Geist: The Sin-Eaters (rules lite, newbies welcomed) [DEAD]

[wander]

Harry Sutherland

Concept: Charismatic Fixer for a Price.

Character Sheet

Physical: **
Mental: ***
- Wits
Social: ****
- Presence
- Manipulation

Skills:

Mental Skills (7 dots);
Academics o
Computer o
Crafts o
Investigation o
Medicine
Occult o (underworld)
Politics o
Science

Physical Skills (4 dots);
Athletics o
Brawl
Drive
Firearms o (pistol)
Larceny o
Stealth o
Survival
Weaponry

Social Skills (11 dots);
Animal Ken o (1 freeby)
Empathy o
Expression o
Intimidation o
Persuade oo
Socialise oo
Streetwise oo (rumours)
Subterfuge oo

(Total 1 freebie spent on skills, 8 left).

Health: 10
Willpower: 6
Initiative: +6

Merits:
Allies (criminal underbelly) o
Danger Sense oo
Barfly o
Resources o
Striking Looks oo
(Freeby Merit: Ceremonies ooo)
krewe binding (1), pass on (1). speaker of the dead (1).

(1+3 freebies = 4. 5pts left)

Virtue: Prudence
Vice: Greed

Threshold: Stricken
Archetype: Bonepicker

Keys: Phantasm and Stillness
(freebies: Passion, Industrial).

(4+2 = 6. 3 freebies left).

Manifestations:
Curse (uses Presence) 1 :
phantasm (persuasion): reduce target dex & perception. stillness (stealth): penalise their presence + manipulation.
passion (empathy): pass emotion to target. Industrial (crafts): reduce equipment bonuses.
Marionette (Manipulation) 2 :
phantasm (intimidation): creates a geist form to occupy whilst comatose. stillness (occult): animate animal spies.
passion (empathy): boost social rolls against target. Industrial (crafts): telekinesis.
(Freebie; Shroud (Resolve): 2)
phantasm (persuasion): add manipulation to armour, beings forget character. stillness (stealth): add shroud to stealth + become invisible.
passion (empathy): boost defence of mind-altering + boost social rolls. Industrial (crafts): armour for man-made weapons, undo locks.

(6 + 2 = 8)

Psyche: 2/10 (1 freeby, all 9 spent.)
*plasm = 18 (may spend 2 plasm per round).
Synergy: 7/10

Bio:

Harry used to be a rather introverted young man from Wynwood, Miami. He was in his first run of life a quiet introvert, living alone, with cats (mostly strays) for company. He was moderately quick witted and pretty good looking, though due to crippling shyness these things went to waste as he struggled to make ends meet. Before his fated time came, Harry viewed death with some mix fear and perhaps, as a final relief... He wasn't a religious person, though he did find the mythology of some interesting in a passing way, just some basics on the Western and Eastern main ones.

He never really believed in an afterlife, despite knowing all about heaven and hell and the six cycles of Buddhism. In his quietest times of naval gazing he wondered if when his time came, would he be reincarnated or was there just oblivion when all senses ceased? What happened after death? For him, time and entropy seemed to be the big mythos that made up the universe. Like, if time had a start and end, what about before and after? Was Time, maybe, just a big circle? His biggest fear was that when the universe was all said and done, that the next go-around he'd be stuck living a repeat of the same life he was stuck in. If that was so, how many times had it been for him and this shitty life? Would things get any better or was this it? To be stuck as a cosmic butt monkey in an apathetic egg-timer of a universe troubled Harry the most if he thought about it.

Eventually, Harry ended up with cancer and suffered through a lonely and fairly fast death from it. He never even knew he was riddled with cancer, just putting his failing health and the blackouts to just general lack of self-care living his apathetic existance, being so closed in he was scared to see a doctor as his body broke down... So as death's energy finally swarmed to take him to beyond, fear returned... He felt he was cheated out of so much... As he began to lose consciousness, Harry willed against it, wanting to have another shot at the life he had...

And this was when his pleas were answered, by a Geist, a spiritual personification of death, The Cheated Widow.

The Cheated Widow takes the form of an emaciated figure whose features are hidden under long black hair and what looks like a hospital gown in rotted disrepair. They don't move, infact it looks like their muscles have completely atrophied to the point that naturally they couldn't. Keeping them upright they are strapped very loosely via tubes to an IV stand... Their arms just able to reach with pale white skin when close to someone else, in a harrowed almost pleading manner. Their moans giving out a similar emotional vibe to communicate, clingy and always begging for more offerings, never quite fulfilled, like their anchor is unattainable to them to reach.

The Cheated Widow offered Harry the deal to take away their death, at the exchange for them to live it vicariously in the back of Harry's mind, to be there when he got what life owed them both. Fearful of the position that awaited him, Harry accepted and the death energy shunted away. Given new abilities by The Cheated Widow's keystone (an engraved wedding ring with only one name etched in strange runes), Harry was now one of the Bound. Upon waking, Harry was left changed, he could witness and communicate with ghosts and gained other similar abilities linked to their new 'death-sight'... They could collect plasm from ghosts and use it to heal, along with using The Cheated Widow's keystone to activate special abilities.

