The Harbinger of Ferocity

There Are No Heroes [Modern, Supernatural, Survival]

The Narrator said
A Revenant sounds pretty interesting.

They are a surprisingly under represented archetype, so I figured that they would prove interesting to some given their uniqueness.

There Are No Heroes [Modern, Supernatural, Survival]

The out of character portion of is up for "There Are No Heroes". Enjoy.

Please submit your characters there.

There Are No Heroes

Name (and or Alias): Asher Tybalt

Gender: Male

Age: Born April 21st, 1989 (25 years old)

Lineage: Caucasian - Mixed European Descent (English-Germanic) - Naturalized Zoanthrope (Weretiger)

Fate: Remaining: 2, Expended: 1

Fate Expenditures:

Naturalized Zoanthrope (1)

Naturalized Zoanthrope (Weretiger):

Information
Of the zoanthropes the weretiger holds a unique place among the rarest and most rightfully feared; it is an unnatural beast of tremendous power and incredible ferocity. Yet the weretiger is equally one of the more unusual zoanthropes in that, while known for unmatched savagery and viciousness, is not largely an aggressor. The majority of weretigers who do exist are naturally occurring with one, at times both, parents being weretigers. Surprisingly, most natural weretigers hold a remarkable amount of self control; they are often of an understanding with their other nature and innately capable of holding back its violence. This does not rule out the continued existence of their wrath, that of which is truly infamous; a provoked weretiger is prone to turn from calm companion to roaring fury. Because of this, most natural weretigers are known to have decidedly aggressive streaks to their personality as manifested outlets of their supernatural fury.

Most afflicted weretigers are the result of another weretiger making a conscious decision to pass on the blood curse, as few human victims ever survive an encounter with one who has been infuriated to the point that they would let loose claw and fang. Such afflicted individuals often struggle with the tiger's propensity for violence and find great difficulty in controlling their anger or irritability. When truly uncontrolled most weretigers fight to kill anything of which proves to be too foolish to get out of harm's way, at times including those they would regularly never consider harming. These rages are often brief unless the weretiger fails to enact revenge against the thing which drove it to anger.

As a whole weretigers are the rarest of ailuranthropes and their lineage finds itself traced back to Asia but has since expanded globally with time. Most weretigers without an Asian or Indian heritage are Caucasians of American or English nationality, given that historically both countries have been particularly active in these regions and even more so in the later 20th century.

Backstory
For Asher Tybalt the beginning of his life was set well on the course for failure before it even began as his mother, a younger woman, knew few of her partners quite well; she spent her nights out and away from home, wasting the education that her family had fought so readily for. It was on one of these nights where his mother, enjoying a party as she was, was charmed by an unusual man with dark hair and a cunning, almost animal magnetism to his personality; having already had a few drinks she was more than willing to oblige him and his advances. It was this man who would be Asher's father - a man he would never meet - and just as quickly as he met Asher's mother, he was as quick to disappear from her life all in the same night, having passed on the curse to the child the woman soon bore.

Relationship Status: Single

Occupational Status:

Consumer Data Entry

Description:
Asher Tybalt finds himself mired in the world of consumer data entry - a job in which, day in and day out, he busies himself by entering the personal information and habits of customers. Such a decision was not made without rationale, as Asher, well aware of his blood's curse, sought an occupation that required little direct interaction with others unless absolutely required; it too provided a sense of normalcy, a regular life of which he could not normally live - the idea of "Everyone commutes to work, hates working in cubicles, and gossips about one another behind each others' backs, then goes home before sunset." Though not fond of his work, and truly loathing its monotony, Asher tries to accept his reality as best one can, and shrink away from the truth that, on some nights, stares him back so clearly in the mirror.

For Asher, his coworkers provide more than sufficient insanity, and the already withdrawn man only stays separated further. Most view him as timid, or quiet, not wanting to start conflict or even so much as talk, but few could ever imagine the rationale behind such behavior, let alone believe it. Ostracized, much of his time is spent actually working than socializing, which is in great contrast to his peers. Inadvertently this has but only earned him more work, more pressure, and more stress; forced to take on the added work load of his coworkers, his superiors hold unrealistic expectations from him, all while turning a blind eye to their other subordinates.

As of recent times Asher has drifted closer and closer to that ever present threat, no longer remaining so tolerant and passive; aware of this, he fears what could easily be the result...

Physical Description:

Human Description

Description:
Asher is gifted with unusual athleticism and charm for a man who spends most of his days inside several thin office walls; his height, and build, both atypically tall and lean, are subtle indicators that he is more than just an average man. Standing at six feet four inches, he is ill suited to his economy car and small apartment, let alone most of the world around him; his build doesn't help either, and brings to mind questions as to his hobbies and level of exercise. Though not the form of a polished athlete, Asher is surprisingly muscular and could be, at a glance, mistaken for an individual who takes fitness at a more serious level than the common person. Again, like his father Asher is clean shaven, with his dark hair cut close and tight, and eyes glinting with an unusual underlying cunning - one that never seems to manifest and does not seem appropriate for a man who appears to be so quiet and submissive.

