#storyguide | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

phantomflower42 · 3 years

Text

Deciding The Technological Level of Your Setting

When writing a story, it is important to determine what level of technology your characters have access to. That determines what tools or solutions a character may have to solve a problem. It will also influence their hobbies. Before going too far, consider what technology actually is. It’s not all about electric gadgets.

What is Technology?

Technology is knowledge used to solve problems or create useful tools. Phones and computers come immediately to mind, but there are others. Roman aqueducts are an example of ancient technology helping to solve a problem. Knives are another basic example. Medical care is a very important technology.

Basic Factors When Deciding Technological Level

If your story is a fanfiction for another work, research what items wouldn’t look out of place in the setting. Take a look to see what the characters use in the work when completing tasks or performing hobbies. If the work takes place in a certain real year or time period, look up that period’s available items such as radios or printing presses, and head off from there.

Sometimes, the development level isn’t the same for all areas in a work or for all types of technology. This is okay. There are many reasons why this may happen. Some areas are more studied than others. Rural areas take longer than cities to adopt now inventions.

The Legend of Korra is set in an analogue of the 1920′s. Characters drive cars, ride trains, listen to the sport of pro-bending on the radio, and have sepia/black and white photos. But when Korra and her companions visit the Earth Kingdom in season three, it is heavily undeveloped compared to the other settings. It is hinted the Earth Queen’s corruption stimmed its growth.

In Naruto and its sequel series Boruto, they do not have cars, tanks, modern firearms, or many modern style shoes. But, the setting has TVs, refrigerators, wireless radios, batteries, satellites, color photographs, and eventually phones and laptops. They explore the advancement of the setting in several of the Naruto light novels, especially the first one (Kakashi Hiden: Lightning in the Icy Sky). In Kakashi Hiden, it is mentioned that the invention of an airship will cause many people to lose their jobs.

If your work is an original fiction, first decide whether it has its own timeline or is based in the real world. If it takes place in a real world place and time period, please look up what people in that area used. If a particular field of science or theory is more advanced in your work than in that actual time period, determine how it would influence the technology in the story, study in related fields, and the social classes interacting with each other.

Should the tale be based in its own world, you have free reign. How advanced of a setting do you want? Is it set in the beginning of time, in a medieval era, in your setting’s equivalent of the Victorian or Edwardian era, in modern day, in the far off future, or even at the end of the world?

Are certain types of technology more advanced than others? Which kinds are banned or discouraged? Are certain parts of the world more developed than others? Are supplies of certain items limited and/or nonreplaceable? How does this affect the average person’s lifestyle? You decide.

Making Original Technology For Your Story

Sometimes, the technology shown in an existing work isn’t helpful for dealing with a certain task. Maybe your original story needs a special tool for issues specific to the setting or an equivalent item for a modern gadget that doesn’t exist in your world. Sit down, and ask yourself a few questions.

Why is this item needed? Does your character need a way to store cold food? Are their culture’s medical techniques different from the norm? Do your characters need a way to stay in contact while split up on a quest? Need is the mother of innovation.

What does it look like? What materials is it made of? Is it bulky or sleek? How large is it? What color is it? How is it shaped? Is it expandable? It is the item’s first version, or an improved model? How well does it perform?

What situations are this item used in? Who invented it? Has it been made in bulk? If so, how does it affect trade, medical care, communication, hobbies, or travel? How common is it? How expensive is it?

Besides the benefits, consider the item’s weaknesses. Does it run out of its power source in a certain period of time? Does it need a long time to recharge? Is the item fragile? Is it prone to malfunctions? Is it too bulky to be hauled everywhere? Is your setting’s equivalent of cell service patchy? Does relying on the item for too long cause health problems for people using it?

Technology and Magic

If the story is one where magic also exists, consider how the two interact. It may depend on the individual setting. Remember that magic can be considered a scientific field. If in a world where magical and non-magicals live separately, magic users may use their power to invent versions of modern tech.

Oftentimes, magic is presented as incompatible with modern technology, or at least electronic devices. In the book series The Dresden Files, the main character Harry Dresden is shown to short out any inventions past the 1950s. He actually has to leave modern hospitals as soon as he’s mobile after injuries, in fear of his magic shorting out another patient’s life support. This issue also forces him to drive an old-school car, use an ice box to store cold food, and go without a lot of modern conveniences like heated water or air conditioning.

In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, it’s stated that technology fails around large amounts of magic or largely magical areas. However, the limits are not clearly established. Harry Potter uses a watch until it’s destroyed in the Triwizard Tournament’s second task in the Black Lake. He continues wearing it out of habit afterwards. Those usually require batteries.

Certain technology can run off magic instead of electricity, such as the Weasleys’ car or Colin Creevey’s camera. Diagon Alley is in the middle of London, yet there’s no fuss about random blackouts in the area or the local security cameras shorting out.

In other situations, magic may coexist alongside regular technology. They can even enhance one another. In Sailor Moon, the Sailor Guardians protected the Moon Kingdom before its destruction, and gain magical abilities while transformed. Yet, the Moon Kingdom and later Crystal Tokyo are depicted as high-technology societies; the Moon Kingdom had an artificial climate dome around it, and an advanced computer.

Consider what approach you want, and the consequences there of. Settings where magic is supposed to be hidden have the risk of ‘outing’ magicals to non-magicals if electronics like phones or crosswalks fizzle out whenever they’re in public. Modifying items with magic may be a special scientific field. Imagine a person with a pacemaker or insulin pump wandering into a highly magical area, only for their medical device to fail on them. Even a few bigoted magical folks would hate that they’re unintentionally causing harm.

Technology and Magic Subsection: Harry Potter

As Harry Potter fanfictions are very common, it’s important to address the series and its approach to magic and technology interacting. As mentioned above, technology blacks out around high amounts of magic or highly magical communities, but limits on what is affected and what isn’t weren’t clearly established. Battery-run items like Harry’s watch seem to work fine, but phones and bugging devices do not.

In post-Deathly Hallows works, think of how jarring it may be for muggleborns or muggle-raised wizards to go from being able to text friends in a moment to having to mail letters to family members by owl. New Hogwarts students despairing over not having Facebook anymore makes for a good joke, but consider practical problems.

Say a girl with cerebral palsy has magic. She uses an electric wheelchair because her limbs don’t work well. She receives a letter from a wizarding school. Let’s hope the girl’s parents and the school’s representative talk it over and find a solution to her dilemma before she sets foot in Diagon Alley. She will otherwise be unable to move under her own power in a magical environment.

Wizards are portrayed as ignorant to modern trends. Arthur Weasley goes crazy over various gadgets. He even wonders what people use rubber ducks for. It’s implied that Harry Potter misidentified his cousin Dudley Dursley’s broken video game console as a Playstation One in 1994 when writing to Sirius Black. The Playstation One was not released in Europe until September 1995. Multiple wizards are shown fascinated with the Dursleys’ microwave when they visit at different times. It is stated that pureblooded wizards resist adopting muggle tech unless there is no choice.

That is not to say wizards are a technological blackhole. Many items like radios, cars, and others can be enchanted to work off magic. A lot of wizards enchant or create their own magical items. Sirius Black and James Potter used a set of two-way mirrors during their school days, with the device acting similar to a cell phone. They and their friends Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew eventually created the Maruaders’ Map, which showed nearly everyone on Hogwarts’ grounds and most of the castle. The Weasley twins come up with Skiving Snackboxes so students buying them can skip class without too much trouble.

Maybe Professor McGonagall goes soul-searching after the final battle, and tries finding ways to make the school more non-magical friendly. She would have ample reason to do so; she would not want the Carrows’ days of cruelty to return in any form. She may modify the wizarding wireless radios to cast local muggle stations or keep an enchanted phone in her office so non-magical families of her students can contact her in emergencies.

Keep in mind that a wizard OC can’t sneak their modern video games into Hogwarts or Beauxbatons, but watches, certain cameras, radios, and handheld games with non-rechargable batteries could make it in. Non-electric devices like notebooks, pencils, pens, paints, or board games have no restrictions.

How Technology Affects Living Conditions

How advanced society is affects how housing and chores are handled. Many modern perks like clean water, heating, air conditioning, refrigeration, and fast travel are taken for granted. If the characters in your setting lack certain conveniences, think of how they will tackle different problems that usually require them.

For instance, a lot of people use electric washers and dryers to take care of their clothes. Getting them cleaned, dried, and sorted is easy. But, what if your world doesn’t have these items? Do the local people scrub them by hand in a river or on a board? How are stains dealt with? Are herbs mixed with the clothes to freshen their scent? Are they dried on a clothesline? If it’s raining or snowing, what is done instead?

