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

[nailcrosser]

What's a Sin-Eater?

In summary from whitewolf.wikia:
"Sin-Eaters, also known as the Bound, are mortals who have died, but made deals with strange, alien spirits called Geists to return to life. This does not come without a price; they must share their body, mind, and desires with the Geist, and often spend as much time confronting the death around them as well as appeasing their new "friend" as they try to continue their own life.

The Bound regain mystical power, or Plasm, depending on their archetype. They also must maintain Synergy, reflecting the balance of how well they work with their unearthly partner."


This game will be a sandbox. Depending on what the PCs do, it will contain varying shades of darkness, hope, love, violence, fear, and misery. If PCs want to smut it up with each other, that is fine, so long as it's in PMs or a separate thread. I'll take as many players as interested. No other splats for PCs.

SETTING

Miami, 2025. After three consecutive hurricane years and rising sea levels, Miami is beginning to look a lot like Venice, Italy. Thousands of lives lost in drownings, car accidents, fires, and building collapses. The population of Miami has shrunk to just above one million but disaster tourism is booming. Miami has been re-branded as "The Modern Atlantis".  Nightlife has surged; everyone is looking to drink, consume, and fuck the pain away. Crime thrives. There are rumors of underground death match events.

Some claim if you look into the ocean at night, you can see ghosts. The air is thick with mosquitos and they're beginning to take more than blood. Many people are still missing and human remains turn up in strange places. A burlap bag containing rotted, ancient flesh turned up in the liquor cabinets of a downtown club.

NEIGHBORHOODS

Miami Beach
Tourist trap and art deco heaven Miami Beach is submerged. Buildings and palms loom over ten feet of water. The roads leading there are destroyed or blocked off. Salvage contractors are working to save what they can and hire security to take care of intruders. A police boat patrols around. Kaiser Security guards the properties.

Downtown
A maze of walls and canals guard the Downtown area from the ocean. This is where luxury lifestyles are sustained in the city. An ecosystem of big businesses, pricey lofts, and exclusive clubs. City Hall has been relocated in an office building. The Salt Grinders Krewe is based here.

Wynwood
Arts neighborhood Wynwood's streets have been dug up to better manage flooding. It's impossible to drive here, cars have been left to corrode in old lots and garages. Canoes, gondolas, and make shift rafts are common sights. People get around on the sidewalks by foot or bike. The artists that reside here are churning out work with much more macabre themes than usual.

Little Havana
Little Havana is mostly the same. Faith in Santeria and Voodoo is stronger than ever. Reports of occult activity in the overgrown parks are common. The Thrashing Waves are based in Little Havana. The No Waves Krewe is based here.

Liberty City
Liberty City is cursed. Population and crime have exploded here. The fog is dense and never seems to clear. The streetlights don't work. The mosquito bites burn. The Pagliacci Crime Syndicate controls everything in Liberty City and have paid off the police to turn a blind eye. This is a haven for vice. In spite of the danger, underground casinos and neon strip clubs manage to draw in the rest of the city.

Coconut Grove
Coconut Grove has been abandoned due to flooding, it stinks of waterlogged decay. Buildings crumble, chip and rust away. Broken windows are boarded up or taped over with plastic. The swamp plants and reptile population are thriving. What was worth looting has been looted, so security is lax. It makes the area popular with squatters, refugees, and anyone looking to stay out of the public eye. The Lords of Atlantis Krewe is based here.

THE UNDERWORLD

In this game, the Underworld is composed of:

The Shadowlands
Based loosely from Wraith: The Oblivion. Serving as the Autochthonous Depths.

"The Shadowlands are the part of the Underworld closest to that lands of the living (the Skinlands). The Shadowlands are a mirror "skin" of reality, with every location in the breathing realm having a corresponding location in the Shadowlands which, for the most part, obey conventional rules of distance.
The Shadowlands are uniformly described as "gloomy"; colors are muted, light is dimmed, the air is chill and life is generally dark and gray. Buildings in the Shadowlands are often exaggerations or warpings of their Skinlands counterparts. An abandoned house may look relatively up to date (reflecting the memories of its original appearance) or look considerably more decrepit and decayed."

It's always raining in Shadowland Miami, ever since the second hurricane hit. There is no order here, just confusion and lost souls. Residents include the recently deceased, mindless low ranking ghosts, and the occasional hungry Chthonian that wandered in from tunnels, caves, and underground structures that lead to the Lower Mysteries.