Having tried to live a more tame, controlled life, Asher has no piercings, no tattoos - nothing that could readily identify him, and nothing that could provide reason for attention. Dressing modestly day in and out, his most common apparel is an informal business attire, most often a white long sleeved shirt, black pants and dress shoes, and a simple tie; a dress code which strangely irritates him given its restrictiveness and conformity.

Alternate Physical Description:

Alternate Form Description

Description:
The other aspect of Asher is a far cry from his humanity - it is not only enormous, but wholly fearsome, rippling with unnatural musculature and cloaked in a striped pelt. For him, the transformation is violent and prolonged over a minute as his nails thicken and curve into powerful claws and his jaws reform into a maw of deadly fangs; growing to a height of nearly eight feet, balanced on pawed feet with hostile golden eyes, little evidence of Asher himself remains when he takes on his alternate form. With ample strength and agility, Asher's weretiger form is far more capable than he, as a mere person, could ever dream to be - its terrifying and uncontrolled supernatural power visibly evident.

A powerful abomination of human and bestial forms, Asher Tybalt's "other self" is of an orange, edging toward yellowed hue, with a lighter cream coloration upon the interior of his limbs from throat to abdomen, but most iconically marked by irregular nearly ebony brown markings. Despite this, like any other ailuranthrope, seems to fade into concealment when provided even the scarcest of cover or darkness.

Psychological Profile:

Psychological Profile Description

Description:
If there ever was a man one could feel the presence of the unusual from, it is Asher Tybalt. His timidness and aversion to conflict is a behavior of coping he has developed and managed for some time, and his silence even in conversation proves awkward, but one can rationalize his conclusions as wrong as they may be; one can't cause issue with others if they prove not to challenge them. He fears, truly fears, that his uncontrolled anger and denial of his condition could come unhinged - that anger, or even argument, could bring out a murderous, savage side to him. First hand has he witnessed what his unregulated personality has in mind, and by the mere way he trembles in his hands as they clench in argument, one can see he is a loose cannon; the unstable postal worker.

Though he tries to bury his hatred and memory by venting it on monotonous and seemingly mind numbing tasks, Asher can truly never forget what it is he had done; it earned him, to some extent, infamy in the media although they never knew - would never suspect - the two events to share correlation. Blocking out the savage death his tapped anger brought with it, he shows signs of terrible anxiety and even elements of post-traumatic stress; he nervously toys with pens, shakes a single leg, or taps a finger to a palm, all while proving somewhat easily startled when distracted or focused.

When away from the stressful, demanding environment of his workplace, he reads profusely to preoccupy his thoughts. Much of the material he studies is of factual nature, again trying to remove the possibility from his mind that his condition is all very real despite it being clearly being of the impossible nature. When not reading he instead preoccupies his time by further mundanity such as obsessively cleaning and removing evidence of his other form, going so far as to collect each and every feline hair he can, and replace every broken cup or clawed wall.

On evenings of the full moon his anxiety controls him outright and he attempts to the best of his ability to not alter his pattern of behavior, clinging fearfully to what it is that he knows and not face that which is unknown to him. This is, as one can muse, a tactic which does meld well with his weretiger blood, and once freed the beast roams the night with deadly curiosity...

Vices: Mismanagement of anger and lack of psychological treatment.

Background:

Background

Description:
An only child, Asher Tybalt spent many of his early years as an outcast among his would-be family; his mother essentially disowned, his upbringing was largely around her, and despite her continued attempts to calm the unusual behavior and aggression she and others noted in Asher, he turned out for the worse rather than the better. His public education rather poor, Asher failed to excel in school where much of his energy was spent on outbursts of anger when pressed to engage in activities he did not desire part in. At best a "B" student and more often than not attaining a C, he cared nothing for organized learning, instead desiring solitude and the ability to read - his comprehension of which was above those in his grade, but never found itself applied.

As time progressed and Asher found himself in the world of a younger man, his future choices were limited between work and a military career. Having not yet discovered his true nature and not wanting to conform to a rigid social structure and life, Asher pursued work, doing minor jobs as he tried to press on through the remainder of his schooling. Yet as his maturity progressed, he altered in ways he did not expect and honed without cause; his mother, desperate to cling to some good that came from the entire unintended pregnancy told him that he was, in some ways a striking echo of his father - that he would be charming and strong. Unwilling to listen, considering his father dead to him, Asher continued an aimless path until the rise of the moon on one particular summer night.

Away from home and "family" - his mother - Asher sat in the quiet evening attempting to hone one of his few skills - writing. As dusk at last fell he could not explain his anxiousness or sudden pacing, and attributed his unusual lack of focus to frustration, but as the silver orb ultimately crested the horizon he found himself transfixed by it; pained inexplicably, he struggled to fight the rush of adrenaline that accompanied his change. With progressively agonizing breaths he twisted and altered under the moon's presence until he tore free of both his mortal bonds and clothes alike...

Unknowingly he wandered for hours, stalking, hunting and adapting to his true nature against his will, watching helplessly as this seemingly foreign entity controlled his movements, but at the same time he knew well that it was he who was fueling this horror. It was not until the sun of the next day fell upon him that he at last awoke from his terror; a dream all too real. Gathering himself up, clothes torn free and his body nicked and marred in faint places, he believed himself to have hallucinated - that someone had drugged him. With haste he returned home, not to speak of the incident to anyone else, fearing what it was that the event could have inferred...

