Chapter IX: The Game Master
become vivid, surreal and disturbing recreations of the traumatic event. Finally, when triggered by some outside stimulus that reminds him specifically of the event, the character thinks he’s undergoing the traumatic event all over again. At the beginning of each day, the character must make a Will Power Test to keep the Knives of Memory at bay. Should he fail, he suffers a –10% penalty on Agility, Intelligence, Will Power and Fellowship. That night he has terrible, twisted nightmares that may add further penalties to his stats in the morning at the GM’s discretion. When a character who suffers from the Knives of Memory encounters something that would specifically remind him of the traumatic event, he must make a Will Power Test or believe he’s actually experiencing the moment again. How he reacts is up to the player and GM. Some options include fleeing in terror, screaming incoherently, hiding, attacking the nearest person, sobbing in despair, acting out specific moments of the event (such as attempting to rescue a wounded comrade), or hallucinating unseen foes or other dangers. A person who rants hysterically in public is sure to bring the attention of Witch Hunters. The followers of Tzeentch are particularly fascinated by this disorder, and seek to kidnap those who suffer from it for fiendish experiments. Lost Heart The life of an adventurer is both brutal and distressing. His body is cut and mangled, while his mind is constantly assaulted by images of blasphemy and horror. But where is the love? When a character is driven to become a Lost Heart, he operates under a delusion that he’s romantically loved by another, usually someone who is of a higher status or even famous. Nobles, renowned performers, prominent merchants, lawyers, templar Knights, Wizards and Priests all make good candidates for the object of obsession. Some characters may even believe they are loved by the Ice Queen of Kislev or the Emperor Karl Franz. Whoever it is, this person usually doesn’t even know the character exists, and most definitely does not love him in return. The Lost Heart does whatever he can to be closer to the object of his desire; sending disturbing love letters; spying on their every move; harassing them in person with inappropriate declarations of affection, followed by sinister, veiled threats should his ardour be spurned. The Lost Heart believes he receives secret communications from the object of his desire, sometimes in the form of letters (written in invisible ink, of course), oblique signals from disguised or imaginary henchmen, secret messages in public announcements (both in print and in person), bizarre codes in the words of popular songs, plays and puppet shows, and finally, through some sort of magical telepathy. Whatever the means, the message is the same: “I love you, you are perfect, we must be together, no matter what the cost.” Individuals of high status and fame are surrounded by armed bodyguards with little patience for dangerous lunatics. Harassing prominent members of society is viewed by many Watch Captains as a criminal activity. Strange behaviour builds mistrust among adventuring parties. Ramblings about secret messages of love from famous figures and other obvious signs of madness brings the attention of Witch Hunters. Mandrake Man The character has discovered that a deleriant drug known as Mandrake Root is an even better way to numb the pain of his tortured life than alcohol. One dose of the drug makes the character relaxed and sleepy, takes the edge off wounds, and keeps his thoughts warm and fuzzy. A character under the influence of Mandrake Root can only take a half action each round due to this lethargy, though on the upside he also gains a +20% bonus on Fear and Terror Tests.
But one dose is all it takes to become highly addicted to the sinister drug. Every day the character must make a Will Power Test to resist his powerful craving for the Mandrake. If he fails, he’ll do everything he can (including breaking the law or worse) to obtain a dose and take it right away. When the effects of the dose wear off (after 1d10 hours), the character must make another Will Power Test at –10% to resist taking another dose immediately. A Character who fails a Will Power Test when the Root is not available suffers a –10% penalty on Intelligence, Will Power and Fellowship until he can take a dose of the drug. One dose will restore his attributes to normal for the duration of the Mandrake Root’s effect. Long-term abuse of the Mandrake Root weakens the body and the mind, and leaves the character more susceptible to gaining further Insanities. For every 6 months the character is addicted to the drug, he permanently loses –10% to his Strength, Toughness, Initiative, Agility, Intelligence, and Fellowship and –15% to his Will Power. Sadly, in his desperate search for the drug, the character will most likely end up resorting to illegal activities, putting himself at odds with the law and most likely his friends and family as well. On a final note, Mandrake Men are especially susceptible to the Daemonic delights of the Chaos God Slaanesh and his minions. Profane Persecutions A character suffering from Profane Persecutions operates under the delusion that invisible and unseen enemies, often acting in concert with his supposed friends, family and loved ones, are involved in a master conspiracy to make his life miserable and eventually murder him. These enemies possess amazing powers and fiendish minds, being able to somehow spy on the character day and night (often through ingenious means), construct secret tunnels and passageways to sneak about his lodgings, slip drugs or poisons into his food and drink, break into his rooms and tamper with his possessions, steal precious objects right under his nose, drain or suck blood, wound and mutilate him, make him the target of magic spells, compel him to do beastly things in his sleep, and take over his mind. Furthermore, these enemies are usually one specific group of people. For example, Elves, Dwarfs, Halflings, Mutants, Beastmen, Skaven, Lizardmen, Goblins, Wizards, followers of Chaos, followers of another God not worshipped by the character, Templars, Witch Hunters, Druids and Physicians. When a character suffering from Profane Persecutions encounters someone from the group he believes responsible for tormenting him, he must make a Will Power Test or react irrationally to that person’s presence. Just how the character reacts is up to the player and GM. Some examples: screaming in terror, fleeing, hiding, verbally or physically attacking the person, sobbing uncontrollably, or cowering in fear. Raving about conspiracies and invisible enemies is a sure sign of lunacy. A character suffering from Profane Persecutions should be wary of bringing real persecution down on his head from the Witch Hunters. Restless Fingers The life of an adventurer in the Old World can swing from moments of boredom to those of sheer terror. No matter how supposedly calm and quiet a character’s daily life can get, he’s constantly in danger of being killed by horrible people, mutants, Beastmen or worse at any random and unpredictable moment. Waiting for these moments of horror leads to a growing sense of unease. The uneasiness builds inside of the character until it’s released in a brazen, reckless and often dangerous act of stealing.
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