire, all of these disturb the senses of an immortal. He hears the harmonic music of the universe, the quiver of every atomic particle which, in concert, creates a single vast binding theme that is all creation. Everything, from light to the rigid diamond produces it’s own vibration, it’s own voice in the chorus. Immortals call these individual voices serenades. Serenades can be harnessed, warped, even transformed. An outgrowth of their merging with the shards is the development in immortals of the vox. This adamantine vocal chord is so discriminating that it can imitate any sound imaginable, including the vibrations of matter and energy. Immortals use their vox to mimic serenades, acts that humans often perceive as magical powers. The Panacea Another ability immortals gain from their symbiosis with the alien shards inside them is the ability to heal damage at a greatly accelerated rate. Naturally this comes from the shard’s own desire to preserve it’s host and therefore ensure it’s own survival. This healing process is known as the panacea. In essence, the panacea heals, at a very rapid rate, physical damage sustained by an immortal, as long as that damage was not inflicted by another living thing. For example, an immortal who falls off a skyscraper, is struck by a train, or by a bullet from a gun heals this damage swiftly. However, the aura of any creature with a soul disrupts this healing process, causing the character to heal at the same rate a human might. Any living thing that comes within 5 foot of an immortal and inflicts damage on him (either by hitting him with fists or with a sword) negates the panacea. Firearms, no matter how close to an immortal (even if touching him) do not negate this form of healing.
Examples when the Panacea does not function: Immortal is kicked by a mortal Immortal is bitten by an animal Immortal is struck by a sword wielded by a mortal Immortal jumps off a building and lands on a mortal Immortal is the target of an Ember (fire) serenade Immortal is blown to bits in an explosion
The Panacea WILL heal the following wounds: Immortal is struck by a thrown sword Immortal is shot Immortal is hit by a car Immortal jumps off a building and hits the sidewalk Immortal is struck by a sword wielded by a robot or other non-living machine Immortal runs through a burning house Immortal survives an explosion
Other details of how the panacea works is detailed in Chapter Two under Healing and Rejuvenation.
Shapeshifting Immortals may appear as humans, but this form is a false one. They are much older creatures, evolved from now-extinct living things or from elemental forces which once lived in the Earth’s ancient past when the Earth itself was a living entity. An immortal character can, at will, revert to his primitive form and call upon all the dangerous abilities it possesses. The Immortal Shapeshifter’s Manual details the natural abilities of this form for any player who wishes to use it to any extent. Otherwise, most characters may simply use the modes of movement of their true forms (such as the flight of a bird, fins of a shark to swim, hooves of a horse to run, etc.). The anonymity offered by taking an animal shape can often be vital in assuring a character’s survival.
Carnals Perhaps the greatest power known to immortals is superstition. This power emanates most strongly from extraordinary human beings and many immortals have little or no protection against it’s power. It is the presence of the Beast within the human mind which unlocks the potential of this power. It is the deadly dream-whispers of the Beast that directs it against the vulnerable immortal race. This is not to say that the power of superstition comes from the Beast itself. The Beast is a mere catalyst, a key to opening the human mind to the powers it already possesses. As this power can be dangerous, even deadly to immortals, it can be beneficial as well. Often the belief of a human imbues an immortal with a supernatural gift of power, a unique talent. Immortals know these powers as carnals, since they are unique, even intimate abilities. Immortals have posed as gods for thousands of years in efforts to carefully garner these special gifts from humans whose superstition preserves an immortal as a rare and precious creature instead of a bane which must be harmed or destroyed. Carnals are transitory powers. They emanate from individual humans who have fallen in love or chosen to serve an immortal. When the human dies, the power his superstition bestowed wanes until it fades altogether. This make take days, weeks, even years, but it’s fading is inevitable. In the technological age, superstition is constantly under assault by the reason of science. Immortals are torn between aiding the demise of superstition to rid themselves of it’s baneful effects and helping it thrive so that they may harness it’s power. This is the primary reason immortals create their own cults of followers to create and maintain these beneficial abilities in the competitive supernatural world. For a character, a carnal should be thought of as a supernatural trait he possesses, rather than a power he wields. The effect of the carnal is linked to his presence. For example, an immortal may have a carnal which gives him an immunity to any sort of bullet except silver. Or whenever he is plunged into absolute darkness, his skin begins to glow and illuminate his surroundings. In many ways, a carnal is a reflex against some outside stimulus that poses a danger to the immortal, a perk that enhances his life. Sometimes carnals are so subtle that they hardly impact at all on his life. No carnal will give an immortal a direct means to assault his enemies, although it’s nature may have consequences against creatures who have an aversion, such as nightmares and their fear of light. Like its opposite, the taboo, a carnal occurs in ranks, or levels of usefulness to the immortal. The higher the rank, the more beneficial his carnal is. The rank of a carnal is based on the amount of soul it’s human generator possesses. For every 3 points of soul, the human generates 1 rank of carnal. Usually, and as a rule, a human can generate only 1 carnal for one immortal. Examples of Carnals
Carnal Mechanics As mentioned, carnals are not a power wielded by an immortal, but an incarnate ability he possesses, similar to any reflex or natural gift. As such, using a carnal depends on no dice rolls, but rather the imagination of the player and the permission of the narrator. Carnals are, foremost, to set a character apart from others. They should lend themselves to characterization and good role-playing, not as a means to become immune to all dangers. A carnal can never provide protection or immunity against serenades or himsati natures. Serenades and other supernatural powers of an immortal supersede protection or offensive capability of a carnal, and render it instantly inert. If two carnals oppose one another, the highest ranking carnal prevails. If the carnals are equal in rank, both are neutralized against the other with no effect either way.
The Power of Name (Old Form: Visage)
Immortals are held hostage by their own fame. Despite the fact that most immortals work in the background of human civilization so that they remain unknown, humans eventually learn of their existence. The shards resident in every immortal are linked telepathically to one another, and to their master in the dark world of dreams. It is their master, the Beast who allows the names of immortals to be known by human kind and thus bind them to itself. What is in a name? Immortal true names are nothing metaphysical at all. The true name is merely the frequency at which the shard within him vibrates, the telepathic bandwidth of his alien heart. Immortal, therefor, have every incentive to change their true name. They strive to transform the shard inside them, cutting it off from it’s communion with the others. Once this is successfully accomplished, the immortal is freed from the influences of the Beast and transcends into his next evolutionary form. This transfiguration is the goal of every immortal who understands the true nature of the Beast and it’s desire to assimilate all of them. Immortals accumulate name. In simple mechanical terms, Name is granted, point by point, by the narrator. In conceptual terms, Name is bestowed on a character who shows himself to be an ingenious and pure warrior against Time, embodied by the Beast. The character perfects his cunning while also learning to keep his own secrets safe from the rest of his kind, striving to become unassailable and incorruptible. Once he has mastered himself in this manner, his accumulated Name transmutes the shard within him and allows him to transcend into a warrior of light. Name is bestowed by a group of transcended immortals known as the Jury. More information about these beings is found in Chapter Four.
Your character will have resources at his command, whether this takes the form of money, allies or ownership of items useful in the continuing battle against the Beast. The narrator may allow you any one of these as part of your character background, but with accumulate wealth or influence also comes high visibility. The agents of the enemy are ever watchful for signs that an immortal is visibly wielding temporal power in the mortal world.
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