In time Asher suffered these recurring "nightmares", as he termed them, and devoted a sole book to their occurrences; writing his vivid dreams and hallucinations, he noted how he seemed to faintly influence them, that some how he all along drove this monster to act. Curious, yet imaginably worried, Asher devoted more recollection and prompting to them until they became a strange comfort, somehow giving him the power and freedom he desired at heart, but with time his pride, and temper grew. A more confident, charming young man, he made a mistake that many young zoanthropes fall prey to; violence.

After a night at a bar Asher, stumbling, returned to his car, only to be stopped cold in his tracks by a lone man who had crept in upon him from the shadows. With a worn leather jacket pocket containing the faint glint of metal, the man demanded Asher hand over his wallet and keys - the entirety, in a sense, of what he owned as a young man. Inebriated, as well as youthfully brave and foolish, Asher taunted the man mocking him with a gun gesture of his own. Unimpressed, the man struck, and as the hammer of the revolver fell the night roared twice; once with the sound of iron thunder and the second time with a primal, unholy bellow.

Asher, standing over his attacker, felt the run of red between his claws and the warmth of escaping life down his jowls; he had never killed before, but as he looked down upon the man he felt unrelenting hate and bewildering fear. It was he who had done this - he, Asher Tybalt, not this other. He had wanted to kill the man after the bullet tore and bit deep into his flesh - a wound which now stained the white of the fur that was his chest. However nothing could be done... he could not will this away; it was not a dream, mere imagination, no, he was very much this thing and that which he had done was all real as well.

Recent History:

Recent History

Description:
Having lived alone in his adult life so modestly Asher has steadily gathered his meager earnings into savings in the hope that one day he need not work again; the psychological pressures building upon him as well as his unnatural anxiety, he wishes to be out of the environment he finds himself currently in, knowing that no matter how hard he tries he can never truly blend among the rest of society. His coworkers, still belittling him and prying him, as well as his boss providing undue pressure, have made Asher a hair trigger. Another major change or turning point in Asher's life is likely to break him and put him into a state of mixed repressed anger ousted and longed for freedom, as twisted and savage as it is; a zoanthrope hiding and sheltering - let alone fearing - their nature is a recipe for imminent disaster.

Ready for a life change in more ways than one, he's unaware of the strange turn of events impending upon him and a select few others - all he can hope, is that when things do change, they at last change for the better, as his familiarity with change... well, it only suggests that things can go from bad to worse...

There Are No Heroes

Reserved post.

There Are No Heroes

There Are No Heroes
There never has been, and never will be among us.

---

The general information on this roleplay can be found here by clicking this link.

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Out Of Character Initial Post: Character Creation
The following is the basic character template which players need utilize to create their characters. Unless specified otherwise, please do not remove portions of this character sheet, but feel free to add expanded or in-depth details; there are only minimums. As a suggestion, I recommend keeping a character "Plot Synopsis" section within your character sheet so that at a quick glance you can refer back to important details regarding your character.

Once you've completed your character sheet and posted it here, please wait until the game master approves it before posting in the topic. Note that the game master reserves the right to discredit portions of the sheet if they do not fit within the previously established rules and decline your application. Most discrediting (if any) will be the result of system gaming - clear, or obvious attempts to get the most effect for the minimal cost, or to power game or twist words with the goal being to make "the best character". While the game master is aware not all things are truly balanced, some semblance of structure is required for an efficient, mostly fair roleplay, and attempts to purposefully be disruptive in this manner will not be tolerated.

All I ask is that you make credible people within a credible world, who face incredible circumstances or situations; do your best to simulate real life within the previously established rules.
- The Harbinger

• Name (and or Alias): (Utilize a realistic and or appropriate name. Aliases can be as a simple as one can imagine, but remember they are not actual names.)


• Gender: (As gender.)


• Age: (As age, minimum 18, maximum 60.)


• Lineage: (For humans, treat as race. For inhumans treat as previous race, but also their inhumanity; ex, "Native American - Psychic".)


• Fate: (For humans, begin with value of 3. For non-humans, begin with 2 or less. Provide description of expenditures.)


• Relationship Status: (For characters who are in a relationship, note this here. For characters not with one, remove this line. Provide description.)


• Occupational Status: (For characters who have an occupation, note this here. For characters without one, note as "Unemployed". Provide description.)


• Previous Occupations: (For characters who had previous occupations, note this here. For characters without one, remove this line.)


• Physical Description: (Provide, at minimum, a two paragraph description of a character's physical appearance. Note: Avoid unusualities and pictures.)


• Alternate Physical Description: (Provide, at minimum, a two paragraph description of a character's alternate physical appearance. For characters who do not change shape, remove this line.)


• Psychological Profile: (Provide, at minimum, a two paragraph description of the character's psychological state.)


• Alternate Psychological Profile: (Provide, at minimum a two paragraph description of the character's alternate psychological state. For characters with only a single psyche, remove this line.)


• Vices: For characters who have (bad) habits, note this here. Provide description. For characters without any, remove this line.)


• Background: (Provide, at minimum, a two paragraph description a character's upbringing.)


