Chapter IX: The Game Master
A character suffering from Restless Fingers feels an uncontrollable urge to steal. When the character’s presented with an opportunity to steal, he must make a Will Power Test to resist the compulsion. Should he fail, the character will attempt to steal some object, completely disregarding any risks that may be involved, and thinking nothing of the possible consequences of his thievery. Furthermore, the value of the object he intends to steal is not as important as the act of stealing itself. After the theft, the character feels a temporary and glorious sense of euphoria, which is then followed d10 hours later by terrible, nagging feelings of guilt and shame. These low emotions cause a –10% penalty to Fellowship and last for d10 days or until the character successfully steals another item. A character with Restless Fingers will inevitably find himself at odds with many people, including merchants, the law, and possibly his friends. He’s also in danger of being led astray by the blasphemous desires of the Chaos God Slaanesh and his minions. Halflings are also particularly susceptible to this affliction, though of course, they deny this. Terrible Thirstings The character turns to alcohol to blunt his feelings of fear, unease, desperation and madness. But everyday it seems to take yet another mug to keep the nightmares at bay. The character becomes addicted and spends his waking hours moodily obsessing over when, where and how to acquire the next drink. Once he gets his precious liquor, he drinks himself into a stupor. Every day the character must make a Will Power Test to resist the lure of the demon drink. If he fails, he’ll do everything in his power to find and consume alcohol, including drinking foul, poisonous substances like turpentine. When a character fails a Will Power Test during times when alcohol is not available, he suffers a –10% penalty on Intelligence, Will Power and Fellowship until he can find something alcoholic to drink. One drink will restore his attributes to normal, with the exception of Will Power. In addition, whether he passes his daily Will Power Test or not, whenever an opportunity presents itself to drink (like walking past a tavern), the character must make another Will Power Test to resist succumbing to his Terrible Thirstings right on the spot. In both of the above cases, if the test is failed, the character will keep drinking until the booze runs out or he passes another Will Power Test. Each drink reduces the character’s Will Power by 5, making it harder and harder to resist another drink. Long-term abuse of alcohol taxes the body and the mind. For every 6 months the character is addicted, he loses –10% Strength, Toughness, Agility, Will Power and Fellowship. Finally, a character suffering from Terrible Thirstings is especially susceptible to the temptations of the Chaos God Slaanesh and his minions. Venomous Thoughts Trust is a fragile thing in the Old World, and enemies are everywhere. There are countless individuals an adventurer meets ready to break their word, steal from him, do him harm or worse. Even the Empire is filthy with liars, thieves, bandits, double-crossers, con men, lawyers, agitators, foreigners, Witch Hunters, and a seemingly limitless number of Chaos- worshipping cultists in disguise, masquerading as respectable citizens by day. It’s no wonder that an adventurer can be driven to believe that everyone is against him…possibly even his friends and family. A character with Venomous Thoughts is constantly suspicious, and his suspicions are always without cause and lacking any foundation in fact. He’s also secretive, litigious, easily offended, and humourless. He scrutinizes every word and gesture for negative meanings, and is reluctant to speak should he say something that can be used against
him. He’s also very jealous, and believes that individuals he considers close are secretly betraying him. Unlike those suffering from Profane Persecutions, who operate under the delusion a specific group of people are out to harm him, a character with Venomous Thoughts believes that anyone and everyone is capable of hurting him in some way. However, he does consider people who are different from him (in race, religion, national origin) more of a threat from the outset. Although the character suffers a permanent –10% penalty on their Fellowship score, it may turn into a blessing in disguise. There are many individuals who have spun their Venomous Thoughts into successful careers as Zealots, Witch Hunters, Duellists, Lawyers and Warrior Priests. Wheel of Dread and Pleasure When a character finds himself on the Wheel of Dread and Pleasure, he’s no longer able to control his mood or emotional reactions to the daily grind of life. His mood constantly swings from one of giddy euphoria to its polar opposite, that of deep despair. When the Wheel turns to Pleasure, the character gains an incredible amount of energy and often shuns sleep for days at a time; he also become restless and impulsive, spends money he doesn’t have on extravagant items, suffers from impaired judgment, behaves inappropriately in social situations and strongly feels like he’s capable of doing anything. In this state he gains a +10% to Agility, but suffer a –10% penalty to Intelligence and Will Power. When the Wheel turns to Dread, the character often refuses to get out of bed, sleeps too much yet feels tired all the time, is prone to random bursts of uncontrollable weeping, looses interest in his pursuits, shuns family and friends, feels hopeless and worthless, and possess a strong desire to die. Consolations fall on deaf ears, and the character usually ends up driving away those who care for him. In this state he suffers a –10% penalty to Agility, Will Power and Fellowship.
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