Think along similar lines for various issues. Water might be boiled for safety, or mixed with alcohol. Shades will be pulled if too hot. A lot of food may be canned, cured, or otherwise stored in a root cellar when fresh cannot be bought. Preparations for any trips may take a long while. People will sleep under mountains of blankets to retain heat.

Conversely, works set in the future may find all of this child’s play. Think of how a lot of appliances can be activated now with a smartphone application. Do robots grocery shop on the characters’ behalf? Are clothes dried and sorted in one machine in a few minutes? Can a room’s windows be programmed to show a certain background, like in the Hunger Games film? Are fingerprint scanners used so characters may access restricted areas?

Think long and hard how the technology of your world will influence daily life.

In Conclusion

Technology is a powerful force. Sometimes characters may solve problems too easily with it, but all time periods have some level of it. It’s important to know what the limits of inventions in your setting are. Otherwise, someone may complain ‘how did they end up with this issue when so-and-so gadget could have solved the problem?’, or ‘why is the ninja watching television?’.

Have a nice day.

#storyguide technology

10 notes · View notes

cthulhutech · 7 years

Text

How to Build a Tager

Background

How did you get into the Eldritch Society?

Were you born here? Did they find you after you did something astonishing? To be a target for a Tag’e fragment, you have to have been noticed and picked and groomed for this role. Often Tagers were picked up into the Eldritch society because they were noticed doing something exceptionally tenacious – fighting off a monster that other people run from, surviving torture scenarios with their minds in tact, displaying great feats of will. Some of them are born into the Eldritch Society, from tager parents or other workers in the facilities.

How did you get picked to be a Holy Warrior?

People who are picked up on the outside are often chosen specifically for their tenacity in a hope to cultivate them into Tagers, but they have to be indoctrinated first. It takes time to get someone to be so dedicated to the cause that they would risk life and limb for the Society. How did that go for you? Was it fast? Slow? When they asked you, did you jump for joy, or did you hesitate at first. Did you always dream of this, the moment that you got deep enough into the society to know about it?

Your Sorceror Friend

A sorcerer has to come with you into the void and be your guide. They sat there, beside you, as you went through the Rite of Sacred Union. They were your partner. Think about this character, who they were, what they meant to you. Were they your friend, or just someone that got partnered up with you ‘cause your compound was low on sorcerers?

Your Murder

Where are you from, and who has been in your murder (That’s the pack of tagers that operate together)? Are you newer, is this your first murder, or have you experienced loss before and this is a new murder you were organized into?

Your Age

Age of Maturity is 16, and the military is *always* recruiting. By 22, you could be a combat veteran and have made your way here to join the shadow war. Think about your age, and what your history might have been like and the context it creates for your character and how long they are here. Tagers die a lot on Earth. Keep it in mind.

Your Race

Nazzadi, Xenomix, or Human–all are on the table. Think about which you are and which culture you are immersed in. Some Nazzadi grow up in hugely human areas, but those that grow up among Nazzadi have their own culture and beliefs. If Xenomix, which culture were you more inside?

Choose Your Tager

REQUIREMENTS

Tager Requirements have several things, most of them story, but the hard-core mechanics are

Attributes: 7+ Tenacity

Qualities: Tager (4), Duty (3), and Fanatical (2-3). If you want to be an exceptional or rare tager, there are other qualities you must take, too.

Tager types are listed in order of rarity.

TAGER RULES

There are a few abilities, drawbacks, and rules common to all types of Tagers. Here are four major sections:

Attributes

Tager symbionts increase the Attributes of their hosts. Within each Tager listing there are two sets of bonuses. Listed first are those that apply to the Tager’s natural, non-shifted mortal form and second are those that apply to the Tager’s shifted alien form. The second group of bonuses already takes the first into account, so don’t add them again. These bonuses may increase a Character’s Attributes above the normal starting limit of 11 and that’s okay. Remember to calculate a separate set of Secondary Attributes for the Tager in his shifted form.

Abilities

• Tagers can shift instantly between their two forms. This ability cannot be constrained by restraints or physical objects. The symbiont will mystically destroy any such obstacles in order to manifest.

• Tagers have microhooks on their hands and feet which allow them to cling to and crawl on sheer surfaces like an insect.

• Tagers can perform super-human leaps and jump double normal distances.

• Tagers are considered sealed against gas or biological attacks and can produce their own air for short periods of time. This internal air supply lasts for two hours. They have full mystical life support and can even withstand the depths of the ocean or the vacuum of space.

• Characters receive a +4 bonus to Fear Tests when shifted into Tager form.

• Tagers, regardless of form, have the ability to detect Dhohanoids (and other Tagers) in their mortal guise. By spending one minute carefully observing a person, and succeeding at a Challenging Observation Test, a Tager can figure out whether or not he’s watching a monster.

• For a description of Tager senses, refer to the matching mecha sensor systems. They function the same.

• Tagers within one mile of each other, when shifted, are mindlinked. This mindlink allows shifted Tagers to soundlessly communicate through a form of limited telepathy, as well as know what other Tagers are nearby and alive. This does not allow Tagers to know precisely where each other is, how far they are away from each other, or if they are hurt. It only senses whether they are nearby and alive or dead.

Combat

• Tagers are Vitality scale.

• Tagers use their Fighting skill instead of their Armed Fighting skill when wielding their natural non-projectile weaponry, such as blades or claws as these weapons are an extension of their body.

• Tagers regenerate Vitality, even in their natural mortal form. The number listed first represents the amount of Vitality they regenerate every hour in their natural form and the second number listed is the amount of Vitality they regenerate each turn in their shifted form.

• Each Tager has what is called a Limit Weapon which is very powerful. Limit Weapons can only be used once every 24 hours To activate the attack the Tager must first succeed at a Hard Tenacity Feat Test. Using a Limit Weapon requires all of a Tager’s Actions for the turn and can be the only Action that turn.

• If for some reason the mortal inside the symbiont is knocked unconscious while the Tager is shifted, the creature will take over. It runs on instinct, attacks any threat in sight, and will not stop until its environment is safe. Assume that the symbiont has an Adept level of expertise for its skills, including Athletics, Fighting, Dodge, Observation, and Stealth. It continues to use the overall Vitality of the mortal inside but suffers no Test Penalties for Wound Level. It will cease when the host recovers.

• The hands of a shifted Tager are too large to use conventional weaponry. However, the Eldrith Society has modified some types of weapons, including assault rifles and man-portable anti-mech weaponry, with larger grips, triggers, and trigger guards for Tager use. The availability of these special weapons is up to your Storyguide.

The Hard Truth

• Tager characters begin with one Insanity Point. The Rite of Sacred Union, while beneficial to both parties involved, quickly changes the host’s worldview in a frightening way.

• Tagers have access to only half of their Orgone for performing magic, as the symbiont requires the rest as sustenance. Exceptional Tagers are the exception; they only have access to none

of their Orgone.

• Tagers must succeed at a Challenging Insanity Test every game month. Failure adds another Insanity Point to their total.

PHANTOM

Type: Multi-Purpose Battle Tager

The Phantom is one of the two most common Tagers, along with the Mirage*. They are heavily armed, tough, and equipped with one of the most terrifying Limit Weapons of all the symbionts. The weapons of a Phantom make it deadly all around. A magical electrical blast that generates out of the Tager’s forehead, the Arcane Blast fires the equivalent of a heavy round with deadly accuracy. The Phantom’s exceptional strength combined with the sharp blades that extend out of its forearms make it a vicious killer up close. Not even aerial targets are safe, as its awful Howl brings fliers to the ground – and knocks other opponents off their feet. Groups of Phantoms sometimes Howl, an unnatural and almost unholy sound, as a battle cry that echoes into the night.

However, it’s the Limit Weapon of the Phantom that is most feared, and not coincidentally coveted by many other Tagers. A mass of black tentacles burst out of its chest, flaying the flesh off those unlucky enough to get in the way. Before they return, the symbiont chooses one of these victims as its meal. It drags the screaming victim back into the dimensional cavity from which it came and swallows him whole. This is a little intimidating and it’s also an ingenious way to hide dead bodies.

The Phantom’s armor and ability to regenerate are both significant, so it can take a beating and still handle itself. It is a balanced organism, useful in just about any situation.

Phantoms are sleek and aggressive symbionts. Those who are bound with one develop an attunement with their body and a confident awareness, combined with a sense of freedom and a certain bloodlust.