• Recent History: (Provide, at minimum, a two paragraph recent history of events the character has gone through. This will be expanded upon in your first post.)


• Additional Information: (For characters with additional notes. For characters without any, remove this line.)

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Out Of Character Initial Post: Deadline
The game will begin on 28JULY14 with the following players.

There Are No Heroes: Characters and Players

• Human Zoanthrope (The Harbinger of Ferocity)


• Human Zoanthrope (Stefan0620)


• Human Vampire (El_Tigre)


• Human Shapeshifter (EndCraft)

The first, initial post will be placed on the in-character portion of this forum on the 24th of July by the game master and give a general introduction to the setting, people, tone and world at hand. Treat it as a guideline as to how things are intended to be handled, and note, closely key elements such as time; given the nature of the roleplay, day, night, phase of the moon, or even hour are all relevant - consider how, if at all, you're impacting it by giving a flow to the plot.

The point is for interesting characters with interesting scenarios to interact and come together to face things that they, individually, likely can't best. They're not really "iconic heroes" for a reason.
- The Harbinger

There Are No Heroes [Modern, Supernatural, Survival]

EndCraft said
I'd like to reserve a Human Shapeshifter, if possible. Looks like a very interesting concept and I would love to be involved!

Thank you, as I did my best to make the concept a bit outside the norm, but palatable enough that it should prove entertaining.

As of now the slots are reserved, and all players will need create character profiles due on 23JULY14 by midnight.

There Are No Heroes [Modern, Supernatural, Survival]

Work_U_Dumb said
May I reserve a psychic human

That you may. You have been added to the roster.

There Are No Heroes [Modern, Supernatural, Survival]

If you're interested in playing, just leave a notification here or send one through the private message system. Thus far the slots are as follows:

There Are No Heroes: Characters and Players

• Human Zoanthrope (The Harbinger of Ferocity)


• Human Zoanthrope (Stefan0620)


• Human Psychic (Work_U_Dumb)


• Human Shapeshifter (EndCraft)

All character profiles are due by 0000 24JULY14, and should be submitted, at latest, 2359 23JULY14. Individuals who fail to submit a character by this time will be removed from the roster, and their slot reopened.

I will continue to update this post as appropriate.

There Are No Heroes [Modern, Supernatural, Survival]

There Are No Heroes
There never has been, and never will be among us.

---

There Are No Heroes is set in the modern United States with a distinctive alteration outside of reality - the limited presence of that which defies nature, the supernatural. Though not always subtle, the supernatural is an element that is as mystifying and poorly understood as it is in regular lore, yet here it has influence and presence. Despite this, it is not acknowledged or readily known, even by those involved directly in it as few and far between as they are; most people simply regard it as myth, folklore, urban legend and fantasy.

Your common man will go about his life paying no attention or regard to this element of reality, as he's unlikely to ever see it - experience it. At the end of the day he will still be concerned about his bills, his next promotion, and if his wife is cheating on him with his neighbor; never once stopping to care about anything outside of the norm.

But not everyone has such minor concerns.

For a few unfortunate persons their lives can never be the same as anyone else's no matter how hard it is they try. They work in the same conditions as anyone else, striving to get by, but they're scarred from some element they can't explain but simply know. They won't - they can't - attribute these incidents as madness, and they won't simply let go as they know there is more to life than spending ten hours of their life commuting and working within the confines of four small walls at a desk, day in and day out. They are the caliber who spend sleepless nights trying to put these thoughts away, either be it in a bottle of alcohol or a bottle of pills... but nothing they do will ever convince them otherwise.

Yet some of these people are more than just people now; they are something else altogether - or always had been and never realized it.

They are cursed (or gifted) with powers that aren't meant to be, things that cannot exist or defy existence, and nothing can ever be the same for them. Most, if one can call such limited a population of unusual persons, fall prey to what their true nature is or has become, as people are vulnerable, but most of all, corruptible. When given power over their fellow man most use it to further their lives than to better that of others. Imagine, for a moment the ability to influence one's opinion with mere thought - to sway even the staunchest of opponents and weaken their resolve. Or muse on the nature of eliminating the greatest of rivals on a dark night when they travel by themselves, leaving with slicked claws or fangs.

In There Are No Heroes most characters are redeemed terrors of un-nature; individuals who fell prey to some aspect of their power, only to return as better aspects of themselves, or at least shadows there of. Yet this comes at a terrible cost... one doesn't simply forget, or excuse, their evil deeds done - they need repay, with the rest of their existence, wrong with right. However, this does not mean they need take the high road, and in fact, one should not; the high road, while morally superior, is often prone to failure.

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Plot

Each character opens with their backstory played out, defining who they were, what they are, what they did and what they do now. In this they are essentially sharing their backstory and explaining who their character is in game before moving on to the current plot. While other characters do not immediately know this information (unless of course they too were present), it's present for the other players to better comprehend the character in their current time frame - an explanation of sorts to understand the angle a character and writer is approaching from before the actual plot itself initiates.

Each character's current place opens with them trying to live out their life and undoubtedly facing difficulty in adapting to the norm as something outside of it. It is here that as the game master once all characters have posted that the plot itself will be revealed; what I will say is that each character will be brought together by fate - a mechanic explained later.

