From: thanatos@interaccess.com Newsgroups: alt.games.whitewolf Subject: Penny Dreadfuls III Date: 13 Dec 1993 02:39:48 -0600 Organization: InterAccess, Chicago's best Internet Service Provider NNTP-Posting-Host: home.interaccess.com While searching through the archives, I remembered this old series, and how much fun it was doing. Basically, it presents the world of darkness from the hunter's point of view. What would interest him? What could he run across? In this, I present the Pockets of the World of Darkness, dangerous toys to be found while rutting around in the pockets of the mage you just whacked. Enjoy. (Oh, and for those of you wondering, Penny Dreadfuls I and II can be found in the soda.berkeley.edu vampire-l mailing list archives. Happy hunting!) Penny Dreadfuls III Looting the Pockets of the World of Darkness Grant here. The city's a good place to scavenge stuff when money's short. After cacking that pale in the alley, remember to check his pockets for some toys he left lying around. You never know what you might find in there. Take their sunglasses: SunGlasses: (Force 3, Prime 2) A neat pair of specks created by a Hermetic Mage who grew tired of having to pander to the social cliche of sunglasses at night. While wearing them, the user can see as if the area was illuminated with full sunlight, negating vision penalties. Note that if the darkness is created by something that would snuff normal sunlight (Obtenebration), the Glasses provide no support. The Glasses also have a rather nasty side effect. When a word, known only to the user, is spoken, the pent-up energy within explodes outwards, illuminating the area for one moment in full sunlight. This is enough to cause damage to Kindred (as per solar exposure rules), and induce Rotschreck. Note that the blast will only aim _outwards,_ away from where the user is standing. If someone ELSE were to be wearing the glasses, and the command word was spoken, then the wearer would suffer twice normal effects. After the discharge, the Talisman must be left out in the sun for 6 hours before they will function again. MoonGlasses: (Level 3 fetish) Similar to SunGlasses, the MoonGlasses allow any area to seem to be illuminated as if there was a full moon in the sky. This effectively protects the viewer from sudden bursts of light, a boon for a vampire. Note that simply viewing such a sight will cause Ahroun to gain a point of Rage. This is only avaliable once per night, and only on nights _not_ ruled by the full moon. By spending a Point of Gnosis and rolling Wits+Enigmas, Diff 6, the wearer can perceive a snapshot of any area illuminated by that light. For instance, the Garou can catch a glimpse of Picadilly Circus regardless of where he is standing on the planet, as long as there is a full moon hanging over it. The Glasses: (Mind 3), Created by a brilliantly insane Son of Ether, it is the single greatest weapon the "Sleepers" have against the Technomancers. After watching another roommate get snuffed trying to awaken a new recruit, the Son realized that she needed to change direction. She knew that there was a HUGE group of disenfranchised people who actively believed that there was some all powerful illuminati trying to take over the world. Since they actively disbelieved in the Technomancer's enforced reality, she knew she could tap into this base distrust, by giving them what they wanted. She fashioned a pair of sunglasses, and enchanted them so that anyone could use them successfully. Put simply, if a person wears these glasses, the glasses scan the area for any Technomancers or anyone using Technomancer Magick. Once the information is discovered, the Glasses project into the mind of the USER powerful illusions that the Technomancer or the item being used is something wholly alien. Since a Technomancer is more likely to be in a position of power, the conspiracy nut will obviously believe that this is the proof he requires to show that aliens landed in Dallas to murder JFK. Proof being a powerful thing, the nut will take up his war, armed with his glasses, and blow up anything that looks funny. What precisely the user sees is up to the Storyteller. Some suggestions range from all Technomancers being stereotypic Communists in great coats, with vodka in each fist, to Japanese vomiting forth from all types of medium, to even aliens from another dimension, who have taken over the world. However, the constant influx to the brain _does_ generate Paradox. To the Sleeper, this manifests in a pain so severe that a health level is lost an hour. This damage can be regained by taking them off, and resting for a like amount of time. For a Mage, a Paradox point is collected per hour of _total_ use. If the Mage consistently puts it on, and takes it off very fast, remeber to throw enough curve balls (he really didn't get a good glimpse last time) to encouage him to keep them on. Even though the Son never