Size: Medium (6 to 7 ft. tall)

Attribute Modifications:

Agility +1/+3

Perception -/+2

Strength +1/+3

Tenacity +1/+3

Weapons:

Arcane Blast – Range 30/75/200, Damage +2, Shots 3, Infinite Rounds

Blades (+2) – These blades often extend from the forearms of the Tager.

Howl (+0) – Range of 20 ft. Target must succeed at a Challenging Strength Feat Test or be knocked to the ground.

Limit Weapon:

Tentacle Sheathe (+3) – A mass of tentacles bursts out of the Phantom’s chest, covering a 30 ft. cone in front of him. Everything caught within the tentacles is attacked, at no Multiple Action Penalty. One of the targets, randomly selected, must also succeed at a Challenging Strength Test or the symbiont will drag him back and eat him. This takes one full turn and results in the death of the victim. This uses all Actions and can be the Tager’s only Action that turn.

Armor: 2/2

Regeneration: ⅓

Fear Factor: 12

Senses: Nightvision, Scan

Movement & Speed: Climbing (Double), Jumping (Double), Land (Normal)

PHANTOM VARIATIONS

Attributes

If you desire a stronger Phantom, you may choose the following Attribute Modifications instead of the standard:

Agility +1/+2

Perception -/+2

Strength +1/+5

Tenacity +1/+2

If you desire a more agile Phantom, you may choose the following Attribute Modifications instead of the standard:

Agility +1/+4

Perception -/+2

Strength +1/+2

Tenacity +1/+3

Weapons

You may choose:

• one close quarters weapon with two ranged weapons

• two close quarters weapons with one ranged weapon

• three ranged weapons

• four close quarters weapons

Close Quarters Weapons

You may choose close quarters weapons from the following list:

Blades (+2) – These blades often extend from the forearms of the Tager.

Claws (+2) – The Phantom’s claws have developed into vicious weapons.

Rend (+4) – The Phantom may use both its sets of blades or claws to tear into a foe. This attack takes two of the Tager’s Actions to perform.

Screaming Clutch (0) – The Phantom grabs a target and disrupts its equilibrium with its howl. The target must succeed at a Challenging Strength Feat Test or be unable to take action for the next turn. This attack is entangling and requires two Actions to perform.

Ranged Weapons

You may choose ranged weapons from the following list:

Arcane Blast – Range 30/75/200, Damage +2, Shots 3, Infinite Rounds.

Concussive Strike (0) – The Tager strikes the ground and sends out a concussive wave that affects all targets touching the ground within 10 feet. Targets within must succeed at a Challenging Strength Feat Test or be knocked to the ground.

Howl (0) - Range 20 ft. Target must succeed at a Challenging Strength Feat Test or be knocked to the ground.

Protection

Instead of the usual level of armor and regeneration, you may choose to sacrifice your Phantom’s armor for a high level of regeneration.

Armor: 1/1

Regen0eration: 1/1 die

MIRAGE

Type: Multi-Purpose Battle Tager

Like the Phantom, the Mirage is one of the most common Tagers. It trades some of its brother’s capacity for bloodshed for those of illusion and deception, but is still nonetheless deadly. It can generate blasts of solid light from the mystical field around its body, punching through targets with the force of a large caliber round. Razor-tipped tentacles sprout from its shoulder blades, lashing out to tear chunks out of those who get too close. But what makes it most dangerous is the fact that the Mirage is rarely where it appears to be. A mystical displacement field makes the

Tager appear as if it were a few feet away from where it really is, making it very difficult to strike.

The Limit Weapon of the Mirage can save the day of any pack. It generates a group of illusory duplicates that act independently. The Mirage itself is displaced within the group, there- fore concealing its presence within. The copies can help conceal the numbers of a pack, making it seem as if there are more than there are, and they can be used as cover when a pack needs to escape.

Mirages are precise and cautious symbionts. Those who are bound with one develop precise bodily control and a confident awareness combined with a more guarded personality and a desire to blend into the background.

Special: Displacement – The Mirage projects a mystical displacement field around itself, making

it appear as if it were a few feet away from where it really is. This provides a number of benefits, including adding one extra die to all of the Tager’s defense rolls. It also cannot be surprise attacked while this field is engaged – the attacks are invariably aimed at the illusory simulacrum. The real position of the Mirage is almost impossible to detect – use the rules for Stealth Systems when attempting to locate a Mirage’s real position, but increase the Degrees one category. Seeing the real Tager negates the benefits of Displacement as long as an observer is capable of tracking it.

Its Displacement ability drains the Orgone of the Tager, at a rate of one point for every half hour the Tager spends with the displacement field engaged. The ability of the Mirage to use Displacement is not affected by this drain – it only affects the Tager’s ability to use or assist with magic. A Mirage may even use this ability when its Orgone has been drained to zero, but will not regenerate Orgone while it is engaged.

Size: Medium (6 to 7 ft. tall)

Attribute Modifications:

Agility +1/+4

Perception -/+2

Strength +1/+2

Tenacity +1/+3

Weapons:

Photon Blast – Range 30/75/200, Damage +2, Shots 3, Infinite Rounds

Tentacle Lash (+2) – These razor-tipped tentacles grow from the shoulder blades of the Tager and can be retracted. They are lashing weapons and cannot be used to entangle, though they can be used as rudimentary hands. While not capable of fine manipulation, they can hold or push things (but cannot wield weapons). These tentacles give the Tager an extra Action each turn that can only be spent to attack with them – this can bring a Mirage’s total Actions to four. The usual Multiple Action Penalties apply.

Limit Weapon:

Multiplicity (n/a) – This deceptive ploy generates 6 to 10 (5 + half a die) illusory copies of the Tager. The moment these duplicates are created the real Mirage mystically and randomly changes places with one of them to conceal his presence in the group. The copies either independently engage any apparent enemies or they follow the lead of the Tager, and last for one to five minutes (half a die). The copies cannot cause harm nor can they be harmed – it doesn’t take most foes long to realize they are fighting an illusion. This uses all Actions and can be the Tager’s only Action that turn.

Armor: 1/1

Regeneration: ⅓

Fear Factor: 12

Senses: Nightvision, Scan

Movement & Speed: Climbing (Double), Jumping (Double), Land (Normal)

MIRAGE VARIATIONS

Attributes

If you desire a more agile Mirage, you may choose the following Attribute

Modifications instead of the standard:

Agility +1/+6

Perception -/+1

Strength +1/+2

Tenacity +1/+2

If you desire a stronger Mirage, you may choose the following Attribute Modifications

instead of the standard:

Agility +1/+3

Perception -/+2

Strength +1/+4

Tenacity +1/+2

Weapons

You may choose:

• one close quarters weapon with one ranged weapon

• two ranged weapons

• three close quarters weapons

Close Quarters Weapons

You may choose close quarters weapons from the following list:

Impeding Lash (+0) – These tentacles grow from the shoulder blades of the Tager and can be retracted. They can be used to entangle, as well as rudimentary hands. While not capable of fine manipulation, they can hold or push things (but cannot wield weapons). These tentacles give the Tager an extra Action each turn that can only be spent to attack with them – this can bring a Mirage’s total Actions to four. The usual Multiple Action Penalties apply.

Tentacle Hook (+1) – This attack can target any foe within 20 feet. The target must engage in a Strength Feat Contest with the Mirage. If the Tager wins, the target is dragged into close combat range, as close to the Mirage as he wishes.

Ranged Weapons

You may choose ranged weapons from the following list:

Photon Blast – Range 30/75/200, Damage +2, Shots 3, Infinite Rounds.

Whirling Lash – Range 15 foot radius, Damage +1, Shots 1, Infinite Rounds. This attacks targets all enemies within the radius; generate one attack total against which all must defend. Targets must succeed at a Challenging Strength Feat Test or be knocked to the ground.

Protection

Instead of the usual level of armor and regeneration, you may choose to sacrifice your Mirage’s armor for a higher level of regeneration.

Armor: -/-

Regeneration: 1/1 die

NAGA

Type: Multi-Purpose Battle Tager

Like the Mirage and the Phantom, the Naga is one of the most common Tagers, though the passage in the Ta’ge fragments that included it was only recently translated and their bonding made possible. Naga are as combat-ready as Phantoms are, and though they are more able trading blows in a stand-up fight than the Phantom, they often have difficulty keeping up with the more mobile Phantoms. If Mirages are on the “tactical” end of the spectrum of which Phantoms are the center point, Naga are on the “brute” end. Add the quills that lurk beneath their skin and the protective shield of mystical energy they can call on to their already impressive armor, and any murder should be happy to have one as a member.