The plot itself will contend with opposing that which is evil, be it man or things of unnature - that the antiheroes (the characters) need do their best to not only go undetected and try to live out their lives subtly, but also to prevent others from doing great harm to those who cannot defend themselves. The threats will vary wildly from scenario to scenario, but most are only human.

• All characters provide an opening backstory to give a feeling for what made them who they are now.


• All characters try to live their lives with some semblance of normalcy and conformity.


• All characters are formerly normal people with abnormal abilities, or normal people who have encountered the abnormal formerly.


• All characters are antiheroes who are attempting to redeem themselves and undo errors or mistakes of their past.


• Most characters should be flawed or scarred psychologically from their experiences in the past, and develop credible coping mechanisms.

---

Characters

Players have two base options for characters, both of which are very, very broad strokes; human and the inhuman. Humans have the advantage of, while not strong, fast, resilient, or superbly intellectual, they can live out their life and operate with normalcy - things which the unnatural cannot. Inhumans, however, are much more varied, as the touch of the supernatural renders a human inhuman; by this virtue, in game mechanics, a human being with actual psychic talent is placed into this category, just as a zoanthrope is, despite both being largely able to live out normal human lives whereas a vampire simply cannot.

Most importantly to character creation is "fate", or in the more abstract sense "Fate Points". Each character before creation has three points of fate, or effectively the ability to do or be the impossible within a few limits; this abstract concept represents a twist of fate, or mere chance essentially. In order to play an unnatural human one must expend a single use of fate at character creation, representing that they survived, endured, or encountered an event that was entirely fate and or chance - something that should not have happened.

A valid use of a "Fate Point" is to make a regular human character into a psychic with a few basic abilities. For example, while a psychic can't explicitly read minds, they could sense emotion and glean a bit of it from thought in a form of telepathy, or could be able to levitate small objects through a version of telekinesis, or even gain knowledge of a person by handling an object through psychometry. They could not, however, outright ignite people with pyrokinesis or possess someone with a form of astral projection.

Thus one must expend a point to create an unnatural character, and must expend another point for additional expanded abilities, such as having multiple abilities. Some unnatural creatures inherently have multiple abilities, but come with drawbacks; a human with lycanthropy is playable with but a single expenditure of fate because though the actual alternate form is exceptionally powerful, it is difficult to control, is vulnerable to silver, is compelled to manifest on full moons or under extreme duress, and otherwise can be readily exploited by others. If the individual wanted to control their lycanthropy and have true mastery and understanding of it, they'd need expend two fate and only receive that benefit; they could not, however, expend another point of fate and make silver cease to harm them, or fail to transform under a full moon, as these are universal qualities of which no exception for their type exists.

Fate, otherwise, is used to preform acts of extreme heroism or otherwise defy the possible. One could, with fate, survive a mortal wound - a human survive a point blank shot to the head, dealt by their captor. Though they would be comatose for weeks at a minimum, they would survive and remain a character. One could not, with fate, as a human stop an oncoming bus through strength alone; the vehicle would instead careen, haphazardly, out of the way when it should have killed them. Treat fate uses like this as a "second chance" and specify usage of them through something like double parenthesis at the start of the post, saying "I'm spending a twist of fate." or something similar.

Moving on from the concept of "fate", characters should be readily attempting to manage normalcy versus their abnormalcy (or dealings with it); they still have lives to attend to, needs to fill, and things expected of them. The further they drift away from their previous normal world, the more distinct the corruption becomes as they are left, largely by themselves, to themselves. Characters should not revel in their monstrous power (if they have it) - it's frightening - but they can easily understand and comprehend it to the point that they can utilize it as a tool, and more importantly, a means to survive.

• Minimum age of characters is 18.


• Characters may be human (with experience toward the inhuman), or inhuman (with former humanity).


• Characters all begin play with 3 Fate Points.


• Characters must spend 1 Fate Point to become supernatural, and an additional 1 Fate Point to refine their abilities or remove a weakness that is not universal.


• Characters should not revel in their abilities or experience with the inhuman; it has damaged, or even destroyed their life.


• Characters may not combine different inhuman qualities.

Humanity
A character need not be an unnatural creature bearing some terrible burden or curse, and may instead be a normal human being with the sole stipulation that they are aware of the supernatural, for better and worse. Humans have the advantage of having no relative drawbacks in any scenario, but at the same time having no particular strengths. For example, a human can go undetected by a psychic who can innately sense things of unnature, but that same human hasn't nearly the athletic ability of even the most mundane of vampires.

Most humans can survive day to day with minimal concern about the supernatural affecting their lives, and those who are aware of it often specifically fight against it, using their research and versatility to survive. However, most glaringly dangerous, is the fact that some creatures - namely zoanthropes - can bestow their curse upon humans. This threat is very real to human characters in There Are No Heroes, and thus they should carefully consider expending fate points to - just by chance - avoid a heavy burden to bear.

Inhumanity
One of the most notable elements of There Are No Heroes is that characters have the option to begin, or later become, inhuman. Because of this quality, a sense of balance needs be established. If you wish to play a non-listed human character turned inhuman, please message me with your idea. Creatures which are not valid options, such as zombies, demons, ghosts, etc, are barred as they are inherently not human or cannot even attempt to continue their humanity.