awakened a single user of the Glasses, those who use them call those who do not "Sleepers," almost reflexively. Rose Colored Glasses: (Correspondence 3) Scrying pools have long been used to see things from far off. A weaker variant of the basic divination spell neccessitates a like reflective surface to be put in the viewed area. In short, to use a mirror as a scrying object, a mirror must be actively available in the target area. The disadvantage is obvious; a mage must be certain a mirror is present, and aimed the right way, for the spell to work. The advantage is that the Magick is purely Coincidental, and that unlike other forms of Correspondence, where another mage might sense someone "snooping," no such sensing is possible. When the Talisman is used, the viewer locates a pair of glasses near the target area. He then can see through them as if he were wearing them at that very instant. The problems here are obvious. First, unless he uses Mind, the user has no control over what the glasses look at. Second, the user sees through them precisely as if he was wearing those particular glasses. Thus, if the target glasses are cokebottles, or dark sunglasses in a dimly lit room, there might be no opportunity for viewing, other than a fuzzy picture. Beer Goggles: (Mind 3) An innocuous pair of Glasses, more novelty than useful item, they act to change anyone the viewer looks at to App 5. The result varies from subject to subject; although the look will bend to the aesthetics of the user, not all women viewed will be the same, and not all men viewed will be the same. Each will be a blend between the true form and the ideal form. About the only use the glasses have is to completely negate any negative responses when dealing with Nosferatu. Peril-Sensitive Sunglasses(TM): (Force 2, Mind 3, Spirit 4, Force 5) The Glasses sense when danger approaches, whether it be someone seeking to do harm to the wearer, or an accident, and darkens the glasses appropriately, so that the wearer doesn't have to see the one that gets him. The user is effectively blinded as long as he wears the glasses, and danger approaches. Not particularly useful, except in that the glasses are completely indestructable, and have been known to be the only thing to survive particularly henious Paradox strikes. Imagine Sunglasses: Looking very much like a sporty pair of John Lennon sunglasses, the actual set is nothing of the sort. When a mental trigger is given, the lens captures the image of the scene before it. This can be anything from a "picture" to a book that was stared at. The image will remain until the trigger is given again. Anyone wearing the glasses will see the image as it was. The image will last for five minutes before fading forever. During this time, the glasses may be passed around to all. Note that the original image is subjective to the user. Thus, someone with Gleam of Red Eyes who looks in a darkened room would retain an image of a room exactly as he would see it. In the five minute period of time, anyone can see precisely what he saw. Note that if someone without special visual acuity took the original, then the room would be dark, regarless of who looked through them later. Noticing details within the image is a standard Per+Scan (Diff 4). Glasses Incognito: (Mind 3) When a user activates these glasses, all Fame rolls drop to 0. Anyone who looks upon the wearer merely remaks, "Naah, can't be him." There's a whole bunch more stuff, if you're willing to dig deeper. BloodyGums: An odd thing to find in a vampire's pocket, this item looks exactly like a standard pack of gum, with "BloodyGum" emblazoned on the label. In fact, the gum is created by Tremere travelling into hostile territory. The process, a level 4 ritual, takes a night to complete, and creates a minimum of 10 sticks. Any Kindred who chew on a stick soon notice their mouth filling with warm, sticky blood. To completely extract all blood takes five minutes of chewing, and yields 1 Blood Point. The problem with BloodyGum lies in the fact that some deceptive Tremere bloodbond unknowing vampires by introducing them to this novelty, and then supply them sticks containing their own blood! Also, Malkavians have found a copy of the Ritual, and are somehow producing packes for distribution, passing them out to kine at parties. Make BloodGum: (Level 3): An exceedingly rare ritual created recently by some enterprising Tremere wanting to be able to travel freely in areas where feeding is dangerous. The Caster must acquire 20 points worth of blood. During the 10 hour ritual, the blood coheses into a pack of gum placed into the receptacle. The Gum will last practically forever, as long as no harm comes to it (burning, etc.) Mirror of Thaumaturgy: In recent years, the Tremere have found themselves butting heads consistently with other members of the World of Darkness who try to use their magick wantonly. One enterprising