Tags
1960s, 1970s, Comic Books, Comics, Fantastic Horror, Fumetto, Ghastly Affair, Gothic Gaming, Gothic Horror, Horror Comics, Modern Horror, Seventies, Sixties, Super-Heroes
The “Empowered Person” Class facilitates GROOVY Ghastly Affair games inspired by such comics of the 60s and 70s as “Swamp Thing”, “Ghost Rider”, “Tomb of Dracula”, and “Valentina”. While it is not intended to handle heroes and villains at the highest cosmic scale, it will allow you to create street-level and superhero characters of the type who might battle Gothic horrors such vampires, werewolves, and ancient witches.
Empowered Person
You possess incredible powers far beyond those of ordinary people. Perhaps you were exposed to a strange chemical that mutated your flesh. Maybe you are the scion of an alien race, who uses your powers to protect humanity. Perhaps you are possessed by an infernal spirit that you can barely control. You might even have used cutting-edge technology to construct a suit that grants you incredible strength. However you came to your strange abilities, they are a source of wonder to those you aid – and a focus of terror for your enemies.
Most Empowered People like you adopt a special costume that obscures their actual face, keeping their real names and identities secret. Perhaps your special abilities are actually dependent on your costume, and are lost when the outfit is removed. It is also possible that the method by which you obtained your powers has left you so changed, you longer resemble your former self at all!
Empowered People tend to embody the extreme ends of the Perversity scale. One with a Perversity of 6 or below is called a Super Hero, while one with a Perversity of 15 or above is a Super Villain.
Ability Adjustments: Constitution +2 (Not all Empowered People are super strong or fast, but they seldom suffer from ordinary diseases, and their wounds don’t usually get infected.)
Hit Dice: d12 (Empowered People are far more resilient than ordinary human beings).
Special Abilities of Empowered People:
Super Powers: Choose five Super Powers. A Super Power can either be a Preternatural Power (of any Level), or a Special Ability from any other Class. Powers that restore Hit Points (such as Cure Serious Wounds) or remove negative conditions (such as Remove Disease, or Remove Paralysis) can only used once a day. Any other Super Powers can be used as often as you like, but only one can be employed per Round.
Add together the total Levels of Powers you posses, counting any Special Abilities from other Classes as Level 1. That sum, plus 4, is the total number of Experience Points you will need to reach level 2. For example,
• if your character can Fly (a Level 3 Preternatural Power),
• possesses Inhuman Strength (Level 2),
• has Blazing Dexterity (Level 2),
• enjoys an Incredible Constitution (Level 2),
• and has the Profession of Soldier (Level 1, because it is a Special Ability of the Everyman Class),
you will need 14 Experience Points to reach 2nd Level as an Empowered Person.
Weaknesses of Empowered People:
Archenemy: There is another powerful being who has become your especial enemy, and who will always try to thwart, harm, or even destroy you. Your Archenemy is also likely to attack your friends and family in order to cause you pain. The Archenemy is always of at least your own Level, and whenever you advance in Level, the Archenemy will as well. They can be another Empowered Person, A Magician, a Mad Scientist, or even a supernatural being. You will always encounter your Archenemy as an adversary in the course of the first Affair, although you may actually have known them all your life. If you defeat or kill your Archenemy, a new one will arise.
Debilitating Weakness: Choose one condition under which you will become unable to use any of your Preternatural Super Powers, for as long as the condition endures. This could be a certain substance that deactivates your abilities, a sound you cannot endure, or even a particular situation that overwhelms you with fear and doubt. Perhaps taking off your costume or disguise reduces you to a more-or-less an ordinary person. Of course, your Archenemy will always discover your Debilitating Weakness by the second Affair of the Saga.
Empowered Person Advancement Table
|
Experience Points |
Level |
Hit Dice |
Damage Bonus |
|
0 |
1 |
1d12 |
+1 |
|
4, + total level of Supers Powers. |
2 |
2d12 |
+2 |
|
As Level 2, +4 |
3 |
3d12 |
+3 |
|
As Level 2, +8 |
4 |
4d12 |
+4 |
|
As Level 2, +12 |
5 |
5d12 |
+5 |
|
As Level 2, +16 |
6 |
6d12 |
+6 |
|
As Level 2, +20 |
7 |
7d12 |
+7 |
|
As Level 2, +24 |
8 |
8d12 |
+8 |
|
As Level 2, +28 |
9 |
9d12 |
+9 |
|
As Level 2, + 32 |
10 |
10d12 |
+10 |
Here are some inspirational examples of Empowered People and their Super Powers, with the XP totals needed by each to achieve 2nd Level.
The Paralyzing Man
Hold Person (Level 3 Power)
Suggestion (Level 3 Power)
Hold Portal (Can also be used to jam the gears of machines) (Level 1 Power)
Calm Animals (Level 1 Power)
Profession: Art Critic (Level 1 Power)
XP to 2nd level: 13
The Plant-Man
Inhuman Strength (Level2 Power)
Control Plants (Level 4 Power)
Speak With Plants (Level 3 Power)
Astral Projection (Level 5 Power)
Cure Critical Wounds (Level 5 Power)
XP to 2nd level: 23
Host of the Demon
Summon Spirit V (Into Himself) (Level 5 Power)
Esoteric Knowledge (Level 1 Power)
Commune With Spirits (Level 5 Power)
Obtain Oracle (Level 4 Power)
Banish Spirit (Level 1 Power)
Xp to 2nd level: 20