The Lower Mysteries
A vast land composed of kingdoms (ruled by Wraiths) and dominions (ruled by Kerberoi), carved and separated by rivers and oceans. Ferrymen guide travelers through these waters, for a fee. Some Ferrymen like metal coins, some like colorful glass, some like favors, some are not picky at all. The land of the Lower Mysteries itself is craggy and barren, save for the occasional dead tree or waterfall. The stone and dirt is beige and red. The sky is gray and black, and in certain places looks like the ceiling of a cave. A pale yellow sun hangs in perpetual twilight. There are rumors that if you follow the sun, you'll transcend the afterlife.

The city kingdom of Stygia, a mishmash of ancient and modern Western architecture located on the Isle of Sorrows, is ruled by The Hierarchy of masked Wraiths. Stygian attitudes towards Sin-Eaters are suspicious and occasionally downright hostile. Some Sin-Eaters have worked out deals with the Hierarchy, but their details are closely guarded.

Dominions are ruled by ancient guardians of the Underworld, the Kerberoi. A dominion can range from a single building or plot of land to a sprawl of ruins and tunnels. The Kerberoi enforce their dominions through certain Old Laws, which are most often scrawled into stone slabs. Some Wraiths prefer to live under a Kerberoi's rule, as they feel better protected from the horrors of Oblivion.


The Labyrinth and Oblivion
"The Labyrinth is the interface between Oblivion and the Underworld. As many things are in the Underworld, Oblivion is a concept and a physical entity - there is a physical location, the Well of the Void that comprises Oblivion - the Labyrinth is that area surrounding it.

Oblivion destroys meaning, coherency and self, and the area surrounding the Well of the Void reflects that. The Labyrinth is an incoherent maze, infinite in size, composed of the aggregate detritus of the living world - it is not an ordered maze, but instead the absence of order. One corridor in the labyrinth can be a childhood hospital, the next an inverted volcanic tunnel where gravity operates in reverse.

The Labyrinth has relatively little structure, and no map could make sense of it; what landmarks do exist are prone to movement. To Stygians, the most obvious landmark is the Veinous Stair, the long stairway that leads from Stygia to the labyrinth.

To Spectres, the Labyrinth is home."

SIN-EATERS

Miami's transformation has garnered the interest of the Twilight Network. Old Krewes and new Krewes from all over the world have taken up residency, building a population of around 200. Cenotes, mementos, and Avernian Gates are abundant. They turn up in canals, flooded basements, and volatile beaches where the winds and tides scare everyone away.

An international Krewe conspiracy has achieved dominance over the city; The Salt Grinders. They oversee and regulate Sin-Eater operations and urge everyone to work together. They are building a branch of their organization called the Lords of Atlantis. They throw recruitment drives under the guise of lavish parties. Rumors say they're hoarding secrets. If they don't like what you're doing, they will stop you.

FACTIONS

Krewes
The Salt Grinders, led by Karen Cyan. The Grinders can be identified by black and white polka dotted clothing, be it a jacket, handkerchief, or pair of socks. They keep their religion heavily guarded, but it's commonly described as rooted in ancient pagan tradition and Hermetic belief systems. Ex-members are frequently exterminated or imprisoned.
- Lords of Atlantis, led by Fred Turner. The freshly formed Miami branch of Salt Grinders, described as "fascistic". They wear black and blue polka dots.

The No Waves, led by Nico Wax. Miami's oldest crew, none too happy about Salt Grinder encroachment but understand the level of devastation is out of their control alone. Tensions are high but they are known to cooperate. No Waves wear faded denim and clothing adorned with black patches depicting a neon fish skeleton. They are based in Little Havana and follow a new age mix of panentheism, Santeria, and Hinduism. They believe the floods were the sentenced judgment of a liquid god force.

Criminals
The Pagliacci Syndicate, led by Armand Pagliacci. Italian-style mafia based in Chicago, composed of every nationality under the sun. They provide many services, but what interests Sin-Eaters is their black market. The Pagliaccis protect illegal salvagers for a cut of their profits from market.

Government
Miami Board of Rejuvenation, led by Patrick Johnson. A board of politicians and architecture firms raising funds to turn Miami's ruins into a utopia and protect their landmarks. Downtown and "The Modern Atlantis" is the fruit of their efforts.
- Miami Reclamation Unit, or MRU, is the Board's team of government sanctioned salvagers. They invade treacherous buildings and sweep for diamonds, money, mementos, and whatever other scrap that can turn a profit. All profit goes to government and infrastructure; they won't deal with anyone else.
- Kaiser Security, led by Sam Grace. A security force of ex-military and ex-police. These are the guys who will chase you with flashlights and maybe bullets if you're caught where you don't belong.

