Vizard - Mysterious Masked Men
Aug 9, 2018 1:10:10 GMT -6
Post by Amanojyaku on Aug 9, 2018 1:10:10 GMT -6
The Vizards are pale, masked folk hailing from the Umbra, with origins shrouded in darkness. It is said that, long ago, humans would be spirited away into the Umbra, and would quickly become lost. As they journeyed blindly through the realm of spirits, seeking some means of escape, they were set upon by a race of living shadows, who stole the faces of the lost humans and disappeared, leaving their victims faceless. Over time, the victimized once-humans learned to create masks out of the fabric of their new home, masks that bonded to body and soul.
The new-born Vizards are said to have hunted down the face thieves, eradicating them from the Umbra, before turning to the task of acclimating to their new home and, eventually, finding a path back to their old one. The prodigal race appeared back on the Wheel just as the humans made their debut, watching from a world away as Théah waged war with the Eldarin, and made their own presence known shortly thereafter... though just a bit more quietly, with a far better first impression than their counterparts did. Of course, everything up until their emergence into the Materium is known only by asking the Vizards themselves, and given the love of secrecy they've displayed since, most greybeards rightfully have their doubts.
Physical Characteristics
Average Height: 1.7-2.0m
Average Weight: 75-100kg
Languages: Trade, Infernal
Common Personality Traits: Patient, contrary, secretive, soft voice, aloof
Common Physical Traits: Ceramic mask, concealing clothes, pale skin, sinewy build, probably humanoid
Example Names: Cifer, Wundarweiss, Masquito, Los Tiburon, Guy
Racial Statistics
Characteristic Bonus: +1 to Intelligence or Composure
Skill Bonus: +1 to Stealth and Deceive
Power: Enmascarado: A Vizard's hollow face comes with certain benefits. Namely, that you don't actually have eyes (though you can still see just fine), and thus can't be Blinded. You also gain 2 AP on your Head, that stacks only with Armor gained from feats.
Size: 4
Racial Feats
Arrancarado [Paragon, Vizard]
Through some supreme effort of will, strength, or magic, your mask has been torn off so thoroughly that you grew an actual face as a replacement. You lose the Vizard's racial power of Enmascarado, and gain +1 to Intimidation. Once per scene as Full Action, you can draw on the Umbral power lingering in your mask's remains to fortify yourself, gaining temporary hit points equal to your Excellence and increasing your AP and Aura by an amount equal to your Excellence for the remainder of the scene. In addition, treat this asset as if it were the Frenzy feat for the purpose of class prerequisites or interactions with other game mechanics, and treat Frenzy as an optional feat if it appears in your class progression.
Fabricante Oscuro [Vizard]
Where humans became known for war, Vizards gained a reputation for crafting all kinds of wonderful toys. Gain a free raise on any Crafts tests you make, or three free raises when in darkness or in the Umbra. If you take this feat at character creation, you begin play with additional items as if you had dots in Inheritance equal to your Crafts skill. These extra items may not be weapons, armor, or cybernetics.
Hierro [Vizard]
Vizard warriors have skin like iron, and have been known to go into battle covered only by their masks. Gain AP on all body locations equal to your Composure, that does not stack with other sources of armor. This feat is treated as Wholeness of Body for the purpose of interacting with other feats and class completion bonuses.
Màscara de Fuerza [Vizard]
A Vizard's mask isn't just his face; it's a source of power, leached straight from the Umbra. As long as you are Enmascarado or Arrancarado, you can spend a Hero Point to add your Level in rolled dice to a single test.
Vàstago de Las Noches [Vizard]
Vizards generally aren't terribly good at the art of diplomacy, but you've got a silver tongue worthy of the lords back in their Umbral palaces. Gain a free raise on Charm, Command, and Persuasion tests.
Physical Qualities
Vizards stand as tall as humans, and can easily be mistaken for them at first glance. However, a second look reveals the fundamental difference: Where a human would have a face, a Vizard wears a rigid, unmoving mask.
This mask is cool to the touch and feels like ceramite. Though it seems to be no more than a mask, a Vizard sees through the eyes of the mask and speaks through its mouth - though the mask itself never moves. The mask cannot be removed from an unwilling Vizard by any means short of surgery, and such efforts reveal a smooth, featureless head behind the mask. A Vizard can, however, adjust her mask as needed, and Vizards eat by lifting their masks and placing food in the space between it and the face. Even they cannot say how the food is then eaten.
Vizards typically favor flowing clothes that conceal the shape of their bodies, though many have adopted the styles of other races they've met since their arrival on the Wheel. They have life cycles similar to those of elves; Vizards mature rather quickly in the first couple decades, and remain in their prime for most of their lives, which can last two or three centuries.
Playing a Vizard
Vizards are secretive entities, believing that power lies in knowledge and secrets. Sharing knowledge is anathema, a weakening of one's power base. It is for this reason that the odd devout Vizard tends to favor Acerath... a secretive race who prizes secrets for the god of secrets. Even their birth names are kept secret, between a Vizard and her parents; the name given to others is often a random word or string of sounds that the Vizard is fond of.
This tendency toward secrecy, coupled with their care of words, means that most other races regard them with unease, and often question their motivations. Despite this, Vizards enjoy mingling with their Materium counterparts, doing so whenever possible. Many display a rather contrarian streak, especially when among the humans, with whom they share so many similarities otherwise.
Vizards only remove their masks on special occasions, viewing masklessness in the way that other races view nudity. While she holds the mask, her senses continue to operate normally; if it leaves her grasp, it immediately disappears, slowly reforming on its owner's head over the next several seconds. A Vizard's mask is not very likely to leave her hands if it isn't on her face, however, due to a certain degree of paranoia regarding its location... some greybeards use this as evidence of their supposed origins, that the race as a whole has a phobia regarding losing their faces again.
Vizard Heroes
Likuta comes from deeper in the Umbra than most Vizards, and does he ever show it. His form is fluid, a writhing mass of darkness crowned by a black skull mask. Once a proud guardian of a Vizard colony in the Abyss, now he has some rather dark designs on Sigil, starting with a plan to cause the Lady of Pain to sleep, that he might take her place...
Most Vizards barely bend the knee to Acerath, but for reasons known only to himself, Grimmjaw has taken on the silver tattoos of Luna's beast warriors, and with them the form of a great feline. He's since taken on a battle frenzy more worthy of Khorne, feared across several crystal spheres for his desire and his ability to fight the kill-squads of marines sent to contain him.
Lariska probably could have done without the accident that cost her her knife hand, but as it resulted in the various Mythril implants now greatly empowering her body, she tolerates it... and the replacement launches her knives with far more power anyway. She's declared a stretch of territory surrounding Cadia to be her turf, lending her small fleet to the planet's defense and making a killing wrecking the Chaos forces trying to take it from her.