Antagonists
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Overview
It's a big bad scary World of Darkness out there and, lo though you walk through the valley of death you shall fear no evil for, being a Vampire, you are the meanest, evilest, baddest mother in the whole frikkin' valley... or are you? One thing you learn after a few dozen years of being undead, my friend, is that undeath is a lot like a big game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. No matter how bad you are (or think you are) there's always somebody, somewhere who's got your number, knows your weakness or just plain has the dumb, stupid luck to take you out.
And oh, yeah, there's also Werewolves. And ghosts. And demons, fallen angels, un-fallen angels, witch hunters, vampire slayers, wizards, witches, promethians, holy men, blessed women, avatars, superstars and it don't matter what they ares that can also put a serious crimp in your ever-livin' requiem.
So let's examine some of the big bads (other than the several thousand other Vampires out there) that can ruin your night.
Demons
Once they were angels, but they rebelled against God. Cast out and down, they fell into the pit there to suffer untold torments for all of time. Now something has released them, summoned them, allowed them to walk the earth. They have power but lack wisdom, desires without restraint, existence without meaning. So far, Demons have not been officially defined in the New World of Darkness. Do with them what you will... they'd do the same to you.
Gargoyles
Gargoyles are creatures of stone, brought to a semblance of life by powerful magic. They usually resemble their architectural namesakes (horned demons with talons and wings) but, logically, they could be almost any shape. They have little, if any, intelligence but can be formidable fighters. And they are immune to just about any attack short of pounding them into tiny bits.
These are not to be confused with the Gargoyles from Forsaken Treason.
Ghost
Ghosts are the spirits of the dead. Those which, for reasons, often unknown and unknowable, have refused to or been unable to pass on to the next life. Many are merely the echoes of a life long gone, spirits who are doomed to follow a pattern of behavior throughout eternity or until their spirits can be freed to move on. Others got lost on the way to the next life, or willfully remained behind out of fear, a sense of loss or because they seek retribution or recognition for a crime done to them (often their murder) or some act left undone in their lifetime. Some ghosts can manifest physical phenomena in the world of the living. Some of these manifestations can even hurt Vampires.
Hellhound
Hellhounds are dogs (usually large dogs, such as Dobermans or german shepherds) which have, for one reason or another acquired, or been imbued with, supernatural power. One of the easiest ways, at least for a Vampire, to do this is to make the dog a Ghouls. Allowing a guard dog to drink regularly of a Vampire's blood gives the dog enhanced abilities much as with any other ghoul. Other hellhounds are Possession either by a Ghost or a Demon. This can be by the will of the inhabiting spirit or through the workings of magic.
There is no technical reason why a "hellhound" could not, per se, be created from another kind of animal. A ghoul or possessed leopard or falcon, for example, is certainly possible.
Homunculus
Homunculi are creatures created through powerful magic to act as servants for a Wizard. They can have almost any appearance. One of the most common is a small, often rather distorted replica of the mage who created them. Other homunculi might be even stranger: a disembodied hand which scuttles about doing its master's bidding, or small, tentacled horrors drawn from dimensions outside our own. Other homunculi may be animal or animal-like "familiars," animal imbued with near-human intelligence and often with some other form of supernatural power. Such animals are often distorted or disfigured: a cat with functional wings or a lizard with six legs, for example, or simple a dog with a "hunched" back or crippled leg.
Mortal Muggle Hunter
From the ordained members of ultra-secret orders of the Church, to plucky young women with mystically enhanced powers, to scholars of the occult, to bounty hunters who've had their eyes opened to a darker and far more evil world than they ever expected back when they were cold-cocking drunken bail jumpers in titty bars outside of Barstow, there are mortals who have chosen, or been fated, to hunt, and destroy, the undead. In these days of increasingly sophisticated weapons, the internet, cell-phones, GPS systems, night-vision goggles and other technology, it is becoming harder than ever for Vampires to evade these hunters. Add to this the hunter's ability to plan and act during daylight hours and the amazing strength, speed and mystical Disciplines of the Kindred start to look a lot less formidable in the never-ending battle between the living and the undead.
