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The Dresden Files => DFRPG => Topic started by: LeviathanZero on January 08, 2013, 01:39:22 AM

Title: Wild Hunt Carrier Template
Post by: LeviathanZero on January 08, 2013, 01:39:22 AM

I'll put the original post under a spoiler at the bottom, and just leave the actual Template up here instead.

Wild Hunt Carrier

Description
When the Wild Hunt rides, those in the know hide or get out of the way. Those not in the know tend to fall into two categories: Those lucky enough not to be in its path, and the dead.
Sometimes, there are exceptions.

Sometimes someone is Hunted, trapped, and instead of dying like Prey, they face the hunt. Maybe they were warriors or soldiers, those used to conflict, maybe they were sociopaths who enjoyed preying on the weak, maybe they were just an average person pushed too far, too hard and for too long, who declared "No!" and refused to die on their knees.
Whatever the reason, someone in the Hunt decided that they were worthy of the Choice: "Hide, Join or Die", and they joined.

For a night they hunted with the Fae, and when they woke up the next day, they found themselves changed.
A tiny piece of the Hunt remained within them, a piece of the WyldFae burning like a mote within their soul, slowly fusing with their spirit. Both warping its host and being warped in return, growing them into a creature of instinct and hunger. A Predator.

Perhaps they had something latent within them, a Lycanthropic bloodline or even a bit of Skinwalker in their ancestry, that was triggered by the Fey power, or perhaps their spirit was simply fertile ground for the seed of the Wyld Hunt to grow. The initial results are much the same: A predatory character sharing many similarities with a Werewolf or Lycanthrope.

One who carries a spark of the Wild Hunt typically looks normal in their fully human form, though with a subtle difference that people may remark upon. Perhaps they are Graceful as a cat or have Predatory eyes or a talent for Moving unseen. Most of the time this will not be seen as anything special or supernatural. These individuals also tend to be a little more attractive than usual (both in Human form and Animal), caused by a touch of their Faerie spark bleeding through.
When they begin to draw upon their powers however, their appearance noticably changes. To start with they retain their human form, but take on many aspects of their nature (typically growing claws, slitted eyes that glow in the light, denser muscles and an alltogether feral bearing, whiskers, fur, and other minor alterations are not uncommon).
However this tends to only be the start of their transformation, and taking part in appropriate activities such as fighting or hunting will cause them to shift first into a humanoid version of their animal aspect (like the traditional view of a Werewolf), and then changing completely into their animal form.
The animal form of a Wild Hunt Carrier is typically unusual in some way, such as being larger than usual for their specimen and being an odd colouration.

Some individuals will start shifting into their more animalistic aspects immediately, while others will only change in more extreme circumstances. Speak to your GM about whether changes should be commonplace, or only during special occasions.

One who carries the Wild Hunt in them can go many ways. Perhaps they control their instincts, only using it when necessary, perhaps they revel in their powers and seek more, delving into the Spark within them to try and draw out more power. Still others might try to have the spark within them removed, returning to Pure Mortal status, while others may seek out the Fae and bargain for more power, taking on a larger Mantle of the Wild Hunt.

Musts
A Wild Hunt Carrier should have a high concept that incorporates their predatory nature, such as Tiger-blooded Actor or Beast-minded cop. You should also pin down exactly which predatory animal has taken root in your Character's soul, such as "Wolf" or "Tiger".
In addition they must take the following Supernatural powers:

[Beast Change -1]
[Echoes of the Beast -1]
[Inhuman Toughness -2]
[Inhuman Recovery -2]
 - [The Catch: Cold Iron +3]
Note: If you wish your character to be more of the "Triggering inherent powers" than "Part Fey", negotiate with your GM about changing the Catch on your Inhuman Toughness/Recovery, though note that if you pick a less common/well known element it may have a higher Refresh cost.

[Human Form +1]
 - [Claws -1]
 - [Inhuman Speed -2] or [Inhuman Strength -2]

Options
There are many different options that you can take, depending on how much of a connection to the Fae your character has, what your predator animal is, and how much spare Refresh you have.
Some good options are:

Any pertinent options from the "Creature Features" section
[Cloak of Shadows -1]
[Demonic Copilot (Wild Hunt) -1]
[Marked by Power (Wild Fae) -1]
[Wings -1] (For those who have a Winged predatory animal or want to run on Anything like the Hunt does)
[Supernatural Recovery/Toughness/Speed/Strength]

For those who seek out the Fae and make a bargain with the Wyld, consider the following

