Arkham by Cyberlight Rules

Character Creation

Races

Non-human PCs must have a distinction to reflect their race. This distinction can be used to simulate the normal bonuses of those races.

Potential uses of the Dwarf distinction: Resisting damage, endurance, stubbornness, thermographic vision, poison and disease resistance. Potential uses of the Elf distinction: Agility, beauty and charisma, low-light vision. Potential uses of the Mokole (see below) distinction: Agility and balance, aquatics, tail attacks. Potential uses of the Ork distinction: Resisting damage, enhanced strength, low-light vision. Potential uses of the Troll distinction: Resisting damage, enhanced strength, reach in close combat, thermographic vision.

Mokole (Homo sapiens sauris)

"Everyone knows the public facts. In 2052, a second round of mass goblinizations occured. This time, though, instead of Orks or Trolls, one out of every hundred people became Mokoli, a humanoid lizard race. I'm one out of a hundred. Lucky me. Every once and a while, some hairball human tells me they know how I feel. Bullshit.Tell me that you know what its like to feel your jaw elongate into a beak while all your teeth fall out. Tell me you know what its like to scream in agony as your middle finger and your ring finger merge together to form a single digit. Tell me you know what its like to feel your spinal chord painfully elongate to twice its length so that a tail can form. Yeah, chummer, go ahead, tell me how much you know how I feel.... I didn't think you could."
- From Primal Thoughts by Jack Bestyr

Identification

The average Mokole is 1.7 meters tall and weighs 200 pounds. It is important to note that nearly 40 pounds of a Mokole's weight comes from the tail, which also adds another 1.8 meters of length to the body. Coloration ranges highly variable, ranging from dark green to green-blue to brown, with the occasional aqua-blue or fire-red variant. The females have 2 mammae and all Mokole have 70 teeth. Sauris is similar in build to sapiens, though the added balance of the tail makes them more agile. Sauris is the ethnic group most varied from sapiens, appearing at first to be more reptilian than mammilian. The Mokole head is elongated, with the mouth and nose forming a single beak-like structure. A crest or fin rises from the middle of the head, terminating at the base of the skull. The hand has three fingers and an opposable thumb and there are an equal number of digits on the foot. Mokole have no body hair. The eyes are set in the sides of the head and are slightly almond in shape. The ears have a calliflower shape.

Habitat

Mokole prefer roofed structures. They are especially fond of waterfront locations.

Habits

Most Mokole prefer daytime activity. Their diet is omnivorous, though there is a strong preference for fish and strong spices. Average lifespan is still unknown and no Mokole have reproduced.

Young

Unknown as of yet. However, Mokole biology suggests they are egg laying creatures.

Commentary

Mokole have an instinctive ability to use their tail defensively as well as to swim. All members of the species have a strong desire to immerse themselves in water and become irritable if they are unable to do so on a regular basis.

Niches

All PCs will assign dice to six different niches, reflecting their comfort, skill, and understanding of different sections of society. Dice will be assigned as follows: one d10, two d8s, two d6s, one d4.

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The niches are: Academic, Corporate, Matrix, Military, Occult, and Street.

Roles

All PCs will assign dice to six different roles to reflect strengths and weaknesses in their skills and training. Dice will be assigned as follows: one d10, one d8, two d6s, two d4s.

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The roles are: Criminal, Cyber, Expert, Face, Samurai, and Spellslinger

Awakened Talents

Awakened characters (mages, shamans, physical adepts, and so forth) must take the appropriate talents to represent their abilities.

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ADEPT
You can use magic to augment your already impressive skills.
Role: Any
Activation: You are performing an action that includes your highest role. You can activate this talent only once per scene. Spend a Plot Point for extra effect.
Effect: Add an extra d8 to your roll. Spend a Plot Point to step up the d8 to a d10.

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SPELLCASTING
You can cast spells, though you risk damaging yourself by doing so.
Role: Spellslinger
Activation: You are performing an action and wish to cast a spell; spend a Plot Point for extra effect.
Effect: Add both an extra d6 and an extra d4 to any roll as an asset to reflect the spell. If you spend a Plot Point you can step up the d6 to a d8. If the d4 creates a Complication, it is assigned to you and not the character rolling. Spellcasters can also try to dispel/cancel other magical effects.