Doppelgangers

• A doppelganger can take on the appearance of any person they've seen. They may also take on the voice of any person they've heard. This mimicry is not perfect, however, as a doppelganger would need to see the entire person, as well as hear them speak at least every letter of the alphabet at least once in order for an exact match.


• A doppelganger may combine various features of persons to create a new disguise altogether that does not resemble any person at all. This applies to their vocal mimicry as well.


• A doppelganger may take on the form of any gender, regardless of their own.


• A doppelganger's shapeshifting is fluid and takes only a few seconds, and is a true match to the original, as best they can replicate.


• A doppelganger is the result of serious misfortune or death of an important relative or friend caused by the individual who becomes the doppelganger. This unluck curses the person responsible.

Psychics

• A psychic can select one school of psionics to specialize in, although some are related or exceedingly specific. Some forms of psychic powers cover multiple areas. Some examples include telekinesis, pyrokinesis, faith healing, remote viewing, among many others.


• A psychic cannot be immediately detected through normal means; only some other psychics are aware of other psychics near by. They blend in seamlessly with regular humans.


• A psychic needs to concentrate on their abilities in order to have them function. Extreme distractions often foil psychic manifestations.


• A psychic is of either two talents, the wild and uncontrolled use of abilities based upon emotion, or the calm, studied, focused application. A psychic cannot be both.


• A psychic's powers do not normally show manifestation. Events simply occur inexplicably to viewers who are not aware that the psychic is actively trying to cause an event to transpire.


• A psychic typically discovers their ability in a time of extreme stress or pressure, and is often not immediately aware that they are the reason for the event.

Revenants

• A revenant is a human cursed to walk in undeath until they complete some task they failed at in life before they died.


• A revenant resembles a human being with unusually pale skin and a cold, lifeless presence to their flesh upon touch.


• A revenant is immune to regular injury, and removed limbs or components do not inhibit them. Removed components can be reattached at no penalty.


• A revenant may not enter sanctified or holy ground, and is rebuked by religious texts.


• A revenant can only be destroyed before their task is complete if one removes and destroys their heart, and or incinerates the entire body.


• A revenant who completes their formerly failed task in life instantly dies.


• A revenant is mostly nocturnal, and in day light, becomes sluggish and fatigued.

Shapeshifters

• A shapeshifter either has the ability to assume one animal form, or the ability to assume multiple animal forms. Those with single animal forms are highly skilled in its use, or have an innate understanding of it. Those who have multiple animal forms are masters of none, but survive on versatility.


• A shapeshifter is vulnerable to silver, and it causes extreme pain on exposure, and more mortal wounds on injury.


• A shapeshifter shifts shapes in a few seconds, and can fluidly travel between them. This transformation causes no pain.


• A shapeshifter heals much more rapidly than a normal human, and shapeshifting heals minor wounds and injuries.

Vampires

• A vampire is a human cursed by the another vampire who drained their blood through a sustained bite. They rise again a few days later after death as a new vampire.


• A vampire is undead, and cannot heal naturally. They must consume the blood of a living human, at least once per night, to survive and or heal. Those who do not drink at least once per week die.


• A vampire is immortal and will live until physically destroyed. Sunlight ignites them, fire or blessed water burns them, and total submersion in pure running water instantly destroys them.


• A vampire is turned by garlic or a holy symbol, and they may not cross running water on their own accord; something must carry them across or allow them passage.


• A vampire may disperse into a mist, or transform themselves into a large bat for a few minutes each night.


• A vampire's gaze can charm humans of the opposite gender, and cow others of the same gender if they concentrate.


• A vampire must rest during the light hours (from dawn until dusk) or lose their abilities for that night.


• A vampire has no reflection.


• A vampire on average is at least as fast and as strong as professional athletes.

Zoanthropes

• A zoanthrope is a human cursed to turn under a full moon into a single type of predatory land mammal until the dawn of the next day. Stress and injury also induce this change, which can take a minute to several to finish.


• A zoanthrope can survive great injury through raw resilience and regenerate over time. Silver ignores the resiliency, inflicting regular wounds instead of minimized ones, as can direct injury to the brain or heart prove fatal.


• A zoanthrope is immune to most forms of poison and disease, and cannot be raised as undead. Wolfsbane is the sole toxin that affects them normally, whereas other toxic or biological hazards rarely do.


• A zoanthrope can pass on their curse with a bite, or a blood to blood injury that was fresh. One can also be born as a natural zoanthrope if one (or both) parents are the same sort of beast.


• A zoanthrope has an alternate form, which is a large, powerful anthropomorphized form of their animal lineage. Most are anywhere from six and a half to seven feet tall, but larger animals have larger hybrid forms.


• A zoanthrope is often uncontrolled and behaves similarly to the animal they become under stress or a full moon. Many prey upon humans, though they do not need to do so to survive.


• A zoanthrope's transformation is painful and brutal, often paralyzing or slowing a zoanthrope undergoing their change until it completes.


• A zoanthrope is, at least, as strong and as capable as ten average men, with some zoanthropes being stronger or more agile because of their animal lineage. The inverse is equally true.