[Sponsored Magic: Wildfae -4]
 - Domains over hunting, tracking, pack protection and wilderness areas.
 - Allows Tracking rituals at Evocation speed.
 - Any Inhuman or greater Toughness/Recovery counts as one step lower on any creature you have specifically sought out/hunted (ie if you hunt out a Gruff you know is in the area making plans, it's Toughness/Recovery is reduced by one step, but the Vampire they're currently talking with is just as tough as normal. If the Gruff escapes and later jumps you, its Toughness/Recovery works as normal)

Important Skills
Varies, since Beast Change allows retooling of Skills

Minimum Refresh Cost: -5, though potentially a dozen or more depending on Optional powers

Title: Re: Statting a Wild Hunt 'infected' - Help?
Post by: Deadmanwalking on January 08, 2013, 01:54:46 AM

I'd argue that she should be hound-themed, not feline, as people who join the hunt universally become hounds, not just some random predatory animal...but aside from that, that looks about right. Or at least a perfectly valid way to do it. Alternately, she might have a feline theme...from somewhere other than her experience with the Hunt, with the hunt just bringing it out.

An additional power that might be available is Wings to reflect the ability to run on air or water (a definite part of the Hunt).

Title: Re: Statting a Wild Hunt 'infected' - Help?
Post by: Sanctaphrax on January 08, 2013, 02:00:42 AM

Quote from: LeviathanZero on January 08, 2013, 01:39:22 AM

Abilities-wise she can turn into a slightly feline-aspected version of herself (glowing eyes, claws, denser muscles, etc) at will, and the longer she stays like that (or the more she hunts/fights like that) the more feline she becomes, slowly moving through 'were-cat' territory and ending up at full 'beast form'.
I'm currently unsure of any way to model this. I initially figured this would just be a thematic thing and standard Beast Form would take care of it, and make the gradient changes purely fluff. Then I started considering things like opposable thumbs, bipedal movement, passing as human from a distance, etc.
Is this something that's best off taken care of via aspects and compels, or should it be nailed down 'mechanically'?

I'd do it with Aspects, personally.

Quote from: LeviathanZero on January 08, 2013, 01:39:22 AM

[Echoes of the Beast -1] - If I read this one correctly, I get to choose the following?
 - One/set of senses to give me a +1 in specific situations, typically Alertness/Investigation
 - One bonus skill trapping that's thematically appropriate (eg, can see clearly in low light conditions)

You read that correctly. Bear in mind that the skill trapping can be swapped for a conditional +1 skill bonus.

Quote from: LeviathanZero on January 08, 2013, 01:39:22 AM

[Human Form +1] - If I'm reading it right, this is the "If you don't have all your powers all the time, have a discount" deal

You're reading it right.

I think you've got something good here, but I'd definitely add Wings to the powerset.

Would you like me to add this to the Template list thread?

Title: Re: Statting a Wild Hunt 'infected' - Help?
Post by: narphoenix on January 08, 2013, 02:15:09 AM

(click to show/hide)

@Deadman: Murphy's motorcycle became a tiger when she joined the Hunt in Cold Days.

EDIT: CD Spoiler. Sorry to whoever I spoiled it for.

Title: Re: Statting a Wild Hunt 'infected' - Help?
Post by: Deadmanwalking on January 08, 2013, 02:20:44 AM

Quote from: narphoenix on January 08, 2013, 02:15:09 AM

(click to show/hide)

@Deadman: Murphy's motorcycle became a tiger when she joined the Hunt in Cold Days.

True, but people seem to become hounds...unless something odd is going on.

Title: Re: Statting a Wild Hunt 'infected' - Help?
Post by: LeviathanZero on January 08, 2013, 02:29:43 AM

Quote from: Sanctaphrax on January 08, 2013, 02:00:42 AM

I think you've got something good here, but I'd definitely add Wings to the powerset.

Would you like me to add this to the Template list thread?

Wings have been added :)

I'd probably say add to the Template list if everyone with a bit more rules-savvy things it's looking good for it. I'll probably want to clear up the formatting and separate Character from Template too.

On the feline vs hound theme, one possibility is that when joining the Hunt itself she was turned into a Hound, but now that it's a thread of Fae power that's taken root in her, it's mixing with her self-perceptions and personality (the whole Magic Belief thing) and so it's being moulded into a shape more fitting for her.
Would also open up the template to people taking on aspects of other predators as well.

Title: Re: Statting a Wild Hunt 'infected' - Help?
Post by: Haru on January 08, 2013, 02:37:56 AM

From the description you've given, I would have instantly said to go with a wereform and give her the wild hunt story either as the rising conflict or first story aspect. Which I guess is precisely what you have done.

For the half transformation, I would probably go for aspects and compels only. If you like it more mechanical, you could go for a -0 (though I'd wait for one of the others to give their views on this power, it might be worth more) upgrade to human form, that makes you roll discipline against the number of refresh points you have tied to human form. If your result is positive, you stay mostly human, if your result is 0, you are halfway between cat and human, if your result is negative, you will be completely cat. Though even in human form, people should notice that something is off (eyes, claws, body language, etc), even on a glance. At the distance and in the dark, you might get mistaken for a human, but otherwise human form just shouldn't grant you any rebate on your refresh.