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SUMMONING
You can summon spirits to aid you or your companions, though you can lose control of them as well.
Role: Spellslinger
Activation: Spend a Plot Point and perform an action.
Effect: The spirit is summoned. Each round you can assign one of the spirit's d6 asset dice to yourself or one of your companions for any tasks within the spirit's power. If the asset die assigned rolls a 1, you lose control of the spirit and it becomes a complication for all characters in the scene. This talent can also be used to try to banish an enemy spirit.

Magic

Astral Perception

A fully awakened character (has both the Spellcasting and Summoning talents) can shift their perception to the astral plane, allowing them to perceive and interact with creatures and objects that exist only on the astral plane such as unmanifested spirits and astral barriers. To affect an astral being of construct a creature must be perceiving the astral plane. However, the reverse is true. If a spellslinger's senses are attuned to the astral they can be affected by astral attacks.

Assensing

Assensing is the skill of using astral perception to read the aura of living beings, spells, and occult objects, gaining insight into their health, emotions, magical nature, and magical signature.

Astral Signatures

Astral signatures are a fingerprint unique to the magician who created it and can be read using assening. Each time a spellslinger casts a spell or conjures a spirit they leave behind their astral signature, which lingers for hours. Astral signatures can be deliberately erased with time and concentrated effort.

Astral Projection

Fully awakened characters can project their astral form onto the astral plane, leaving their body behind.

• An astrally projected being can perceive the physical realm but cannot touch it, smell it, or taste it.
• Astral beings can pass through more barriers but not those warded by magic or made from or covered by something living.
• Astral movement is fast. Beings on the astral plane can move at several thousand kilometers per hour.
• Beings in astral space can see perfectly no matter the time of day.
• While it is impossible to read on the astral plane the intent of the writing can often be conveyed. A book of love poems, for example, might radiate warmth and longing while a technical manual might feel cold with sharp edges and smell faintly of chrome.
• All astral beings can manifest in the physical world to appear as a ghostly image that can be seen and heard. This manifestation is psychic and cannot be viewed on camera or heard by a microphone.

Loa Spirits

A houngan can summon loa spirits but can only have one bound at any one time. The spirits remain until released, banished, or twelve hours pass, whichever comes first. Loa spirits can only manifest on the astral plane but can possess the houngan or servitor to better affect the physical plane if desires. Loa spirits can only be summoned in their domain.

Possession

When a loa spirit inhabits a willing vessel (either the houngan or a willing servitor and practitioner of voudoun), the possessed's personality is subsumed by the loa, though the spirit has access to all that person's skills and abilities. While possessed, the servitor or houngan gains a d8 asset that can be added to any dice pool. However, when the possession ends, the person who the loa inhibited receives a d8 Drained complication for the next 8 hours.

Loa Spirits

Spirit of Agwe

• Domain: Open water
• Powers: Concealment, confusion, fear, physical guard, movement, search

Spirit of Azaca

• Domain: Fields and plains
• Powers: Concealemtn, confusion, fear, physical guard, movement, search

Spirit of Damballah

• Domain: Open sky
• Powers: Animal control (snakes), confusion, physical guard, magical guard, search

Spirit of Erzulle

• Domain: Anywhere
• Powers: Confusion, influence (lust/love), search

Spirit of Ghede

• Domain: Anywhere with a great number of corpses
• Powers: Accident, confusion, fear, physical guard. magical guard, search

Spirit of Legba

• Domain: Crossroads
• Powers: Accident, concealment, confusion, physical guard, magical guard, search

Spirit of Obatala

• Domain: Anywhere
• Powers: Confusion, physical guard, influence (peace and calm), magical guard, search

Spirit of Ogoun

• Domain: Battlefields (of the past or a current conflict)
• Powers: Accident, concealment, confusion, fear, physical guard, search

Spirit of Shango

• Domain: Storms or fires
• Powers: Concealment, fear, physical guard, fire guard, lightning and electrical attacks, search