Most Tagers that see a Naga’s Limit Weapon in action are frankly underwhelmed. Compared to the magnificent displays of other Tagers’ Limit Weapon, forcing people to stop and twitch a bit doesn’t look very impressive. When one actually considers it though, even partially incapacitating so many foes is an enormous strategic boon. The Tager’s hidden quills extend to their full length and discharge a sheet of invisible energy into any hapless targets in an arc before the Tager. The energy plays havoc with muscles, giving them approximately a thousand false signals per second. Despite the affected areas’ uncontrollable twitching and spasms, the feeling is not dissimilar from a limb going to sleep.

Naga are tough and determined symbionts. Those who are bound with a Naga develop a patient confidence and a siege mentality, along with an often-paradoxical eagerness to fight and an incredible spatial awareness. It is not unknown for those especially influenced by their symbiont to go from words of peace and accord to inflammatory personal attacks or even physical challenges, all in the space of a few brief moments.

Special: Shield – The Naga generates a mystical shield of energy around itself that protects it from physical harm. Bullets bounce, claws scrape across its surface, and blades stop dead inches from the Tager’s flesh. When the Tager senses an incoming attack, it is instantly met with blast of invisible energy, greatly reducing the amount of harm that actually lands. Mechanically, the shield a Naga generates adds the Naga’s current Orgone rating to the result of armor rolls against attacks of which the Naga is aware (for example, a Naga is aware of an incoming attack from a Dua-Sanaras’ tentacle. The Naga’s rather clumsy defensive maneuver [result 10] is smashed aside by the Dhohanoid’s attack [result 23], indicating a solid hit [result 27 damage]. The Naga rolls its armor 2 and gets 4, and 7. It adds its current Orgone of 5 and gets 16, reducing the damage to11.)

Its Shield ability drains the Orgone of the Tager, at a rate of one point per minute that the Shield is active. Once the Tager is out of Orgone the Shield sputters out of existence until the Naga regenerates enough Orgone to support it again. The spatial awareness required to effectively defend against attacks in this way gives Naga the Peripheral Vision Asset for free, making them the first individuals ever to actually use that Asset.

Size: Medium (6 to 7 ft. tall)

Attribute Modifications:

Agility +1/+2

Perception -/+1

Strength +1/+4

Tenacity +1/+4

Weapons:

Quill Shot – Range 35/70/150, Damage +2, Shots 3, Infinite Rounds

Shank-Punch (+2) – A simple blow backed by fully-extended quills.

Quills (+1) – Anything that physically strikes the Naga takes one die of damage, which can be reduced by armor. This also adds one die to the Tager’s close quarters attacks. When not in use, the quills retreat just beneath the Naga’s skin, giving it the appearance of being covered in unusually large pimples. Just before a blow (either by the Tager or against it) the area of quills that will make contact extend completely. The quills range from four to six inches long and are serrated on the underside. Every Naga so far has had a different color of quills.

Limit Weapon:

Spasm Blast (n/a) – A sheet of invisible disruptive energy is fired from the Tager’s quills, subjecting all in a 10 ft. long 180-degree arc in front of him to complete neuromuscular confusion. All targets must succeed at a Hard Tenacity Feat Test or lose 2 Actions per turn for one to ten rounds (roll one die). On each turn that targets are affected they take 1 die of damage that cannot be reduced with armor as their conflicted muscles strain in multiple directions simultaneously. During this, victims feel their affected limbs go numb, feeling no pain from wrenched wrists and thighs or broken bones sustained from flailing a limb into a wall. Of course, after the effects have subsided, the victims’ pain is quite intense. That is, if he doesn’t simply fall unconscious from shock as the numbness vanishes rather abruptly.

Armor: 2/2

Regeneration: ⅓

Fear Factor: 12

Senses: Nightvision, Scan, Peripheral Vision

Movement & Speed: Climbing (Double), Jumping (Double), Land (Normal)

NAGA VARIATIONS

Attributes

If you desire a more agile Naga, you should really choose a different symbiont.

On the other hand, if you desire a more moderate Naga, you may choose the following Attribute Modifications instead of the standard:

Agility +1/+3

Perception -/+2

Strength +1/+3

Tenacity +1/+3

If you desire a more tenacious Naga, you may choose the following Attribute Modifications instead of the standard:

Agility +1/+2

Perception -/+1

Strength +1/+2

Tenacity +1/+6

Weapons

You may choose:

two close quarters weapons with one ranged weapon

one close quarters weapon with two ranged weapons

three close quarters weapons

Close Quarters Weapons

You may choose close quarters weapons from the following list:

Shank-Punch (+2) – A simple body blow, usually with a fist.

Quills (+1) – Anything that physically strikes the Naga takes one die of damage, which can be reduced by armor. This also adds one die to the Tager’s close quarters attacks.

Shieldmate (n/a) – The Naga can extend its shield ability to one other living being that is of equal mass or less. This only functions so long as the Naga is touching the creature it wishes to shield. This costs one Orgone for two rounds.

Serpent Dance (n/a) – The Naga enters a swaying trance-like state where defense is easy and natural, adding +3 dice to the Tager’s defense. This requires all Actions and can be the Tager’s only action that turn, except to maintain contact with a Shieldmate (see above).

Ranged Weapons

You may choose ranged weapons from the following list:

Quill Shot – Range 35/70/150, Damage +2, Shots 3, Infinite Rounds

Spasm Bolt – Range 10/20/30, Damage +0, Shots 3, Infinite Rounds. If these invisible bolts pierce the target’s armor and do at least one point of Vitality Damage, the target must make a Challenging Tenacity feat check or lose 2 actions for one to ten rounds (roll one die).

Protection

Instead of the usual level of armor and regeneration, you may choose to sacrifice your Naga’s armor for a high level of regeneration.

Armor: 1/1

Regeneration: 1/1 die

SHADOW

Type: Stealth Combat Tager

Something that can’t be seen, the Shadow is the thing that moves in the corner of one’s eye. Spy, ninja, ghost – it has been called all of these and none of them is incorrect, for the Shadow has the mystical ability to disappear at will. As long as it’s alive, it can disappear from sight and sound in an instant. Not only is it invisible and inaudible, it leaves no heat signature either, making it capable of open action even in an arcology. Most of the time the Shadow’s first strike is from surprise.

Its tools as an assassin are manifold. The needles growing on its chin can be fired as poisoned darts. This organic poison is a powerful, short-term paralytic, meant to disable a target just long enough for the Shadow to gain advantage. Once it is up close, thorns sprout out of almost every striking surface, making it capable of tearing chunks out of vulnerable flesh. Its ability to Multiport strikes a target from up to six different sides nearly simultaneously. However, the Shadow is lightly armored and stand up fights can leave it badly hurt.

The Shadow is a deadly and careful symbiont. Those who are bound with one develop great patience and cool temper, combined with a controlled nature and a callous attitude towards killing.

Special: Paralytic Poison – The needles fired by the Shadow are coated with an organic paralytic poison. This poison requires that the needle do at least one point of Vitality damage to be administered. Anyone affected by the poison must succeed at a Hard Tenacity Feat Test to resist. If this Test is failed, the victim loses 2 Actions per turn for one to ten minutes (roll one die), which can effectively reduce a character’s Actions to zero. Only one Test needs to be made per turn struck by the Shadow’s needles and the effect of the needles is not cumulative. A target may again be affected on the turn following his recovery from the last dose.

Special: Stealth – The Shadow projects a mystical stealth field, which functions like a mecha stealth system except that all Degrees to spot it are increased one category. In addition to rapid, erratic movement, touching anything living (of dog-size or larger) will force the stealth to drop. This ability drains the Orgone of the Tager, at a rate of one point for every half hour invisible. The ability of a Shadow to use its stealth is not affected by this drain. A Shadow may even use this ability when its Orgone has been drained to zero, but Orgone will not regenerate while it is engaged.

Size: Medium (6 to 7 ft. tall)

Attribute Modifications:

Agility +1/+3

Perception +1/+3

Strength -/+2

Tenacity +1/+3

Weapons:

Thorns (+1) – These thorns grow out of the hands, forearms, shoulders, lower legs, and feet.

Needle Pods – Range 25/60/170, Damage +1 (+ Poison), Shots 2, Infinite Rounds

Limit Weapon:

Multiport – This attack can target anything within a range of twice the Shadow’s average jumping distance. By rapidly teleporting around his target, the Shadow can take double his normal Actions – though no movement – with no Multiple Action Penalty, for one single turn. These attacks occur simultaneously. This uses all Actions and can be the Tager’s only Action that turn.