For the wings... I'm not sure. I understood the flying part as more of something that only came with the wild hunt. I don't think even Erlking is able to fly without the wild hunt. Then again, Player characters are special kinds of people, and maybe a small part of the wild hunt stayed within her, maybe even granting her to form her own little hunt. If that's the case, I would definitely put that in one of your aspects, because it is a big deal, and it is just ripe with possibilities for compels and invokes.

Title: Re: Statting a Wild Hunt 'infected' - Help?
Post by: Deadmanwalking on January 08, 2013, 02:42:17 AM

Quote from: LeviathanZero on January 08, 2013, 02:29:43 AM

On the feline vs hound theme, one possibility is that when joining the Hunt itself she was turned into a Hound, but now that it's a thread of Fae power that's taken root in her, it's mixing with her self-perceptions and personality (the whole Magic Belief thing) and so it's being moulded into a shape more fitting for her.
Would also open up the template to people taking on aspects of other predators as well.

That explanation more than satisfies me.

And yeah, once cleared up, it seems like it'd make a fine template. Something between were-creature and changeling but different enough to be quite fun.

Quote from: Haru on January 08, 2013, 02:37:56 AM

For the wings... I'm not sure. I understood the flying part as more of something that only came with the wild hunt. I don't think even Erlking is able to fly without the wild hunt. Then again, Player characters are special kinds of people, and maybe a small part of the wild hunt stayed within her, maybe even granting her to form her own little hunt. If that's the case, I would definitely put that in one of your aspects, because it is a big deal, and it is just ripe with possibilities for compels and invokes.

It's part of the Hunt, sure...but so's turning into a Hound or other predator. You've clearly got a fragment of the Hunt stuck in you if you're a former mortal with this template at all. Hence, the possibility of flight.

Title: Re: Statting a Wild Hunt 'infected' - Help?
Post by: Haru on January 08, 2013, 02:46:59 AM

Quote from: Deadmanwalking on January 08, 2013, 02:42:17 AM

It's part of the Hunt, sure...but so's turning into a Hound or other predator. You've clearly got a fragment of the Hunt stuck in you if you're a former mortal with this template at all. Hence, the possibility of flight.

You could also have had a dormant talent for being a werecat, that the wild hunt just activated, when it forced you to "join or die". It all comes down how you look at it, and that was my initial interpretation. Just wanted to point out the implications this would come with, not shut down the idea. Sorry, if it came out like that.

Title: Re: Statting a Wild Hunt 'infected' - Help?
Post by: Deadmanwalking on January 08, 2013, 02:50:13 AM

Quote from: Haru on January 08, 2013, 02:46:59 AM

You could also have had a dormant talent for being a werecat, that the wild hunt just activated, when it forced you to "join or die".

That really doesn't explain the unnatural vitality with a Catch of Cold Iron. That's clearly the Hunt getting under your skin.

Quote from: Haru on January 08, 2013, 02:46:59 AM

It all comes down how you look at it, and that was my initial interpretation.

True enough, the basic version as presented just doesn't seem to be quite explained by were-form alone.

Quote from: Haru on January 08, 2013, 02:46:59 AM

Just wanted to point out the implications this would come with, not shut down the idea. Sorry, if it came out like that.

Nah, it's cool. I didn't mean to come off as hostile or anything either.

Title: Re: Statting a Wild Hunt 'infected' - Help?
Post by: LeviathanZero on January 08, 2013, 02:53:11 AM

Quote from: Haru on January 08, 2013, 02:46:59 AM

You could also have had a dormant talent for being a werecat, that the wild hunt just activated, when it forced you to "join or die". It all comes down how you look at it, and that was my initial interpretation. Just wanted to point out the implications this would come with, not shut down the idea. Sorry, if it came out like that.

There's no reason you couldn't take it in a few different directions =).
The initial setup is general enough that you could easily go down branching paths, eg "Wild hunt activated latent beastly property X", which could grow into anything from werewolf to Loup Garou (triggering a curse that had been lying dormant) or even up to Skinwalker territory for something really nasty.

Alternatively the character might not have had anything to activate and it's all coming from the Fey power, in which case you'd concentrate more on the Otherworldly hunting type aspects, flight, being able to follow your Prey to the Nevernever, everything up to throwing in your lot completely with the Wild Hunt/Wildfae and gaining Sponsored Magic or even taking on an appropriate Fey Mantle.

