Kishin
Aug 9, 2018 10:16:39 GMT -6
Post by Amanojyaku on Aug 9, 2018 10:16:39 GMT -6
The difference between madness and enlightenment is very often academic to most folks on the Wheel, but it is there... and yes, there are those who exult in their lunacy but never exalt by it. Kishin are those who do, exalted madmen touched in the head by powers yet greater. Some remain safe to be around; others, however, have fallen prey to truly dangerous psychoses, like the madnesses of anger and order.
Each Kishin is bound up in his own personal nightmare, a hellish mindscape both creating and created by that Kishin's personal madness. The nightmare ends only when someone else forces it to... there is no end to the Kishin's insanity, no cure that mends a mind shattered by willingly looking beneath Pale Night's skirts, no recourse save the twisting skeins of fate that might bring forward a hero to end the Kishin's suffering.
Tell: Kishin generate unsettling hallucinations, increasing in intensity as they spend Delirium, ranging from whispers just on the edge of hearing, to flashes of movement in the peripheral vision, to their perception suddenly being mirrored for brief moments.
Powers
Fifteen Degrees off Sane: Don't get narky, but you're barmier than a Modron god. You begin play with 15 Insanity and a Major Derangement. Whenever you buy a dot of Insight, you gain 5 Insanity.
Power Born of Madness: Sometimes being a psychotic mephit is a bad thing, and sometimes you're too barmy to know there's supposed to be a limit. Add one-tenth of your Insanity as a static bonus on any roll you spend Delirium on.
Lunatic Insight: You know things that you really shouldn't. Add your Insight to initiative rolls and on saving throws against Mind-Affecting abilities, and the SM may secretly test to notice hidden things.
Laughing Mad: Laughter is the best medicine. Except for, y'know, medicine, but it helps you, at any rate. You can temporarily lose yourself to your own madness (doing nothing other than laughing or raving maniacally), losing up to three points of Insanity per dot of Insight and regaining up to one Delirium for every three Insanity lost, as a full action that provokes. This can't reduce your Insanity below 10 + 5 times your Insight.
Power Stat: Insight: Insight represents the Kishin's knowledge of things best left unknown, the ability to see beyond the curves and angles and act on impossible wisdom. As the Kishin's Insight grows, so too does his disconnect with reality, as his mind spends more time dwelling on the insanity he relies on.
Resource Stat: Delirium: You have maximum Delirium equal to your Insight plus Forbidden Lore plus Willpower. Once each night, you regain Delirium equal to your Insight when the moon (or moons, or local equivalent) rises.
*Madman's Knowledge: Treat all Mental skills as Basic, and add your Insight as a static bonus to Mental skill tests.
**Reflexive Psychosis: You can spend 1 Delirium to reduce the damage taken from a single attack by an amount equal to your Willpower plus Insight. If you do, on your next turn you are Confused (as the spell).
***Delusional Defiance: When you are targeted by a Mind-Affecting spell or ability, you can take a Reaction to spend 1 Delirium and gain twice the spell's level (or the user's level, if it isn't a spell) as Insanity to retarget the effect to someone else in its range.
****Enlightening Madness: Gain +1k0 on tests involving a Characteristic that has a higher rating than your Insight.
*****Great One's Wisdom: Gain the Stuff of Nightmares trait, and you can go to six dots in any of your Characteristics.
Kishin Madness Assets
Madness from Greed
The desire for material wealth is an insidious form of madness, but madness nonetheless. Gain +1 Wealth, to a maximum of 6, and reduce Wealth Strain tests by your Insight. Your Madman's Knowledge power applies to Social skill tests that involve appealing to the target's material desires.
Madness from Order
The ancient Modrontyr had a point: The Warp is messy, unsightly, disgustingly asymmetrical, and it's born from sentient life, also messy, unsightly, disgustingly... y'know what, it just has to go. All of it. You can take -Xk0 to any test or damage roll to gain 5*X as a static bonus to the end result, where X is up to your Level. Any creature that is reduced to 5 critical damage by your attacks is killed unless they burn a Hero Point, even if they would normally not be in danger of death.
Madness from Power
The headiest drug on the Wheel is power over others, to do as one pleases with no fear of reprisal. Add half your Insight (rounded up) in rolled dice to damage against mortals or anyone with a power stat equal to or lower than your Insight, and gain Hit Points and Armor equal to your Insight.
Madness from Rage
To lose yourself to fury is the easiest and most widespread form of insanity, the madness of anger sanctioned by the Blood God. Gain the Frenzy feat and one rank of the Infernal Monster sword school. You can advance this school as if it appeared in any class progression you possess.
Madness from Terror
Fear of a monster can be more dangerous than the monster itself... or, indeed, even more dangerous than no monster at all. Gain the Fear trait, with a rating equal to your Insight. Whenever you Charge or make an All-Out Attack, you can spend 1 Delirium to make all creatures within melee range test against your Fear rating.