Armor: 1/1

Regeneration: ½

Fear Factor: 12

Senses: Nightvision, Scan

Movement & Speed: Climbing (Double), Jumping (Triple), Land (Normal)

SHADOW VARIATIONS

Attributes

If you desire a more agile Shadow, you may choose the following Attribute Modifications instead of the standard:

Agility +1/+4

Perception 1/+3

Strength -/+2

Tenacity +1/+2

Weapons

You may choose:

• one close quarters weapon with one ranged weapon

• two ranged weapons

• three close quarters weapons

Close Quarters Weapons

You may choose close quarters weapons from the following list:

Concealing Aura (n/a) – The Shadow can extend his concealing abilities to one other living being that is of equal mass or less. This ability only functions as long as the Shadow is touching the creature with which it wishes to conceal. This costs 5 Orgone for one minute.

Spiny Embrace (+3 + Poison) – The Shadow may use its thorns in a bear hug-like grasp. This attack takes two of the Tager’s Actions to perform.

Thorns (+1) – These thorns grow out of the hands, forearms, shoulders, lower legs, and feet.

Ranged Weapons

You may choose ranged weapons from the following list:

Needle Pods – Range 25/60/170, Damage +1 (+ Poison), Shots 2, Infinite Rounds.

Quills – Range 10/20/30, Damage +1 (+ Poison), Shots 1, Infinite Rounds. These quills fire from the Tager to affect a three yard burst radius – all foes within must defend against the attack or be affected.

Protection

Instead of the usual level of armor and regeneration, you may choose to sacrifice all of your Shadow’s armor for a high level of Regeneration.

Armor: -/-

Regeneration: 1/1 die

SPECTRE

Type: Black Ops Tager

The stench of the grave. You run. Somewhere in the mists behind you, death comes. You bolt inside and lock the door. You frantically push the couch against it. You hope the thing takes time to pound its way through while you look for another way out. But the fog fills the room. It walks through the barricade as if it wasn’t there and you can feel the cold closing in…

The Spectre goes places other Tagers can’t. It has the mystical ability to pass through solid objects as if they were air. The Spectre’s relationship with death does not end with its ghostly similarities. It’s touch is mystically cold, leaving trails of frost. Those who’ve survived attacks often lose limbs as frostbite claims them. Spectres can also exude a putrid mist that withers all living things exposed to it. They call it the Gravewind as it stinks of rot and decay. It helps obscure the Tager and Spectres are often only seen as the shad- owy form hiding in an ever-flowing fog. But it also can dispense death in an instant. While normally a Spectre cannot materialize within an object or the Tager will be destroyed, its Phasing Limit Attack is the exception. The Tager reaches into a living victim and becomes substantial again. Internal organs, flesh, bone, and blood are destroyed as they are violently displaced by the materializing mass.

The Spectre is a resolved and aloof symbiont. Those who are bound with one develop a precise nature with an unyielding determination combined with an emotional distance. They often have difficulty forming bonds with those who are not of a supernatural nature.

Special: Insubstantial – The Spectre can mystically pass through solid objects, literally walking through walls, trees, cars, even people. It cannot pass through things that are moving more than casually – for example, it can’t let bullets pass through it. It also cannot rematerialize within an object or the Tager will be destroyed – with one exception (its Limit Attack). Only places that have been mystically protected against Outsiders block a Spectre. Spectres only become insubstantial at the moment they are phasing through an object and are solid at every other time. This ability drains the Orgone of the Tager. Each point of Orgone allows the Spectre to pass through any number of solid objects at will for one minute. When the Tager is out of Orgone, it can no longer pass through solid objects.

Special: Gravewind – The Gravewind is a fetid cloud of withering gas, harming all living things within – even those protected by environmental suits. Each turn, generate a Test Result using the Tager’s Tenacity Feat skill and use it in all Contests to determine damage. Those within defend using their Tenacity Feat skill. Each time the Spectre uses Gravewind, it partially obscures sight in a five-yard radius around the Tager. If a Spectre uses Gravewind two turns in the same area, sight becomes completely obscured. This ability does affect Outsiders (including other Tagers), but not other Spectres.

Size: Medium (6 to 7 ft. tall)

Attribute Modifications:

Agility +1/+3

Perception +1/+3

Strength +1/+3

Tenacity -/+2

Weapons:

Chilled Touch (+1) – The Spectre’s touch is supernaturally freezing. It leaves frost on whatever it touches. The Tager can consciously dampen this effect.

Gravewind – Range 5 yd. radius, Damage +1, Shots 1, Infinite Rounds. Obscuring.

Limit Weapon:

Phasing (+6) – The Spectre phases into a single living target and materializes, violently displacing the thing’s flesh and bone. The Tager then rips itself out of the victim, tearing out further chunks of internal organs as it does. This uses all Actions and can be the Tager’s only Action that turn.

Armor: 1/1

Regeneration: ½

Fear Factor: 12

Senses: Nightvision, Scan, Thermal

Movement & Speed: Climbing (Double), Jumping (Triple), Land (Normal)

SPECTRE VARIATIONS

Attributes

If you desire a stronger and hardier Spectre, you may choose the following Attribute Modifications instead of the standard:

Agility +1/+2

Perception +1/+2

Strength +1/+4

Tenacity -/+3

Weapons

You may choose:

• one close quarters weapon with one ranged weapon

• two ranged weapons

• three close quarters weapons

Close Quarters Weapons

You may choose close quarters weapons from the following list:

Chilled Touch (+1) – The Spectre’s touch is supernaturally freezing. It leaves frost on whatever it touches.

Eon Touch (+0) – This debilitating attack ages a living being to its senior years in an instant. The creature must make a Fear Test against a Hard degree, as well as suffer a -2 to his Agility, Strength, and Tenacity and a -1 to his Perception. He also moves one full category slower than normal. These effects naturally wear off in a half hour. Creatures that regenerate or are supernaturally long lived only suffer damage from this attack.

Phasing Touch (n/a) – The Spectre can extend his phasing abilities to one other living being that is of equal mass or less. This ability only functions as long as the Spectre is touching the creature with which it wishes to phase. This costs 5 Orgone for one minute.

Ranged Weapons

You may choose ranged weapons from the following list:

Gravewind – Range 5 yard radius, Damage +1, Shots 1, Infinite Rounds. Obscuring.

Ill Wind – Range 5 yard radius, Damage n/a, Shots 1, Infinite Rounds. Obscuring. Unlike the Gravewind, Ill Wind does no damage. Instead, it completely obscures the area in a single turn.

Protection

Instead of the usual level of armor and regeneration, you may choose to sacrifice your Spectre’s armor for a higher level of regeneration.

Armor: -/-

Regeneration: 1/1 Die

WHISPER

Type: Reconnaissance Tager

Whispers have senses and speed of which other Tagers only dream. Simply put, they see everything – even through walls – and they move twice as fast as other Tagers. As if that wasn’t enough, they have a set of foldable wings (a strange fusion of bat and insect) upon which they flit about even faster, using a second set of small arms to carry things as they fly.

A Whisper’s weapons are designed for harry and retreat. The whips that extend from its forearms can be used to entangle, disarm, or drag an opponent from the air. Gossamer Bombs, plasmic balls that drop out its chest, burst with a blinding flash of light, stunning and blinding those for thirty feet around. Combined with its speed, a Whisper can create an effective distraction. Moreover, its Razor Wing limit weapon is a perfect exit strategy, carving its way through any obstacles for a speedy getaway.

The Whisper is a delicate but feisty symbiont. Those who are bound with one develop great patience and a cool temper, along with a dogged determination and an amazing eye for detail. They are often voyeurs.

Size: Medium (6 to 7 ft. tall)

Attribute Modifications:

Agility +1/+4

Perception +2/+4

Strength -/+1

Tenacity -/+2

Weapons:

Whips (+1) – These whips most often extend from the forearms of the Tager and can be used to entangle opponents.

Gossamer Bombs (Blinding) – These radiant balls are dropped from the air. Wherever they land, they burst in a blinding light and everything with 15-foot radius must succeed at a Challenging Tenacity Feat Test or lose its next two Actions, which can reduce a character’s Actions to zero for the turn. Only one gossamer bomb can be fired each turn, but each Whisper has an unlimited supply.

Limit Weapon:

Razor Wing (+4) – The Tager’s speed and armor doubles for the turn of this flying charge attack. This attack still requires the use of the Fighting skill and can be used to attack as many targets as are in a reasonably straight line, up to the Tager’s maximum movement for that turn. This uses all Actions and can be the Tager’s only Action that turn.