Wizards
A Wizard or Witch can work magic, real magic. And here's the sucky part: magic can really hurt a Vampire.
Unfortunately, it's damn near impossible to predict anything about a mage. They are powerful, subtle and as far as most outsiders are concerned, completely batshit insane.
Promethean
Take one body, two arms (roughly the same length), two legs (preferably bilaterally symmetrical), a few yards of intestines, a spleen and a few other squishy bits, a great heart and a respectably impressive brain and, with a stitch here, a tuck there, a few well-placed surgical staples and, of course, the all important electrical JOLT! and there you have it: it's alive...
ALIVE! Prometheans are reanimated cadavers, often assembled from cast-off bits of several bodies, that have been assembled and brought to a semblance of life through the insane machinations of doctors or scientists who share a, shall we say, less than catholic sense of medical or scientific propriety. And being already dead, Prometheans are every bit as hard to kill as Vampires.
Werewolf
Yep, Werewolves (or Lupines, as Kindred tend to call 'em) are just what you thought they were: people with a marked proclivity for shape shifting into monstrous, fur-clad, muscle-bound beasts with huge claws, drooling fangs and, especially when it comes to Vampires, a serious, serious territoriality complex. Luckily Werewolves tend to keep to areas outside of cities, or at least to the more run-down outskirts of town.
Werewolves are not just a purely physical threat, though a straight hunt is their preferred tactic; they also possess a host of spiritual Gifts which may appear superficially similar to vampiric Disciplines. When enhanced with the "Savage Rending" Gift, a werewolf's claws and teeth are among the few weapons that can cause aggravated damage to a Vampire.
Zombie
Zombies are reanimated corpses. Unlike Prometheans (q.v.) they are mindless and often feral. The genesis of a zombie may be from one of two sources: magic or biology and/or science. Some zombies are created through magic, most notably Voudoun. In such a case, the zombie is controlled by the Priest or Priestess (Bokor) who animated it. Voudoun zombies are often slow and clumsy, but strong and very hard to kill. Generally a zombie created by Voudoun magic is not hungry, it does not eat or sleep, it just follows orders. Zombies can also be created by other forms of magic or sorcery.
Other zombies are the result of some biochemical mutation or the result of deliberate experimentation resulting in a mutated virus or biological agent which destroys the mind and personality of the victim (and often much of their biological processes as well making them dead in all ways but physical animation). Some such zombies are as slow and clumsy as Voudoun zombies, others can be every bit as fast and agile as a living human being. In either case, being dull to pain or injury, zombies can be very hard to subdue.
Generally they can be swiftly killed by destroying their brain: a gunshot to the forehead, severing the head at the neck or crushing the skull usually works. Zombies of this type are typically hungry, either for the flesh or merely the brains of the living. Biological zombie-dom can be transferred via a bite or other injury. Hordes of zombies can thus be created quite rapidly as victims who manage to escape initial attacks suffer wounds that eventually kill and turn them. Vampires are immune to the known zombie viruses.
All zombies rot. They are animated corpses and the process of decay is not halted by their reanimation. Depending on age, a zombie may appear relatively alive, or may be a seeping, bloated, festering horror. Damage they take does not heal and will accelerate the rotting process.
Oddity
The Thief. The Aswang. The Devil's Daughter. The Lobison, the Beast of Bethlehem and the Dead Desperado of Mexico. All of these and more unclassifiable freaks await out there in the night. Some will compete with you for the human cattle you prey upon, others hunt you the way we hunt people, or pursue you because your grandsire was part of some old grudge you've never even heard of. There's no point trying to make everything we share the night with fit the mold, because there aren't enough molds to go around. Should you meet one of these monsters, kill them if you can, or just stay the hell away. If you meet one and survive, you could build up quite the legend for yourself. But what's the fun of being a vampire without the odd...complication? Pleasant dreams.