Title: Re: Statting a Wild Hunt 'infected' - Help?
Post by: MijRai on January 08, 2013, 04:24:21 AM

I've actually got an Emissary of Power cooked up for one of the PbPs here, a guy who got snatched up into a Wild Hunt and went with it.  Started out as a scrawny IT geek, let loose the nerd-rage, now he's a buff little bastard, and that doesn't count the supernatural.  On top of that, he's developed some powers, partly due to his Mark, and mostly from a natural... Connection, to the Hunt.

I went with Echoes of the Beast (Hounds) and Inhuman Recovery for his original powers, with the catch of Hawthorn.  He picked up his Mark from a non-fae leader of the Hunt, and I didn't particularly want the +3 total on the Cold Iron Catch.  What he does have though is Human Form with Involuntary Change (Anger).  When he is angry enough, he has access to Inhuman Strength, Inhuman Toughness, and Cloak of Shadows.  Basically, the masque of the shadows starts enveloping him, concealing his features a bit, and making him stronger, tougher, shielding him and empowering his rage and bloodlust. 

So no, I didn't do Beast Change, because this is the kind of guy who is a natural, someone who doesn't course like a hound, but masters a mount and rides into the fray.  Also, 3 Aspects relating to being an angry person and only one to supress his emotions... Compells, ahoy!  Best part is the Lore 0, however...  :D

And as far as his own Wild Hunt goes...  If such a situation ever arises, I'd likely be spending a fate point or three, and one of them would be on a scene of Pack Instincts, which all the other Hunt-folk would purchase too.

Title: Re: Statting a Wild Hunt 'infected' - Help?
Post by: MijRai on January 08, 2013, 05:57:01 AM

Quote from: Wyntonian on January 08, 2013, 05:50:18 AM

Hey, wow, thanks, I really appreciate you spoilering the important parts from the book I just started. You must have been Miss Manners in a previous life.  >:(

You can try being a little less sarcastic, and I would suggest removing it from your quotes, and asking them politely to remove it as well.  Otherwise other peoples' readings might be hampered.  Though it isn't really an 'important part' in the grand scheme of things.

Title: Re: Wild Hunt Carrier Template
Post by: LeviathanZero on January 08, 2013, 06:09:54 AM

Ok, I've just gone back, redone the post as a proper template, and added in a custom power, Mantle of the Wild Hunt.
Any feedback is much appreciated :D

Title: Re: Wild Hunt Carrier Template
Post by: Deadmanwalking on January 08, 2013, 09:09:34 AM

Quote from: Wyntonian on January 08, 2013, 05:50:18 AM

Hey, wow, thanks, I really appreciate you spoilering the important parts from the book I just started. You must have been Miss Manners in a previous life.  >:(

I can see that being upsetting, but MijRai's tactically correct. Spoiler your use of it (like I just did) and I suspect narphoenix will do likewise.

Quote from: LeviathanZero on January 08, 2013, 06:09:54 AM

Ok, I've just gone back, redone the post as a proper template, and added in a custom power, Mantle of the Wild Hunt.
Any feedback is much appreciated :D

And that all looks good, though I'd actually argue that all the elements of Mantle of the Hunt should be available on their own, with it being a personal choice what portion of a character's powers are only available when officially Hunting. Some characters might be able to run on air regardless, but only be supernaturally strong when Hunting (to pick a random example).

Actually, looking at it, I don't think you can get +2 from the drawbacks on Mantle of The Hunt due to already having Human Form earlier in the Template. You can get +1 for these being active uncontrollably, but I don't think you can double up on Human Form that way.

Title: Re: Wild Hunt Carrier Template
Post by: wyvern on January 08, 2013, 08:18:26 PM

So, did anyone else open up this thread expecting to see a discussion of what would happen if the wild hunt ran down an aircraft carrier - and the captain and crew decided to join the hunt?

...On topic, looks like a reasonable template & neat character concept.  Aspects are a good way of modelling slow changes and restrictions; if and only if you have a high discipline, then demonic co-pilot could be a good addition to the character, with the possibility of taking consequences like "What happened to my thumbs?".  (I've had one character with that power; worked out fairly well for her... but discipline was also her apex skill.  Not that that helped when she started slinging around demonic-co-pilot-empowered sponsored magic, but hey.)

Title: Re: Wild Hunt Carrier Template
Post by: LeviathanZero on January 08, 2013, 11:41:50 PM

Quote from: Deadmanwalking on January 08, 2013, 09:09:34 AM

Actually, looking at it, I don't think you can get +2 from the drawbacks on Mantle of The Hunt due to already having Human Form earlier in the Template. You can get +1 for these being active uncontrollably, but I don't think you can double up on Human Form that way.

Updated the template :)

And Wyvern, that could be quite terrifying for any subs hiding nearby ;)