Character Sheet
Below is the generalized character sheet, which while expansive and long, should cover almost any area that a character sheet need to.

Character Sheet

• Name (and or Alias): (Utilize a realistic and or appropriate name. Aliases can be as a simple as one can imagine, but remember they are not actual names.)


• Gender: (As gender.)


• Age: (As age, minimum 18, maximum 60.)


• Lineage: (For humans, treat as race. For inhumans treat as previous race, but also their inhumanity; ex, "Native American - Psychic".)


• Fate: (For humans, begin with value of 3. For non-humans, begin with 2 or less. Provide description of expenditures.)


• Relationship Status: (For characters who are in a relationship, note this here. For characters not with one, remove this line. Provide description.)


• Occupational Status: (For characters who have an occupation, note this here. For characters without one, note as "Unemployed". Provide description.)


• Previous Occupations: (For characters who had previous occupations, note this here. For characters without one, remove this line.)


• Physical Description: (Provide, at minimum, a two paragraph description of a character's physical appearance. Note: Avoid unusualities and pictures.)


• Alternate Physical Description: (Provide, at minimum, a two paragraph description of a character's alternate physical appearance. For characters who do not change shape, remove this line.)


• Psychological Profile: (Provide, at minimum, a two paragraph description of the character's psychological state.)


• Alternate Psychological Profile: (Provide, at minimum a two paragraph description of the character's alternate psychological state. For characters with only a single psyche, remove this line.)


• Vices: For characters who have (bad) habits, note this here. Provide description.. For characters without any, remove this line.)


• Background: (Provide, at minimum, a two paragraph description a character's upbringing.)


• Recent History: (Provide, at minimum, a two paragraph recent history of events the character has gone through. This will be expanded upon in your first post.)


• Additional Information: (For characters with additional notes. For characters without any, remove this line.)

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General Information

• I am accepting only two other players - three if you can present an excellent character concept and candidate. First come, first served. If you wish to hold a slot, post here; you will have three days only to keep your slot reserved, otherwise it goes to the next highest in queue.


• I will be playing as both a game master and a character, with pre-scripted events randomized. I don't know the outcome of every scenario - my dice on my desk do, and I'm at their mercy as well.


• I can and will award bonus fate for excellent roleplaying and cleverness. Don't abuse your fate points, as they're there for the "Everything has gone wrong." moments when the plot dice explode and the story twists hard and unforgivingly.


• Play your characters like people. Real people who aren't accustomed to these sort of things and try to live with what they've done, what they are, and what they do. They're not truly heroes for a reason.


• Please don't try to go for the "special snowflake" route. Though every character should be unique, credible, and interesting, don't pile on the cliches - do something different and new.


• This setting is for mature participants only, as it will include violence and cursing, but not extreme amounts of such. Adult themes are strictly forbidden and will only fade to black prior to any actions transpiring.

Input Requested: The Compendium of Modern Zoanthropes

I see quite a few werewolf (and generally supernatural themed) topics here, and one of the things I don't see - or perhaps just outright missed where I looked - is the inclusion of the other zoanthropes; your ailuranthropes, cynanthropes, ursinethropes, etc. That's kind of unfortunate, as there are many, many others - most of which people just attached the "were" prefix to and called it good or just opted for your "all-in-one-shapeshifter". On it's own, that isn't quite the best idea (lest everyone's "unique" zoanthrope be its own brand of special snowflake) nor is the fact that I've equally seen that humans stand no chance... at all. That brings up a lot of questions about zoanthropes as a whole and as to how the curse is to even spread if your run of the mill lycanthrope can break cars in half, but somehow people survive encounters with them.

But I digress to the point at hand.

If I were to write a compilation of historical and modern zoanthrope lore for use on the Guild, but generalized enough that really anyone (beyond me) could use it efficiently, what would you want to see in it? By generalized I mean that yes, in comparison to your average human your average lycanthrope is a living killing machine, but they're not blindingly fast, Hulk-smash strong, nor reinforced concrete durable, or have an unearthly level of magnetism. Moreover, a werewolf isn't on the same playing field as your werebear (when he's alone at least), because your average lone wolves don't live long.

Thus far I have these following categories developed and some partially written:

• Preamble: My intent and basic summary expanded beyond what I said above. It's more or less, "Sorry I don't think your X should also be good at A, B, C and Z too - you have enough to work with as is, and here's where I hope to explain that." This is the section you're likely to not care about as I ramble about "balance of power" and or how I prioritize and rationalize things.


• Familiarization: Don't quite know what lore we're using? Well here it is! It's a generalized compilation of most, and nearly all zoanthrope lore. Yes, some less common themes were removed and some classical ones added. Why? Because it puts everything on a more average level of existence, and by that I mean each strain of zoanthropy doesn't keep all the lore it's rumored to have. If you have no idea what a zoanthrope is, and only knew about werewolves (lycanthropes) this is also the part where you learn there are others, and that there always have been.


• Compendium: This is where people are likely to get upset that the werewolf isn't in your top tier players. Sorry, without your packmates you actually kind of suck - bring your friends and you're suddenly pretty terrifying. Humor aside, it's a generalization of each individual type of zoanthrope; your werewolves are obviously superior to your weredogs, who are only on par with your true werecats, but all of these are eclipsed by the weretiger, who in turn has nothing on your average werebear. Each has some distinct advantages; lycanthropes are typically social as mentioned previously, werebears are essentially living tanks, etc. The system here compares their level of lethality versus humans not each other. Why? Because humans are far, far more dangerous to any zoanthrope than another zoanthrope.


