Perpetual - They Won't Even Die if You Kill Them.

[Traskus]

People die if they are killed. This is the law that governs all living things. Even the long lifespans of the Exalted meet an end someday, whether by magic, silver, or sunlight. The only exception is through the Elixir of Life, a miraculous chemical whose myths and legends have made it into every culture by one name or another.

Feared by gods and coveted by kings, the Elixir is actually an intense poison which instantly kills the user. After a few weeks, they awaken suddenly to find their body completely restored from all their injuries, even cremation or vaporization. From then on, they will resurrect from anything else that kills them. They have no need for sleep, air, or food, and they will never age or get sick. They have transcended life and death altogether.

“Perpetuals”, those who drink the Elixir of Life, can never end their eternal life even if – and when – they want to. As the weight of deaths, memories, experiences, and lost loved ones grows infinitely, their lives become empty and tedious, a story without a conclusion. Not even the oldest Dragons can understand what it is like to look out into the world and know you will outlast everything you lie eyes on.

The Perpetuals have taken to calling their newfound struggle "The Game", a term referring to the trivial existence they once knew as "Life". Every Perpetual has their own ways of succeeding at this, but many turn to a certain perspective, or "Code", on how to play the Game. Others simply wander through the ages, slowly fading into madness, apathy, and despair.


Resurrection: A Perpetual's body is never permanently destroyed. If they die, the Perpetual comes back to life after 1d10+5 days fully regenerated, with all injuries, critical damage, or otherwise completely healed. They can reduce this time by 1 day for each dot of Eternity and for each point of Resolve they choose to spend. Should they become permanently trapped, restrained, or lost in the Warp, Perpetuals still must burn a Hero Point to return.

Old Money: A Perpetual begins play with 4 additional dots to place into backgrounds. They've simply had a long time to integrate themselves into society, and can reap the benefits.

Immortality Blues: The mind of an Immortal remembers every one of their lifetimes, and becomes even more fragile than a mortal's. Immortals begin play with 10 insanity and subtract 3 from their Static Defense and Mental Defense. Any insanity points they gain are doubled, and they do not get jaded to social attacks.

Defiled Soul: Drinking the Elixir of Life is unforgivable in the eyes of the gods, and irresistible to the mouths of daemons. Immortals receive -2 to all Alignment checks, and +20 to all Warp Phenomena rolls. They may never take Pure Faith, Virgil's Guidance, or Armour of Contempt, and are may skip these feats on any class lists.

POWER STAT

Eternity: As the Perpetual grows in understanding and acceptance of the Elixir which suffuses their body, the power of Eternity takes an even tighter hold over their soul and body. Perpetuals who can advance in the Game begin to take on a demeanor somewhere between hopeless and tranquil, and their body appears eerily pristine like a still portrait of themselves. Their movements and mannerisms become crisp and fluid, just as painfully pure as their undying form.

RESOURCE STAT

Resolve: Perpetuals gain and lose Resolve like any other character, but they also use it as their Resource stat. A Perpetual's maximum Resolve is equal to their Eternity + Willpower + Composure.


Powers

* Eternal Life - You are immune to Fatigue, Poison, and Disease. You also have no need to Eat, Drink, Sleep, or Breathe, though you can still do so if you want.
** Eternal Sustenance - Your Healing Surges restore 2 Hit Points for every Resolve spent.
*** Eternal Calm - You can spend a point of Resolve to instantly recover from any Conditions, Critical Effects, or Shock Table results currently affecting you.
**** Eternal Strength - You may spend a point of Resolve to gain Armor and Aura equal to your Eternity until the end of the scene.
***** Eternal Hope - During a scene, you may Burn a Hero Point which does not go away until the end of the scene. Until then, the Hero Point can be spent once every round, and you are not limited to 5 Resolve spent per turn.

PERPETUAL CODE ASSETS

Gauntlet
With your invincible body and infinitely-expanding mind, you shun the fleeting concerns of mortals in favor of self-improvement and personal greatness, searching tirelessly for new limits to break. You gain a dot in Crafts, Intimidation, and Weaponry, and may go to six dots in each of them. You gain a point of Resolve whenever you use a stunt to overcome a seemingly-impossible challenge (at the SM's discretion).

Knife
Rather than pursue your own advancement or happiness, you seek to destroy the dreams of others, cutting warmongers and white knights down to size. You gain a dot in Larceny, Politics, and Tech-Use, and may go to six dots in each of them. You gain a point of Resolve whenever you use a stunt to prevent someone from achieving their most important goal (at the SM's discretion).

Mask
Taking denial to new extremes, you hide behind a facade of mortality and live every day like it's your last, bouncing between all kinds of social circles. You gain a dot in Academics, Charm, and Stealth, and may go to six dots in each of them. You gain a point of Resolve whenever you use a stunt to successfully discover or create a secret identity (at the SM's discretion).

Shadow
Unlike the other Codes, you embrace your despair and let the pain of their long lives fuel them. You gain a dot in Scrutiny, Forbidden Lore, and Medicae, and may go to six dots in each of them. You gain a point of Resolve whenever you take Insanity, a point of Critical damage, or fail an Alignment check (at the SM's discretion).

Sword
You seize the endless opportunities before you to reshape the Wheel in your image, driven by ambition and zeal. You gain a dot in Athletics, Perception, and Persuasion, and may go to six dots in each of them. You gain a point of Resolve whenever you use a stunt to prevent someone from acting against your own Alignment's interests (at the SM's discretion).

[Traskus]

I didn't have Kwak's permission to port this. He's been inactive for a long time. I ported this to preserve it because it deserves it.

I will make mechanical changes if and when people post feedback about it.

I'll format it later.

[GuardianTempest]

From what I remember, a character can have more than 2 Resolve damage per scene, they just get jaded and require a new approach to use. Immortality Blues could instead have "they can't become jaded to social attacks."

For Code of the Shadow: Does it trigger when failing an Alignment test or just triggering one in general?

[Traskus]

In the absence of original author, I'll say it's when you fail.
Changes and clarifications made.