Mechanics

Victor's notes have been refined over the years by the cabal into the following reanimation skills:

Reanimation (H)

A foundation skill. All reanimators must have this skill. It represents a basic understanding of how to cheat death by reanimating dead flesh.

Roll vs. state of decomposition:

Note: The reanimated cannot be intelligent unless a living (specially preserved) brain is implanted into the corpse (see Biochemistry: Reanimator).

The creature will be somewhat controllable (Will vs. Will). However, without training it will quickly become uncontrollable.

Creature's Mind attribute = Fair (Scale: animal) +1 per degree of success on Reanimation roll.

Note: GM may decide a roll that critically fails will animate an uncontrollable berserker.

The reanimated do not age and do not require food, though many continue to eat out of habit.

Corpse Surgery (H)

This skill allows the user to prepare a body for reanimation, and is required for all reanimators. It allows the user to construct or modify a creature using parts. This avoids the problems caused by recognition and latent memories and creates more of a blank creature. This also allows for the wholesale modification of both human and other corpses and their combination.

Difficulty according to the complexity of changes:

Relative degree of success is used as modifier.

  1. +/- strength of new limb (bonus)
  2. +/- may be carried over to the installation of another limb, making the next installation easier/harder.

Biochemistry: Reanimator (H)

This skill allows the user to preserve a corpse (animal or vegetable). It also allows the user to modify the living in various ways using their natural growth and adaptation faculties.

Modification of the living is generally used to provide spare parts of the correct size and structure for addition to a reanimation subject.

Example

Dr. Heidi wishes to create a reanimated companion creature from her dead pet Rottweiler. In the process she wishes to add the leaping and running ability of a jack rabbit. Due to scale differences between these animals, she uses Biochemistry to quickly increase the size and scale of a normal jack rabbit. Through experimentation and good fortune she does it after only a few tries. Her previous failures go on to terrorize the countryside for weeks.


How It All Works

So you want to make a monster? You aren't the first.

Robert Rothschild was a war hero. The irony of his story is that after serving his mother country faithfully in a small war, he was slain by an anarchist bomb two miles from his father's ancestral castle.

Robert's father, Doctor Alastair Rothschild, however, is a highly skilled reanimator with enemies he wants gone. His son is about to become the perfect weapon: loyal, smart, unstoppable.

Doctor Rothschild observes the following steps in the transformation of his son.

  1. The still-living brain is preserved.
  2. Using Biochemistry, several large predators are harvested for special parts:
    1. large teeth
    2. olfactory senses
    3. claws
    4. muscle fiber
  3. Corpse Surgery techniques are used to merge these with Robert's physical remains and implant the brain.
  4. Reanimation

Robert rises one stormy night a near-perfect killing machine: the "Grinder." He now stands seven feet tall (Scale +1) with the claws and fangs of a bear and the olfactory senses of a wolf, complete with combat skills of a veteran soldier.

The Breakdown

  1. Biochemistry vs. Good to preserve the brain and maintain the subject's intelligence
  2. Biochemistry to increase scale. Roll Superb vs. Great: +1 Scale
  3. Corpse Surgery to add the parts. Doctor Rothschild decides to use the points to offset any negatives.
    1. Incorporate new muscle fiber (Scale +1)--Roll: Good (RD: 0)
    2. Incorporate new olfactory sense--Roll: Good (RD: -1)
    3. Incorporate claws--Roll: Superb (RD: 1)
    4. Incorporate teeth/improve skull--Roll: Great (RD: 0)
    5. Total of rolls = 0 (No bonus)
  4. Changes:

Note: The bonus/penalty for an "installation" is entirely GM-decided. It could be a simple +/-1 to the strength of the installation, or something more elaborate, like a modified damage capacity for that particular limb, etc.

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Text copyright 2001 Todd LaRoche Site maintained by Lily Principe