Post by Frederic Bourgault-Christie on Nov 14, 2005 21:17:35 GMT -5
Bible Thumper
Also Known As: Hell-Raisers, F&Bs (Fire and Brimstones), Preacher Boys, Reverends, Preachers, or if of a more mild orientation: Sissy Priest, Peace-Mage, Peace-Speaker
Bible Thumpers are the priests of the God of the white settlers of this region. Their religion is very similar to Christianity named Damienity, but with an important difference: magic is considered perfectly devout to them. Other than that, the similarities abound: there was a Messiah named Damien (although in this world, the Messiah is viewed as human; the Arian heresy won in this alternate reality), he preached love and tolerance within the context of a monotheistic religion, and so on. The energy of the ley lines is viewed as a gift from God, and the priestly magic is viewed as a weapon against the unholy. Bible Thumpers gain access to most conventional magic as well as holy spells and unique spells.
Characters can be of many orientations. There are those among this religion who are intolerant and violent, much like the real world. These hunt down the Aboriginals and attempt to destroy them or convert them. Of course, the Aboriginals’ magic is far more developed and multifaceted to compensate for their relative lack of technology, and these raiding parties are usually decimated. There are preachers who adopt more of a “live and let live” strategy, either ignoring the Aboriginals or simply advising that the settlers go their separate way. And then there are the most inspired ones who live closest to the ideals of Damien. These people go to Aboriginal camps to have discussions with the shamans about morality, ethics, and spirituality. If anything can heal the rifts between the Natives and the Marlylan settlers, it will be these progressive preachers and their counterparts in the Aboriginal societies, who will discover that each society has a healthy respect for life and liberty and much to learn from the other.
Gung Fu Boys
Also Known As: China Boxers, Kickboxers, Karate Kids
The racism of this Western world is substantially lessened from the real world, where Chinese people were caricatured brutally. However, these Orientals are largely doing the same role they filled in the original West. Because they are trying to earn a new life for themselves, they are usually fastidious workers. They often are miners, but have less of the “get rich quick” mentality that characterizes the white settlers.
Gung Fu Boys are martial artists. The infinite variety of Oriental martial arts are, just like in our culture, condensed into “Kung Fu” or “Karate”.
Red Shamans
The continent of Marlyla ranges from North American-style grasslands, prairie, forest, and similar to more African climes. This means that the Aboriginals are everything from a reddish hue to an ebony black. Shamans perform their craft as always. Shamans are usually sickly or tormented souls who eventually fall into a comatose and deadly state, undergo a spiritual journey through Hell and rise into Heaven, then return. Upon their return, they are granted spiritual abilities, which they then refine through training under a shaman teacher. Shamans are usually not chiefs, for an array of reasons. Some with more guile use their abilities to make a chief an elected figurehead; some believe that the religious and political powers of the society should be firmly separated (an analog to the Marlylan’s belief in separation of church and state)
A Shaman may start with two of the following Focuses.
Battle Shamans: These Shamans have scarcely any magical abilities, only a few utility and attack spells. Rather, they heavily borrow from the spirit world to transform into various Totem forms, imbue themselves with supernatural power, and similar.
Music Shamans: These Shamans use the sound of drums, flutes, or similar to create effects. Music shamans often coordinate the tribes into dances and songs. Music Shaman PCs will want to teach their friends some of these rituals.
Weather and Element Shamans: These are African-style rain makers and dancers. They focus upon summoning weather conditions, conjuring elemental spirits, and so on.
Plant and Animal Shamans: Plant and Animal Shamans focus on spells manipulating and taming animals,
Ward and Fetish Shamans: These shamans focus on creating spiritual defense wards, fetishes for domestic use such as insuring good crops or thanking the spirits for a good hunting season, and in battle use fetishes in various ways.
Wishies
Also Known As: Ki Arcanists, Wu Shih
The term “Wishies” is a perversion of Wu Shih, the Chinese equivalent to a traditional mage.
Hummingbird Warriors
Agitators
Also Known As: Reds, Commies, Socies (from “socialist”)
Agitators are those of Marlylan (and occasionally Aboriginal and Oriental) descent who have become fascinated, or “infected”, with a radical political philosophy. These stem from the continent of Areippa, and include names such as the radical socialist economist Kraus (similar to Marx), the radical libertarian LeRougiere (similar to Proudhon), and the anarchist Kropkunin (similar to Bakunin). They declare open war upon the Tycoons, the industrial magnates.
An Agitator is a special class. They choose a class as normal, but modify it as follows:
Immediately become part of a radical group, doing missions with them. This is probably the most important. If an Agitator player character is in a group, they’ll either have a secret mission for the organization or be using the group as a vehicle. (This isn’t to say that the Agitator won’t care about group members – on the contrary, as overzealous as many Agitators may be, they are also usually caring individuals).