Armor: 1/1

Regeneration: 1/1

Fear Factor: 12

Senses: Broadband Audio, Long Range, Nightvision, Scan, Sonar, Thermal, X-ray

Movement & Speed: Climbing (Triple), Flight (Triple), Jumping (Double), Land (Double)

WHISPER VARIATIONS

Attributes

If you desire a hardier Whisper, you may choose the following Attribute Modifications instead of the standard:

Agility +1/+3

Perception +2/+4

Strength -/+2

Tenacity -/+2

Weapons

You may choose:

• one close quarters weapon with one ranged weapon

• two ranged weapons

• three close quarters weapons

Close Quarters Weapons

You may choose close quarters weapons from the following list:

Claws (+2) – The Whisper’s claws become deadly weapons.

Fly-by (+2) – The Whisper can rake an opponent as he flies by. The Whisper must be moving (up to his full movement) and airborne to use this attack, which takes two Actions.

Whips (+1) – These whips most often extend from the forearms of the Tager and can be used to entangle opponents.

Ranged Weapons

You may choose ranged weapons from the following list:

Gossamer Bombs (Blinding) – These radiant balls are dropped from the air. Wherever they land, they burst in a blinding light and everything with a 15-foot radius must succeed at a Challenging Tenacity Feat Test or lose its next two Actions, which can reduce a Character’s Actions to zero for the turn. Only one gossamer bomb can be fired each turn, but each Whisper has an unlimited supply.

Boom Shocks (Deafening) – These shimmering balls are dropped from the air. Wherever they land, they burst in a deafening explosion and everything with a 15-foot radius must succeed at a Challenging Tenacity Feat Test or lose its next two Actions, which can reduce

a Character’s Actions to zero for the turn. Only one boom shock can be fired each turn, but each Whisper has an unlimited supply.

Protection

Instead of the usual level of armor and regeneration, you may choose to sacrifice all of your Whisper’s armor for a high level of regeneration.

Armor: -/-

Regeneration: 1/1 die

ECHO

Type: Amphibious Combat Tager

The Echo is the only truly amphibious Tager that has manifested so far. Whatever the alien symbiont is, it manifests as an otherworldly sea predator, combining what can only be described as eel- and shark-like traits with a humanoid. They are deadly fast underwater, growing a serpentine tail to help propel them.

Though fully capable of handling itself on land, the Echo is most dangerous under the waves. It discharges mystical energy that travels effortlessly through the water, burning foes with a green electricity. The only Tager to truly have what can be called a mouth, the Echo sports a vicious maw with rows of terrible serrated teeth. Its body and extending jaws are design to snap and savage with this mouth, putting even the most feared of sharks to shame. When retreat is necessary, the Echo sprays out a cloud of black oily ink that’s dark as night. However, it’s when the Tager smells fresh blood that death is in the post. An Echo can smell blood at less than one part-per-million in either air or water. The blood brings out the primal predator in the Tager and it Frenzies. Moving with lightning speed, it tears up anything that has the misfortune of being in its way.

Echoes are aggressive and primal symbionts. Those who are bound with one find themselves drawn to deep water, that they are heavily influenced by scents, and develop both an ecstatic love of instinct and an obsession for chewing on hard or tough foods. Many enjoy jawbreakers and find they can crack them with ease.

Special: Amphibious – While all Tagers are mystically sealed and can survive even the massive pressure found in the depths of the ocean, the Echo goes one step further. It has “gills” that allow it to breathe in any kind of liquid that contains oxygen. It also does not suffer Test Penalties for acting underwater. Echoes get the Acute Sense of Smell & Taste Asset for free.

Size: Medium (6 to 7 ft. tall)

Attribute Modifications:

Agility +1/+3

Perception -/+2

Strength +1/+3

Tenacity +1/+3

Weapons:

Fathom Beam – Range 30/75/200 (Amphibious), Damage +2, Shots 3, Infinite Rounds

Bite (+2) – The Tager’s mouth opens wide to bite down on foes and tear out chunks of flesh with its sharp teeth.

Ink Cloud – Range 5 yd. Radius, Damage n/a, Shots 1, 10 Rounds per Day. Obscuring. Each time the Echo uses its Ink Cloud, it completely obscures sight in a five-yard radius around the Tager for one to five minutes (half a die). This ability may only be used underwater; one round regenerates every half hour.

Limit Weapon:

Frenzy (Special) – Once an Echo has smelled fresh blood, it may Frenzy for the next one to ten turns (one die). The Tager’s speed is doubled for the duration and it may take up to three Actions each turn at no Multiple Action Penalty, but each of these Actions must be used to attack (or move into position to attack). The Tager’s Bite damage is increased to +3 for this duration as well. If underwater, the froth the Echo generates during its Frenzy partially obscures sight in a three-yard radius around it. The Tager may come out of its Frenzy at will, but while it Frenzies it must continue to attack.

Armor: 2/2

Regeneration: 1/3

Fear Factor: 12

Senses: Acute Sense of Smell & Taste, Nightvision, Scan, Sonar, Thermal

Movement & Speed: Climbing (Double), Jumping (Double), Land (Normal), Swimming (Nine Times Normal)

ECHO VARIATIONS

Attributes

If you desire a more agile Echo, you may choose the following Attribute Modifications

instead of the standard:

Agility +1/+4

Perception -/+2

Strength +1/+2

Tenacity +1/+3

If you desire a stronger Echo, you may choose the following Attribute Modifications instead of the standard:

Agility +1/+2

Perception -/+2

Strength +1/+5

Tenacity +1/+2

Weapons

You may choose:

• one close quarters weapon with two ranged weapons

• two close quarters weapons with one ranged weapon

• three ranged weapons

• three close quarters weapons

Close Quarters Weapons

You may choose close quarters weapons from the following list:

Bite (+2) – The Tager’s mouth opens wide to bite down on foes and tear out chunks of flesh with its sharp teeth.

Claws (+2) – The Echo’s claws have developed into vicious weapons.

Electrified (+1) – Anything that physically strikes the Echo takes one die of damage, which can be reduced by armor. This also adds one extra die of damage to the Tager’s close quarters attacks.

Ranged Weapons

You may choose ranged weapons from the following list:

Fathom Beam – Range 30/75/200 (Amphibious), Damage +2, Shots 3, Infinite Rounds.

Ink Cloud – Range 5 yard radius, Damage n/a, Shots 1, 10 Rounds per Day. Obscuring. Each time the Echo uses its Ink Cloud, it completely obscures sight in a five-yard radius around the Tager for one to five minutes (half a die). This ability may only be used underwater; one round regenerates every half hour.

Sonic Pulse – Range 10/25/50 in a 90° cone (Amphibious), Damage 0, Shots 1. This pulse also mystically reveals the sonar signature of the affected area to the Tager’s allies, especially enemies.

Protection

Instead of the usual level of armor and regeneration, you may choose to sacrifice

your Echo’s armor for a higher level of regeneration.

Armor: 1/1

Regeneration: 1/1 die

NIGHTMARE

Type: Heavy Weapons Tager

Note: Requires the Tager and Tager: Exceptional Asset Qualities.

Looking down at you with its mass of uneven eyes, the Nightmare bristles like the machine of death that it is. If your feet weren’t frozen in place, you’d run anywhere to get away from it. It has a dozen ways to kill you, but it can’t seem to decide how…

The Nightmare lives its name. Uncommon and enormous, it stands more than a head taller than most other Tagers and strikes commensurately more fear. Despite its bulk, it is just as fast as other Tagers, though it hits much harder. While it’s as heavily armored as the Phantom, what makes a Nightmare more deadly is its accelerated rate of regeneration. It might heal from almost dead to deadly in less than five minutes. Combined with its significant strength, the claws of a Nightmare make it lethal up close. But it is best known for its deadly Shoulder Pods. These Pods ejaculate crimson force balls at targets within a 180° arc of the Tager’s front, punching into them like the rounds of a large machinegun. They track and fire together like the eyes of some horrible beast and together they manifest the terrible Mystic Blast. The Pods condense energy into three triangular floating gravity points, finally firing a trigger blast through the center and releasing all the energy at once. It cuts an eight-foot tall, five-foot wide swathe of destruction in a straight line for 400 yards, happily punching through walls and other solid objects.

The Nightmare is a dangerous and bloodthirsty symbiont. Those who are bound with one develop a certain menace and predatory ease, combined with a cold temper and murderous streak.

Size: Medium (8 to 9 ft. tall)

Attribute Modifications:

Agility -/+2

Perception -/+3

Strength +2/+6

Tenacity +2/+4

Weapons:

Talons (+2) – These vicious claws tip the Tager’s fingers.