CHARACTERS


Karen Cyan:
Mysterious foreign ambassador of the Salt Grinders. Not much is known of her. She is rarely seen at Salt Grinder parties and has little interest in communicating outside of her trusted circle.

Fred Turner:
Karen Cyan's right hand man, selected to lead the Lords of Atlantis. Very loyal, slightly unhinged. Fanatically devoted to the Salt Grinders and hopes and prays that his duty in Miami earns him some prestige and higher ranking.

Nico Wax:
Ex-porn producer who died in a freak electrical accident on set. Now a Forgotten Celebrant. Struggling to keep the No Waves together.

Armand Pagliacci:
Patriarch of the Pagliacci Syndicate. Extremely superstitious and paranoid crime boss. Is known to bite the heads off of chickens and curse his competition. A popular leader with his fingers wrapped around Miami, though there is dissension in his ranks. He doesn't know everything that's going on, but he would like for you to think he does.

Frankie Vanian:
Frankie, under Pagliacci employment, is the man who operates the illegal salvage trade. Diamonds, clothing, electronics, and other errata all turn up in his Black Market at competitive prices. He's around Wynwood, but you'll need a recommendation to do business with him. The No Waves have ties with him and they don't want to share.

Mayor Roy Worth:
In his second term as mayor, effective and well liked. The devastation has taken its toll on his psyche. He is growing more disconnected from reality as days go by. There is word that Patrick Johnson is manipulating him.

Patrick Johnson:
Leads the Miami Board of Rejuvenation. Young up and coming politician who made his way by nepotism and the sad story of losing his pregnant wife in one of the hurricanes. Frequents yacht parties and genuinely wants to save Miami.

Sam Grace:
Leads Kaiser Security. Erratic and coldhearted, struggles to maintain his stoic demeanor. Served in the Marines and was honorably discharged. Lost his daughter, presumed dead but her remains were never found. His wife left him soon after. Sam copes with prescription pain killers.

CHARACTER CREATION

Loosely follows nWoD 1E rules. I want to make this game happen even if you don't have the books. Let me know if you need aid.

1. Choose a concept, i.e. "Priest seeking redemption" or "mild mannered accountant fused to War Geist". Create Backstory. How did they die? How did they view death, spirituality, religion before they died? Where are they from? What is their connection to their pre-death life like? Were they in a Krewe before? What motivates them (cash, peace, parties, etc)? What is their Geist like?
2. Spend 4/3/2 dots in Physical/Mental/Social. Then pick 3 specialties.

Physical specialties are Strength, Dexterity, Stamina
Mental: Intelligence, Wits, Resolve
Social: Presence, Manipulation, Composure.
A specialty adds one dice roll for the related action.
Your weakest attribute may not have more than one specialty.

Example: Priest seeking redemption:

Physical: **
- Stamina
Mental: ***
Social: ****
- Presence
- Composure

3. Spend 11/7/4 among Skills and Skill Specialties. Skill Specialties are in WoD 1E core and Geist core books. You may be able to find a list online.
4. Calculate Health by multiplying dots in Physical Attribute by 5.
5. Calculate Willpower by multiplying dots in Mental by 3. Starting Willpower is half this score, rounded up and +1. Willpower can be spent to overcome certain obstacles (bad rolls or when the deck is stacked against PCs) and be regained as PCs reach milestones or if they're played well.
6. Calculate Initiative with Physical + Social. One dot bonus for Dexterity and Composure specialties each.
7. Spend 7 dots on Merits.
8. Pick Virtue and Vice.
9. Pick Geist's Threshold, Archetype, 2 Keys, spend 3 dots in Manifestations.
10. Distribute 9 freebie points. Point distribution will be 1:1 for everything but Attributes, which can be upgraded later. You can buy up to two more Keys and one extra Manifestation with freebie points. Manifestations may not be upgraded higher than 3 dots each at the start.

- Psyche starts at 1, Synergy starts at 7
- Plasm is determined by Psyche, this chart is on page 80 of Geist core book
- Target number for Successful rolls is 6. I'll determine the required number of Successes to pass each Action. IE: "I want to chop off his head with my axe" = "Roll Physical + (Strength if they have it) + Melee, Difficulty is 3."