Given these new abilities and a new lease of life, Harry moved to make good on this second chance and the Deal he had placed himself into. He got out of their shitty Wynwood apartment and began to interact more with the world, both that of the living and the dead. The Widow wanted all they never had in life and so did Harry. As he began to make connections and got comfortable with his new existence, he moved to a lucrative line of business in these times, becoming the man you go to when you need things.

He took up residence in a small office in Liberty City, where crime paid, if you knew what you were doing... Thanks to his burgeoning connections through the city and the odd Manifestation bump, Harry soon got settled in their second shot at life. From his small office he works both as a fixer and a private eye, for both the living and ghosts. He also serves as a medium for those who need it too, living or ghost alike. He has an ear to the streets and through the Shadowlands, using his Manifestations to help at times, using zombied animal spies, cracking locks, becoming a metaphorical ghost or emotionally twisted what he needs to get his paper and bills sorted.
For the living his typical work is as a PI and finding things for people (only those who know something of the dead seek him as a medium), for the dead it's usually medium work, finding lost anchors and even helping them to pass on. He always charges however, for the living it may be money or something of value, for the dead it's usually the same that they left behind in life. Rumours on something worthwhile is also a fair trade if it's something very valuable, maybe a particularly powerful memento or haunt, or a valuable artefact linked to the afterlife. Harry knows his way around the Shadowlands and has crossed Avernian Gates before, walked the lands of the Underworld and something to help deal with Ferrymen and Kerberoi is much appreciated.

This brings us roughly to today. Harry knows now there is an afterlife of sorts, a limbo place for the restless and something beyond for them to pass on to. He still doesn't know whether that's a real afterlife or the chance of being reincarnated... Oblivion is a real (and very scary) thing too, so maybe passing on is different to that. Either way, it's not much of his concern. After being without for his first shot at life, Harry is living the American Dream, who knows if he'd get another chance when his second death comes?

[wander]

Question for the GM;

Specialties are usually free (and limited to three), the homebrew makes it seem I'd need to pay for them from my skill points. Is that correct?

Also just wondering how my character looks atm. I may shunt some skills about depending on Manifestations, though I'm building to concept atm.

[nailcrosser]

Skill Specialties - you get three for free.

Character looks good, a little heavy on Social power but that's alright. Would really like to know his name and story.

[wander]

I'll keep chipping away. Their skills may shift due to the Manifestations I may slip them.

Question; with freebies can they be used 1:1 to raise stuff past skills and merits; like Psyche, Synergy, Plasm, Keys and Manifestations? Or is that taking advantage of the rules as written a bit?

[nailcrosser]

1:1 is good for now. I want these characters to be a tad more experienced than average starting characters. I think I've got freebies down but once I see your final build I may give or take points.

[wander]

Build complete.

Backstory and name being tweaked and developed. I went with building to archetype and what I figured suited for the sheet, I do have some thoughts on the backstory and where I'm going with the character. As I write it up neat I expect any gaps in that will seal up and he'll be a nice rounded 3 dimensional character. I kinda wish he had higher Psyche, so there's a possibility of dropping Shroud to 2 to give him Psyche 3, though I think he's plenty powerful as is and the higher Shroud has some neat adds.

[nailcrosser]

I'm going to limit freebies from 13 to 9. You can buy up to two more Keys and one extra Manifestation with freebie points. A freebie point purchased Manifestation starts at one dot and Manifestations may not be upgraded higher than 3 dots each at the start. We'll keep the 1:1 distribution.


Oh, and don't forget to describe the Geist's personality and appearance.

[wander]

Edited down the freebies to the new requirement. The current Keys and extra Manifestation are maxed now then. I have one at 1 dot, then the other two are 2 dots.

Personality will be added in. Appearance is as the image posted on the sheet.

EDIT: Might be a plan to change the thread title to add in "Still Recruiting", to catch a few new players.

[nailcrosser]

I mean the Geist inside of him, what does it appear in his head like? A zombie doctor with syringe teeth? A floating tumor with a face? A body of bile and blood?

[wander]

All done, forgot about skill specialties, so I'll add them and then I think my dood is good to go.  :-)

[wander]

Double-post, just to bump to attention the specialties have been added in now.

I don't usually write as much in a post as I did for the bio there, though I think it covers pretty much what you wanted to know. ^^;

[nailcrosser]

Wander - I'd like a few more details about his job. Who does he know? What does he get? Give an example or two of a typical service he performs.

[wander]

Done, see the large paragraph before the final one.

[nailcrosser]

Character Sheet Template is up. Wander, I've plugged in some of what you've posted to the template already and saved it. When I post the Info + OOC page you'll see it and I'll edit if need be.

Lux12 is still in and I'll be making a character as well, so we'll be a legitimate krewe and Small Group when we start.

[wander]

*Salutes*

Well, if that's all you need from me, I shall be waiting now quietly for what comes next.  :-)

[Lux12]

Gonna try and get my character sheet up by tomorrow.

[nailcrosser]

Are you guys adamant about potential sex in the game? Thinking if it stays PG 13 I can clean up this thread and repost in the Non Adult Group Requests to see if we can garner any more interest.

[wander]

If it brings more interest, I'd be fine with that.

[nailcrosser]

Sorry, but I'm feeling less and less jazzed about getting this up and running. I would like to focus on my Unknown Armies game and could use some new players in that one. If you guys are interested, let me know. I'll post a recruitment thread for it soon.

I may work some of the ideas in this game into that one.