Shoulder Pods – Range 25/60/170, Damage +3, Shots 1, Infinite Rounds

Tentacle Sheathe (+1) – This tentacle sheath may be used to entangle foes.

Limit Weapon:

Mystic Blast – Range 30/75/200, Damage +6; this blast is a five-foot wide swathe of eldritch destruction. It damages anything in its path, in a straight line. This attack does Hybrid Damage. This uses all Actions and can be the Tager’s only Action that turn.

Armor: 2/2

Regeneration: 1/1 die

Fear Factor: 16

Senses: Nightvision, Scan

Movement & Speed: Climbing (Double), Jumping (Double), Land (Normal)

NIGHTMARE VARIATIONS

Attributes

If you desire an even stronger Nightmare, you may choose the following Attribute Modifications instead of the standard:

Agility -/+2

Perception -/+2

Strength +2/+8

Tenacity +2/+3

If you desire a more agile Nightmare, you may choose the following Attribute Modifications instead of the standard:

Agility -/+4

Perception -/+2

Strength +2/+5

Tenacity +2/+4

Weapons

You may choose:

• two close quarters weapons with one ranged weapon

• two ranged weapons

• four close quarters weapons

Close Quarters Weapons

You may choose close quarters weapons from the following list:

Talons (+2) – These vicious claws tip the Tager’s fingers.

Tentacle Sheathe (+1) – This tentacle sheathe may be used to entangle foes.

Rend (+4) – The Nightmare may use both its sets of talons to tear into a foe. This attack takes two of the Tager’s Actions to perform.

Stomp (+3) – The Nightmare jumps into the air and lands on top of an opponent. In addition to the damage, the foe must succeed at a Challenging Strength Feat Test or be knocked to the ground.

Ranged Weapons

You may choose ranged weapons from the following list:

Shoulder Pods – Range 25/60/170, Damage +3, Shots 1, Infinite Rounds.

Depthless Strike – Range 10/30/60, Damage +3, Shots 1, Infinite Rounds. This attack must trace a path along a physical plane, like walls or the ground. It is capable of ignoring cover and can also shoot around corners.

Protection

Instead of the usual level of armor and regeneration, you may choose to sacrifice your Nightmare’s high level of regeneration for more armor.

Armor: 3/3

Regeneration: 1/3

VAMPIRE

Type: Aerial Heavy Combat Tager

Note: Requires the Tager and Tager: Exceptional Asset Qualities.

Somewhere overhead, you hear it. Something pounds at the air. A hideous black thing slides across the stars. Giant membranous wings carry it through the air, beating like those of some mythical fiend. There’s something about it that lets you know it’s only toying with you…

The Vampire is in many ways the aerial counterpart to the Nightmare. Like its land-bound brethren, it stands more than a head taller than most other Tagers and is likewise more frightening. It also regenerates at an absurd rate, healing from death’s door to your doorstep in only a few minutes. And just plain overall, its physical gifts are better than most other Tagers. But unlike the Nightmare, massive bat-like wings sprout from the Vampire’s back. Nearly thirty feet from tip to tip, these wings are capable of carrying it high through the sky. They are death from above.

Everything about a Vampire screams pain. Its Exsanguinating Touch literally causes blood to boil, bursting out of the body of its victim. Those who have been tortured by Vampires typically bear terrible scarring from ruined capillaries and veins rupturing through their skin. The size of pencils but twice as thick, the stingers they fire are covered in inch-long barbs. But their most cruel and terrorizing weapon is the Bloodbath. Dropped from the air, the Bloodbath is a mystical energy bomb that causes internal hemorrhaging to those caught within its blast. Victims cough and vomit blood, while it streams from every orifice or bodily seam – eyes, ears, nose, genitals, anus, and even fingernails. It is a terrible sight to behold.

The Vampire is a sadistic and deadly symbiont. Those who are bound with one develop a need to inflict pain and an unholy thirst for blood combined with the patience of a predator and an arrogance borne of birds of prey.

Size: Medium (8 to 9 ft. tall)

Attribute Modifications:

Agility +1/+4

Perception +1/+4

Strength +1/+3

Tenacity +1/+4

Weapons:

Exsanguinating Touch (+2) – The Vampire’s touch causes blood to boil. These mystical energies also cause decay (and therefore damage) in inanimate objects.

Barbs – Range 25/50/150, Damage +3, Shots 1, Infinite Rounds

Limit Weapon:

Bloodbath (+6) – This cancerous crimson force bomb is dropped from the air. It bursts where it lands, throwing needle-like shards twenty feet in all directions. Living things caught within internally hemorrhage – they bleed from their noses, eyes, and ears and cough up blood. In addition to the damage, anything still alive suffers double the normal Test Penalties from their wounds for the turn they are hit and the next. This attack does not damage non-living things, but it does bypass non-mystical armor (including powered armor or mecha) and does Hybrid Damage to living things (including Outsiders and other Tagers). This uses all Actions and can be the Tager’s only Action that turn.

Armor: 2/2

Regeneration: 1/1 Die

Fear Factor: 16

Senses: Broadband Audio, Nightvision, Scan. Thermal

Movement & Speed: Climbing (Double), Flight (Double), Jumping (Double), Land (Normal)

VAMPIRE VARIATIONS

Attributes

If you desire a more agile Vampire, you may choose the following Attribute Modifications instead of the standard:

Agility +1/+5

Perception +1/+3

Strength +1/+3

Tenacity +1/+4

Or, if you desire a stronger Vampire, you may choose the following Attribute Modifications instead of the standard:

Agility +1/+4

Perception +1/+3

Strength +1/+5

Tenacity +1/+3

Weapons

You may choose:

• one close quarters weapon with one ranged weapon

• two ranged weapons

• three close quarters weapons

Close Quarters Weapons

You may choose close quarters weapons from the following list:

Darkness (n/a) – The darkness in the Vampire is made manifest for a moment. It creates a three yard radius of completely obscuring darkness that lasts for only one turn. The Vampire can only do this 10 times a day normally – rounds regenerate one per hour.

Domination (n/a) – The predator inside a Vampire can manifest in a more physical way, mystically dominating enemies. If the Vampire succeeds at a Tenacity Feat Contest versus an enemy’s Tenacity Feat, his foe loses 2 Actions (which may reduce his Actions to zero for a turn or two).

Exsanguinating Touch (+2) – The Vampire’s touch causes blood to boil. These mystical energies also cause decay (and therefore damage) in inanimate objects.

Ranged Weapons

You may choose ranged weapons from the following list:

Barbs – Range 25/50/150, Damage +3, Shots 1, Infinite Rounds.

Sonic Static – 5 yard burst, Damage +1, Shots 1, Infinite Rounds. The Vampire uses its sonar to produce static that both harms and confounds opponents. Those who take at least one Vitality point of damage lose their next 2 Actions (which may reduce his Actions to zero for a turn or two).

Protection

Instead of the usual level of armor and regeneration, you may choose to sacrifice your Vampire’s high level of regeneration for more armor.

Armor: 3/3

Regeneration: 1/3

WIDOW

Type: Rare Combat Tager

Note: Requires the Tager and Tager: Rare Assets.

Black, shiny, terrifying. These are the most obvious traits of a Widow. One of the rarest of all the Ta’ge symbionts, it is even more difficult than usual for the outside observer to consider that this hideous thing is in fact one of the good guys. Named for its arachnid-like similarities, the Widow is the Tager sent when the Eldritch Society wants to take someone or something alive. However, sometimes the Widow has different ideas…

The Widow mimics its namesake in many ways. It spins webs to capture even the strongest of prey. It can grow four extra legs at will, skittering along and over surfaces at accelerated speeds. Five-inch long fangs drip a disorienting poison, putting its enemies off-balance. And when it gets the urge, it can put all its advantages to work, cocooning a victim and holding him fast. The Widow can then play with him at its leisure – or it can reduce his insides to jelly with just one bite.

Widows are scary and monstrous symbionts. Those who are bound with one often develop an affection for dark and concealing places, a patient nature with the cold-blooded distance of a spider, and a perverse pleasure in the grotesque.

Special: Spinnerets – A Widow naturally generates an infinite supply of thin sticky webbing. It is incredibly strong, capable of supporting up to a half a ton on a single strand. Rumors claim that Widows can support up to five tons with enough time, effort, and webbing. In addition to being quite sticky, these webs are also caustic. The organic fluids inside the spinnerets make them so, but this substance lasts only for a few seconds before rendered inert – they quickly become nothing but webs. The Widow can fire the webs on the fly or create webs to entangle the unwary. When using the webs for entangling Contests, the Widow uses the strength of the webbing over its own. Treat the webs as if they had a Strength of 10 with five dice to roll for its Strength Feat Test. Webs naturally last for a few days before decaying. A Widow does not stick to its own webs or the webs of other Widows.