Tremere has invented this in retaliation. The Mirror appears to be a standard 2" by 4" rectangular mirror. The silvered glass seems to reflect a scarlet sheen. When used, the mirror actually reflects a single magical attack aimed at the Tremere. This can be anything from a discipline, to a Gift, to a Magickal effect. The Mirror must be held out forcefully, as if signalling to anyone watching that the holder expects the Mirror to deflect the power. This is usually enough of a clue to any observers that something is wrong, and care should be taken. When the effect is delivered, the Holder rolls Wits+Occult (diff 8), in a resisted test against the successes of the attack. Against Magick, the Mirror's successes are halved if Coincidental, and fourthed if Vulgar. However, for each blood point spent, an automatic success can be garnered, but only against Magick. After a single application, the Mirror shatters, doing 1 health level to the Wielder. The ritual that created it is lost to time, but some say it is a higher level version of Pavis of Foul Presence, and by researching that spell, clues may be gathered. The Seven-Year Bite: (Entropy 4, Time 4, Prime 3) An annoying little talisman, it is cast on a mirror, and then placed to break somewhere. The breaker triggers the effect: a powerful curse levelled on the Breaker. Once per day, for the next seven years, luck turns sour for the breaker. It can be as mundane as the loss of a success at an inconvenient moment, turning a success into a failure, or a failure into a botch, or as severe as an hour where a single Attribute, chosen at random, will rise and fall. The only two known ways to reverse the curse is to find the caster, and either ask them to lift it, or kill them outright, or to collect the pieces of the Mirror, and find a way to turn it back to its original state (usually taking Entropy 5, Time 4, Prime 3). The Infinity Compact: The Compact appears to be a standard make-up case, consisting of a concave mirror, and a regular mirror. A user will note that the case can be partially closed at a certain angle to allow an object to appear first in the concave mirror, then a very reduced image in the regular mirror. When a mental command is given, an inanimate object of reasonably small size (no bigger than a 20" tv) can be stored within the mirror. Anyone looking into the mirror will see no reflection except the item reflected into infinity in both faces. The same command is used to return the item. While the item is stored, no force on earth can detect it. It simply does not exist in this particular plane of existence. However, finding the Compact is no problem. If either face is shattered, the mirror is lost forever. Peyote-sticks: (Level 1 Fetish) Resembling normal tobacco cigarettes, a Garou who smokes them can form images within the smoke that all can see. First, those viewing must smell the smoke. Next, the Garou must think of an image, and roll Wits+Artistic Expression (diff 5) to create the shapes. The more complex the image, the greater the difficulty. Trying to show a generic Garou in Crinos is Diff 5, while trying to emulate the Sistine Chapel in toto is at least a level 9. Finally, the size of the image is limited to the amount of smoke in the air. A whole Garou can be depicted, but in a reduced state only. Note first that there is no actual peyote in the sticks; it is a weird mixture of dried four leaf clovers, tobacco, and animal dung. Next, there are about 4 images in each stick. The name is derived from the belief of some sleepers that the smoke made them see the images. Explosive Cigs: A toy a hunter developed to take out annoying Toreadors forever bumming cigarettes off him right before he followed them into an alley and cacked them. In the middle of the cigarrette is a shaped charge of C-4. The fuze is designed in suc a way to only light when exposed to high heat: i.e., when a smoker breathes in the cig. This ensures that the charge will go off while the smoker is taking a puff. The charge is placed to go off after the fourth drag, or if the cigarrette has been left burning 2 1/2 minutes. The blast power is 4. Other variations include charges consisting of White Phosphorus (3 health levels), Magnesium (immediate Rotschreck roll, diff 7), a charge simialr to exploding cigars which replace the confetti with silver dust, and finally, the Fidel Castro/Crinos special, one that contains a depillatory charge. The Cigarello Case: No one knows precisely who fashioned this case, but it has saved more lives than Obfuscate. It is an innocuous cigarette case, silver plated, and enchanted to make the monogram of the current possessor appear on the cover. It will keep a supply of twenty cigarrettes fresh indefinitely. Its most curious power, however, is its ability to deflect a single fatal blow aimed at the owner. This can be anything from a gunshot to a stake. When an attack that would normally