Mechanist/Scientician
Psi-Slinger
Gunslinger
Psi-Cheat
Silken Outlaws
NDI Agent
Sheriff
Dabbler
Cowboy/Cowpoke
Also Known As: Rustler, Ranchero, Farmhand,
Also Known As: Hell-Raisers, F&Bs (Fire and Brimstones), Preacher Boys, Reverends, Preachers, or if of a more mild orientation: Sissy Priest, Peace-Mage, Peace-Speaker
Bible Thumpers are the priests of the God of the white settlers of this region. Their religion is very similar to Christianity named Damienity, but with an important difference: magic is considered perfectly devout to them. Other than that, the similarities abound: there was a Messiah named Damien (although in this world, the Messiah is viewed as human; the Arian heresy won in this alternate reality), he preached love and tolerance within the context of a monotheistic religion, and so on. The energy of the ley lines is viewed as a gift from God, and the priestly magic is viewed as a weapon against the unholy. Bible Thumpers gain access to most conventional magic as well as holy spells and unique spells.
Characters can be of many orientations. There are those among this religion who are intolerant and violent, much like the real world. These hunt down the Aboriginals and attempt to destroy them or convert them. Of course, the Aboriginals’ magic is far more developed and multifaceted to compensate for their relative lack of technology, and these raiding parties are usually decimated. There are preachers who adopt more of a “live and let live” strategy, either ignoring the Aboriginals or simply advising that the settlers go their separate way. And then there are the most inspired ones who live closest to the ideals of Damien. These people go to Aboriginal camps to have discussions with the shamans about morality, ethics, and spirituality. If anything can heal the rifts between the Natives and the Marlylan settlers, it will be these progressive preachers and their counterparts in the Aboriginal societies, who will discover that each society has a healthy respect for life and liberty and much to learn from the other.
Gung Fu Boys
Also Known As: China Boxers, Kickboxers, Karate Kids
The racism of this Western world is substantially lessened from the real world, where Chinese people were caricatured brutally. However, these Orientals are largely doing the same role they filled in the original West. Because they are trying to earn a new life for themselves, they are usually fastidious workers. They often are miners, but have less of the “get rich quick” mentality that characterizes the white settlers.
Gung Fu Boys are martial artists. The infinite variety of Oriental martial arts are, just like in our culture, condensed into “Kung Fu” or “Karate”.
Red Shamans
The continent of Marlyla ranges from North American-style grasslands, prairie, forest, and similar to more African climes. This means that the Aboriginals are everything from a reddish hue to an ebony black. Shamans perform their craft as always. Shamans are usually sickly or tormented souls who eventually fall into a comatose and deadly state, undergo a spiritual journey through Hell and rise into Heaven, then return. Upon their return, they are granted spiritual abilities, which they then refine through training under a shaman teacher. Shamans are usually not chiefs, for an array of reasons. Some with more guile use their abilities to make a chief an elected figurehead; some believe that the religious and political powers of the society should be firmly separated (an analog to the Marlylan’s belief in separation of church and state)
A Shaman may start with two of the following Focuses.
Battle Shamans: These Shamans have scarcely any magical abilities, only a few utility and attack spells. Rather, they heavily borrow from the spirit world to transform into various Totem forms, imbue themselves with supernatural power, and similar.
Music Shamans: These Shamans use the sound of drums, flutes, or similar to create effects. Music shamans often coordinate the tribes into dances and songs. Music Shaman PCs will want to teach their friends some of these rituals.
Weather and Element Shamans: These are African-style rain makers and dancers. They focus upon summoning weather conditions, conjuring elemental spirits, and so on.
Plant and Animal Shamans: Plant and Animal Shamans focus on spells manipulating and taming animals,
Ward and Fetish Shamans: These shamans focus on creating spiritual defense wards, fetishes for domestic use such as insuring good crops or thanking the spirits for a good hunting season, and in battle use fetishes in various ways.
Wishies
Also Known As: Ki Arcanists, Wu Shih
The term “Wishies” is a perversion of Wu Shih, the Chinese equivalent to a traditional mage.
Hummingbird Warriors
Agitators
Also Known As: Reds, Commies, Socies (from “socialist”)
Agitators are those of Marlylan (and occasionally Aboriginal and Oriental) descent who have become fascinated, or “infected”, with a radical political philosophy. These stem from the continent of Areippa, and include names such as the radical socialist economist Kraus (similar to Marx), the radical libertarian LeRougiere (similar to Proudhon), and the anarchist Kropkunin (similar to Bakunin). They declare open war upon the Tycoons, the industrial magnates.
An Agitator is a special class. They choose a class as normal, but modify it as follows:
Immediately become part of a radical group, doing missions with them. This is probably the most important. If an Agitator player character is in a group, they’ll either have a secret mission for the organization or be using the group as a vehicle. (This isn’t to say that the Agitator won’t care about group members – on the contrary, as overzealous as many Agitators may be, they are also usually caring individuals).
Mechanist/Scientician
Psi-Slinger
Gunslinger
Psi-Cheat
Silken Outlaws
NDI Agent
Sheriff
Dabbler
Cowboy/Cowpoke
Also Known As: Rustler, Ranchero, Farmhand,