CHARACTER SHEET TEMPLATE:

Code Select Expand


[float=left][img height=175 padding=6](link to character image[/img][/float]

[b]NAME:[/b]
[b]AGE:[/b]
[b]LIFESTYLE:[/b] (concept)
[b]THRESHOLD:[/b]
[b]BOUND TO:[/b] (your Geist's title)
[b]ARCHETYPE:[/b]
[b]VIRTUE:[/b]
[b]VICE:[/b]
[b]STYLE:[/b] (brief description of personality, clothing, how they carry themselves, quirks, etc.

[spoiler=ATTRIBUTES • SKILLS • MERITS • ADVANTAGES]

[size=12pt][b][u]ATTRIBUTES[/u][/b][/size]

[b]MENTAL:[/b] (dots)
- (possible specialty)
[b]PHYSICAL:[/b]
-
[b]SOCIAL:[/b]
-

<hr>

[size=12pt][u][b]SKILLS[/b][/u][/size]

[b]PHYSICAL[/b]
Athletics: (dots) (specialty if any) (at character creation, list freebies used here and when you submit your updated sheet after spending XP points)
Brawl:
Drive:
Firearms:
Larceny:
Stealth:
Survival:
Weaponry:

[b]MENTAL[/b]
Academics:
Computer:
Crafts:
Investigation:
Medicine:
Occult:
Politics:
Science:

[b]SOCIAL[/b]
Animal Ken:
Empathy:
Expression:
Intimidation:
Persuade:
Socialize:
Streetwise:
Subterfuge:

<hr>

[size=12pt][u][b]MERITS[/b][/u][/size]


<hr>

[size=12pt][u][b]ADVANTAGES[/b][/u][/size]

[b]HEALTH:[/b] (current number)/(max number)
[b]WILLPOWER:[/b]
[b]INITIATIVE:[/b] +
[b]PSYCHE:[/b] current/max
[b]SYNERGY:[/b]

[/spoiler]


[spoiler=KEYS • MANIFESTATIONS]

[size=12pt][u][b]KEYS/b][/u][/size]

<hr>

[size=12pt][u][b]MANIFESTATIONS[/b][/u][/size]

[/spoiler]

[spoiler=BACKSTORY]

(Incorporate answers to these questions:
What was their life like before becoming Bound?
How did they die?
How did they view death/spirituality/religion before they died?
Where are they from?
What is their connection to their pre-death life like?
Were they in a Krewe before?
What motivates them (cash, peace, parties, etc)?
What is their Geist like?

[/spoiler]


[wander]

Geist with some Wraith thrown in??  XD



This is so my jam, what do you need from me?  ;D XD

[Rook Seidhr]

Holy fucking yes.

Willing to co-GM.

[nailcrosser]

Ah perfect, some bites on my haunted hook. Give me character concepts, please.

Rook - I'm gonna focus on an outline and I'll send it over to you once ready. Would like your input.

[wander]

Cool, I'll have a think on concept tonight, probably have it in by tomorrow this time the latest.  :-)

[wander]

Late and a double-post,

However, I figured I'd post here in the thread my concept PM'd to nailcrosser so others could see it and maybe bump up some more interest;

I'd like my character to be a charismatic grifter/PI sort of character ideally.

The sort who's kinda like a fixer, you need something done, he'd be a good guy to turn to. As a Sin-Eater he'd fit the Bonepicker archetype, I'm feeling then he fits the Stricken best, because I picture them as finding a confidence after becoming Bound as they beat a long illness, I'm thinking cancer.
Manifestations would be Phantasm (for Stricken) and then Stillness (I see their death being a lonesome one, so coming back and connecting with others would be a big thing for him).

[Lux12]

A game involving one of the few aspects of the New World of Darkness I really loved? Cool. You have my note of interest.

[nailcrosser]

I'm willing to run the game with 3 people if you're all committed. Ideally we'd get at least one more player. I'm going to write another draft of my outline, add some characters and situations into this and update the thread to see if it'll pick up more folks.

wander - Sounds good. What's his Virtue/Vice?

[wander]

Depends, are you going with classic nwod for them, or the more customisable CoD version?

If doing the classic seven virtues and seven vices, I'm thinking Charity or Prudence as a virtue, with Greed as their vice.

I mention if doing classic virtues/vices because it's a Geist mechanic with the Archetype, you refill plasm with the willpower refills if you act in accordance with your Archetype when doing a virtuous or viceful action.

You could probably do the same thing with the CoD version, mind.

[Rook Seidhr]

I'm willing to run the game with 3 people if you're all committed.

The more I think about it, the less I think I can manage being assistant or co-GM in this game along with running the C20 game I hope to run once it drops for non-backers. Sorry.

Call me interested but not committed.