kill the owner is aimed, the attacker get the urge to fire/attack the heart. Since it makes sense, the attacker will usually do this. Roll Willpower, Diff 9 to resist). The Case then absorbs five successes, and adds 5 soak dice. The Case provides no protection if the attacker knows of the Case, and knows it will protect the owner. Note that if the attack is larger than the area of the case (such as an explosion), or if there is no logical way the Case can deflect the attack, the Case has no effect. After saving its Owner, the Case is strangely often given away or lost, ready to help the next owner. Pocket Lint: (Entropy 5 Matter 5) The product of a Sons of Ether Experiment gone horribly wrong, pocket lint is the substance that the entire universe is devolving into. By soaking the lint in a point of Quintessence, the lint can reform into anything "lost (misplaced, destroyed)" by the user personally. The mass of the lint is conserved, so to get back that 1963.5 Mustang, the Mage is going to have to save a _lot_ of lint. Imaging Crystals (Level 1 Fetish): These lumps of quartz seem rather innocuous when found. However, they are specially prepared Fetishes which can trap the image of any event. For instance, if the user wishes to save a memorable moment, he merely hold up the crystal, and feeds it a point of gnosis. Everything in direct line of sight is preserved to the perspective of the holder. Thus, if used in a desert, with a Garou in line of sight 2 miles away, when the image is reactivated, the distant Garou will not retain any image quality. It will be as distinct as can be distinguished 2 miles away (i.e. not at all). The point of the imaging crystals lies in that they can be dedicated and taken to sites in the Umbra, to record long forgotten scenes, to be used as evidence in Garou trials. For instance, a Garou wishes to find out of Running Sideways, a Past Life, really ran away from a battle. He must travel to the place in the Umbra where the image is kept, and record the scene. This can be an adventure in itself, as the Garou must first search the Battlefields, the Legendary Realm, or even the Atrocity Realm, to discover where the proper memory is kept. Duration of the image depends on how much Gnosis is initially infused. One will get you a single static image. For every point thereafter, five seconds of time is added. To release takes but a single point. Blood Pens: Resembling elegant fountain pens from long ago, blood pens are used often to sign contracts between Kindred and other denizens of the World of Darkness. The pen initally seems to have no ink. However, a sudden pinprick, and the pen is writing. Any name on a contract is bound to the letter of the contract as if a blood bond exists between it and the signor. The Signor must be aware of the exact letter of the contract, else it has no power. Thus, an obscure clause, if it conflicts with the letter of the contract, is invalid. For example, Tom is buying a cycle from Nick Scratch. Buried in the fine print is the clause: I give my immortal soul to Nick Scratch. Since nothing exists within the clause to link the sale of the bike to the surrendering of the soul, the clause is not valid. Had the clause said, "In addition to the above stated price, I also give my immortal soul as payment in full," it would be keeping to the letter of the Contract. The signor must be able to read the contract in toto. If he chooses not to, it is his fault. Other than that, the signor must follow precisely what the contract says. He may fight it as a person resists a blood bond. One way of doing it is corrupting the Letter of the Contract with the Spirit of the Contract. By spending a point of Willpower, and informing the ST of a possible loophole in the contract, the signor can act on the loophole. If enough loopholes can be found (from 5- 10), the contract is declared null and void. It is often good business for both parties to sign the contract so that both sides must adhere to the Letter of the Contract. Unscrupulous Warlocks will often neglect to tell a Signor that he too should sign the Contract. If both names are on the list, neither party may do anything to affect the other's enjoyment of his end of the contract. Thus, in exchange for Tom's money and soul, Beelzebub must surrender the bike, and must allow Tom to enjoy the bike. If Tom should lose the bike without Beelzebub interfering, Beelzebub may collect. Neither side may willingly harm a Signor. Often two names will be simply signed on a blank piece of paper. As long as the paper exists, neither one can hurt the other. Anyone can burn the paper, but neither side can aid in its destruction. Using the pen consumes a blood point. -- thanatos@interaccess.com / "I don't mind being the smartest man in DeathUrge, Master of Unknown \ the world. I just wish it wasn't Time and Space. / this one." -Ozymandias "It's a Zen thing. You wouldn't understand."