Special: Poisonous – The fangs of a Widow can introduce a disorienting toxin into the body of a victim. This poison requires that a bite do at least one point of Vitality damage to be administered. Anyone affected by the poison must succeed at a Hard Tenacity Feat Test to resist. If this Test is failed, the victim suffers a –3 Test Penalty to all Actions for one to ten minutes (roll one die). Only one Test needs to be made per turn affected by the Widow’s poison and the disorienting affect is not cumulative. A target may again be affected on the turn following his recovery from the last dose.

Special: Extra Legs – The Widow can sprout an additional set of legs at will, as a free action. This doubles its climbing speed and triples its land speed.

Size: Medium (6 to 7 ft. tall)

Attribute Modifications:

Agility +2/+4

Perception +1/+3

Strength -/+2

Tenacity +1/+2

Weapons:

Spinnerets – Range 10/25/50, Damage +1, Shots 2, Infinite Rounds, Entangling. These webs only do damage on the turn they are fired and do no further damage if used to entangle.

Fangs (+2) – These piercing fangs grow out of the Widow’s face.

Limit Weapon:

Cocoon (+6 or 2) – The Widow bursts into a flurry, leaping back and forth and spinning a victim into a shell of webbing. The Tager can choose to use this attack to simply incapacitate or can choose to inject an organic acid that begins to liquefy the victim’s insides. If the Widow chooses to incapacitate, the victim still takes two dice of damage (no extra for success), as the webs are caustic, and is trapped for one to ten minutes (roll one die). Creatures with Strengths over ten will free themselves faster – subtract one minute for each point of Strength over ten, with a minimum of one minute. If the Widow chooses to prey, its victim suffers the trapping effects of the cocoon, but instead deals six dice plus those for success. This attack uses the normal range for the Widow’s spinnerets. This uses all Actions and can be the Tager’s only Action that turn.

Armor: 2/2

Regeneration: ⅓

Fear Factor: 16

Senses: Acute Sense Smell & Taste, Broadband Audio, Nightvision, Scan, Thermal

Movement & Speed: Climbing (Double or Triple), Jumping (Triple), Land (Normal or Triple)

WIDOW VARIATIONS

Attributes

If you desire a more agile Widow, you may choose the following Attribute Modifications instead of the standard:

Agility +2/+6

Perception +1/+2

Strength -/+2

Tenacity +1/+1

Or, if you desire a stronger Widow, you may choose the following Attribute Modifications instead of the standard:

Agility +2/+3

Perception +1/+2

Strength -/+5

Tenacity +1/+1

Weapons

You may choose:

• one close quarters weapons with one ranged weapon

• three close quarters weapons

Close Quarters Weapons

You may choose close quarters weapons from the following list:

Deadly Strike (+4) – The Widow knows how to deliver deadly strikes when concealed in shadows. This attack may only be performed from surprise.

Fangs (+2) – These piercing fangs grow out of the Widow’s face. This close quarters attack is mandatory for all Widows.

Web Shield (n/a) – The Widow uses its web-spinning abilities to create a dense shield that can last for a turn. This adds +1 die to the Tager’s defense.

Ranged Weapons

You may choose ranged weapons from the following list:

Leaping Strike (+3) – The Tager leaps up to its maximum jumping distance to attack an enemy. This requires two Actions.

Spinnerets – Range 10/25/50, Damage +1, Shots 2, Infinite Rounds, Entangling. These webs only do damage on the turn they are fired and do no further damage if used to entangle.

Protection

Instead of the usual level of armor and regeneration, you may choose to sacrifice your Widow’s armor for a higher level of regeneration.

Armor: 1/1

Regeneration: 1/1 Die

Efreet

Type: Rare Combat Tager

Note: Requires the Tager, Tager: Exceptional, and Tager: Rare Assets, as well as a Presence of 7 or more.

It burns. Char marks follow it wherever it goes. Cracks in its skin reveal glowing embers of pure otherworldly fire. Waves of visual distortion float off of it from the intense heat. Little can stop its onslaught of unadulterated force and flame. It is a being whose name is derived from (or possibly the inspiration for) the infernal Ifrits from middle-eastern mythology. Those that find themselves the target for the righteous fury of an Efreet have but one choice – to pray.

One of the rarest and most powerful Tagers known to the Eldritch Society, the Efreet is a powerhouse of searing pain. Its skin is so hot that anything touching it is scarred. Its mace-like fists beat down walls and it can shoot flame from its mouth like a dragon breathes fire. However, it is the thing’s limit attack that is most feared, as it calls down a mystical meteor strike that smashes and burns anything within a 400 square foot area.

The Efreet is a proud and righteous symbiont. Those who are bound with one begin to feel unstoppable and, while they recognize and appreciate the assets of those around them, they believe themselves to be one step above. They also develop a burning hatred for the forces of the Old Ones and Nyarlathotep and find their moral conviction becoming as pure as fire.

Special: Firestarter – The skin of an Efreet burns with heat and the seams in its “skin” and joints glow with fire. While it can consciously dampen these effects, the Efreet still leaves char marks anywhere it walks or on anything it touches that is not resistant to heat and flame. It lights things on fire with a mere touch, if its firestarting abilities are left at full effect. Anything that physically strikes an Efreet takes one die of damage, which can be reduced by armor. However, its radiance makes it difficult to conceal – Efreets suffer a –6 Penalty to Stealth Tests in their shifted form. These effects are not dampened by water – in fact, the boiling water around it creates a three-yard radius cloud of partially obscuring bubbles. The Efreet is immune to any kind of fire, including plasma blasts.

Size: Medium (8 to 9 ft. tall)

Attribute Modifications:

Agility -/+2

Perception -/+1

Strength +3/+9

Tenacity +2/+4

Weapons:

Dragonbreath – Range 10/25/50, Damage +4, Shots 1, Infinite Rounds. This attack ignites combustible materials.

Spiked Fists (+2) – The hot and mace-like fists of an Efreet sear anything.

Demonic Uppercut (+4) – The Efreet may only use this attack every other turn. This attack uses two of the Tager’s Actions that turn, with the accompanying Multiple Action Penalties.

Limit Weapon:

Meteor Strike – Range 30/60/100, Damage +6; this attack calls down a mystical shower of super-heated rocks, attacking all things in a 400 square foot area. Generate only one attack roll for the Combat Contest, against which all potential targets must defend. This attack does Hybrid Damage. This uses all Actions and can be the Tager’s only Action that turn.

Armor: 2/2

Regeneration: 1/1 Die

Fear Factor: 16

Senses: Nightvision, Scan, Thermal

Movement & Speed: Climbing (Double), Jumping (Quadruple), Land (Normal)

EFREET VARIATIONS

Attributes

If you desire a more tenacious Efreet, you may choose the following Attribute Modifications instead of the standard:

Agility -/+2

Perception -/+1

Strength +3/+7

Tenacity +2/+6

Weapons

You may choose:

• two close quarters weapons with one ranged weapon

• two ranged weapons with one close quarters weapon

• two ranged weapons

• four close quarters weapons

Close Quarters Weapons

You may choose close quarters weapons from the following list:

Spiked Fists (+2) – The hot and mace-like fists of an Efreet sear anything.

Demonic Uppercut (+4) – The Efreet may only use this attack every other turn. This attack uses two of the Tager’s Actions that turn, with the accompanying Multiple Action Penalties.

Searing Filaments (+1) – This flaming whip may also be used to entangle.

Soul Stare – The Efreet can fixate a nearby enemy with its righteous stare. If the Efreet succeeds at a Tenacity Feat Contest versus an enemy’s Tenacity Feat, his foe loses 2 Actions (which may reduce his Actions to zero for a turn or two).

Ranged Weapons

You may choose ranged weapons from the following list:

Dragonbreath – Range 10/25/50, Damage +4, Shots 1, Infinite Rounds. This attack ignites combustible materials.

Fireburst – 3 yard burst, Damage +3, Shots 1, Infinite Rounds. This attack bursts out from the Efreet, damaging all in close proximity. It also ignites combustible materials.

Protection

Instead of the usual level of armor and regeneration, you may choose to sacrifice your Efreet’s high level of regeneration for more armor.

Armor: 3/3

Regeneration: 1/3

#tagers #guideline

2 notes · View notes