[RubySlippers]

I want to see the rules changes but I'm interested, the rules are clunky your right, but want to see what your considering.

[nailcrosser]

Rook - it's cool. I'm confident I can run this myself as long as people point out gratuitous fluff errors (because not every aspect of Wraith and Geist are wholly compatible, as you've pointed)

Ruby - right off I know I want to condense the Attributes to a static (unless a character gains a merit or item) 4/3/2 Physical, Social, and Mental division and each character can choose one specialty per Attribute (like Strength for Phys or Resolve ) to add extra dice for each related roll. I'm looking into simplifying the damage system, probably by doing away with bashing, aggravated, and lethal divisions and just making hitpoints based on the character's dots in Physical. Forum game combat gets dull fast so I want combat to be fast and easy. One to three rounds, depending on what weapons, skills, or powers are used.
Goal is to make everything as intuitive as possible. Short, sweet, and easily referenced in one post. If whatever I come up with is confusing or complex let me know

Wander - let's keep it 1E.

[wander]

Okay, so here's some thoughts on combat, nailed...

I'm posting here as I figure it affects everyone interested and if they want to comment and/or change something, we can talk about that here.

I figured initiative for combat could be based on physical, not sure if you're doing skills but something around dexterity would be a good way to figure that. Maybe Mental for speed of thought, reaction rather than Physical (which probably would represent strength or toughness, being more bulk)? Of course initiative could also be just a static value, to reduce rolling down.

Then it'd be a simple single attack roll for combat and a person's defence would be subtracted from the dice? The defender could still roll to dodge (double defence in dice) however the gamble is that the successes from that would be subtracted from the damage dice, which means it's possible a dodge could fail and you get full damage for not moving in time.
This makes it similar to CoD, where the attack and damage done is factored into a single roll, though the defender if wanted can also gamble to roll defence.

Surprise could be done, a simple roll off between characters (unsure what factors into the dicepool for that) and if the person being ambushed fails, they do not get to attack or defend (meaning their passive defend is also 0) for the first round of combat, before things go back to normal.

[RubySlippers]

Sounds okay so far.  >:)

[wander]

What's your character concept, Ruby? Same to Lux if they're still interested...

Also nailed, I guess I could help a bit with the system and lore elements of GMing if you'd like... I'm not so hot with plot planning, though I can direct you to lore-based things and I'm already involved in the system tweaks, least as combat goes.

[RubySlippers]

I decided not to play, I don't mind the core rules if I have the 1e rules or not plus I prefer to really stick to the core rules mostly its for me less complicated.

[wander]

That's agreeable, tbh.

Though I think nailed wanted to simplify the system to make it less complicated.

Yet honestly, I think outside of consolidating the physical, mental, social things a bit maybe, the system as is pretty much is as simple as it gets using the core rules or CoD.

[nailcrosser]

Aside from changing Attributes from 9 to 3 + specialties, I also want to do away with Defense, Size, and Speed. Possibly Initiative, depending on what our characters are like.

I'm writing up some more fluff and how to make characters. Tomorrow or the next day I should have something substantial up.

[nailcrosser]

Updated. COME PLAY ! ! !

[wander]

Sorry for the gap, still interested!

I'll have to read through and figure where my dood fits into the different cliques etc in the city, I'll have more info on that soon.

[Lux12]

I've been formulating a character concept though I'm not certain he would exactly fit in with any of the factions presented. He's not inclined to get involved with the mob, distrusts the government, and might have certain philosophical leanings which Salt Grinders might share, but their hyper secretive "blood in, blood out" thing isn't his style. Also he doesn't like polka dots. As for the No Waves, it's somewhat similar. He's not sure how much he agrees with them and doesn't like denim. I sort of envision him as an occultist social worker. An advocate for the living and the dead. As for geist threshold, I'm leaning on The Silent.

[nailcrosser]

That's totally fine, PCs can formulate their own Krewe.

[wander]

Going through the krewe ritual would be pretty awesome, to be honest. :)

[nailcrosser]

I want to start the game when each PC meets, most likely at a Salt Grinder party. They can start Krewe-less or abandon their current Krewe due to philosophical differences or whatnot.

Also, I've updated character creation with:

11. Create Backstory. How did they die? How did they view death, spirituality, religion before they died? Where are they from? What is their connection to their pre-death life like? Were they in a Krewe before? What motivates them (cash, peace, parties, etc)?

You may want to do this step first, it could help when you're assigning dots.

[nailcrosser]

Updated Neighborhoods with Liberty City and who is located where. Also added Frankie Vanian to NPCs and got everyone a face.