• Countermeasures: Essentially a miniature handbook explaining how to contend with zoanthropes, because not every beast is alike - your lycanthropes to ailuranthropes are two radically different sects in just about everything, and that's not just because one's a canid and one's a felid. This also expands on your classical means as how to kill or defeat one. Here's a free hint... they're still people the vast majority of the time. This is also for the people who either want to be the bad guys who hunt zoanthropes just because they're not human (boo) or good guys who only hunt the ones they can't save (yay).


• Guidance: Had the (mis)fortune of getting bit or having blood-borne exposure? This section is intended to cover some common issues, like how not to eat your neighbors the next time you turn, how not to continue to spread the curse, and most of all, how not to be killed because you're now a prisoner to the moon. Though this was covered slightly in the compendium with a few sentences per particular strain, this is more generalized. Another free hint... never be hungry on the night of the full moon - that's how you get people killed.


• Authorial Advice: This is my place to say how I think things would be best handled. It's one of the places I'm excused to ramble because you're reading my advice. What sort of advice do I have? Don't play in the arms race - no, seriously, don't. Just because you saw that the weretiger is a top tier zoanthrope doesn't mean you should whip one up as a character, throw it out in a game, and then get asked to stop murdering stuff like it's no problem and then say some guide in another part of the forums said it's okay because that's what they can do. No, that's not right - this guide is a tool, use it like one. Build interesting characters with it, not game killers; don't power play either, make a character you like beyond "hes supr tough n can run fast and make himself ento a bear guy".


• Afterword: This is my place to sort of voice my rationale after you read it all. That said, don't start here or skip to here - you already know that I'm not comparing the zoanthropes to each other, but versus people. Why's that matter? Unless everyone is some sort of supernatural beast, odds are humans are going to rule the world in whatever game you're playing. Also, I will likely ramble a bit on the whole "arms race" bit again, primarily toward other supernatural creatures and how mind bogglingly silly it has gotten; yes vampires, I'm largely looking at you.

Here's a taste of some of the content:

Progressing on, one need realize that zoanthropes are widespread throughout history and across every continent mankind has crossed; for reference, cynanthropy, or weredogs are well established in ancient Chinese lore, just as the weretiger is. Equally so, even felines are established in European lore, namely large "generalized feline forms" best described as varied mixtures of domestic cat, but pantherine ailuranthropes also do exist despite the large geographical separation of Europe from the range of such an animal. Thus one need understand that effectively any beast is a valid choice, but it should be noted the additional commonalities of zoanthropes as a whole. "True" zoanthropes are universally predatory land mammals; though other, similar creatures exist in lore, but should not be confused with an actual zoanthrope, which are distinct in this regard as only being such animals.

• The Werecougar


• Geographic Location: Limited mostly to Midwestern locales within the United States, werecougars are one of the least geographically spread ailuranthropes, with the maximum extent of their range traveling down to Mexico and as far north as Canada.


• General Description: Retaining their distinct cougar qualities, werecougars are marginally more robust than lycanthropes in general musculature – having less lean legs and bodies, and being far superior climbers. Their tawny-reddish brown fur provides them a natural camouflage in the territories they often inhabit as people. The average werepuma stands at six and a half feet tall, with larger individuals nearing seven feet but rarely above that number.


• General Behavior: Unlike werecats, werecougars pose a serious threat as they readily consider human beings part of their diet if unable to control their condition. Further more, werecougars prefer the ambush approach – stalking prey from behind while concealed until they are in sufficient range to pounce. Most attacks by werepumas are fatal as the victims have little to no time to react. Fortunately werecougars, if spotted, are likely to give up an attempted attack and instead retreat.


• Signs and Evidence: The most common sign of a werecougar is the unusual presence of such a feline in a more inhabited area; mountain lions rarely frequent territories inhabited by humans, and even more rarely attack them in such places, instead preferring to ambush and hunt in mountainous terrain when humans are alone and far from safety. Such attacks are often indication of abnormal behavior for this animal, and thus unlikely, and in turn, leaving a werecougar to be more expected than the actual cat itself. Most werepumas release a terrifying shrill cry upon attack; this snarling, higher pitched roar is often startling and can be heard from a much greater distance than your normal cougar's.


• Afflicted Information: Though less likely to not only fail in an attack but also be driven off an attempted kill than a werecat, this strain of zoanthropy is among the more common ailuranthropes – at least within the Americas. Most sustained injuries of this level will be more akin to an actual animal attack (mauling) and likely treated as such by most authorities, thus one should show genuine concern. If one believes infection, gamey raw meats should be provided and easily accessible to try and sate the hunting behavior; this appeasement is a result of the want for natural game, and can compensate for the more readily available human being. An individual who has proven to be infected with this strain should exert large amounts of physical energy and spend their time greatly distanced from people during full moons or times of emotional distress.


• Naturalized Information: Naturalized werepumas often exhibit an incredible penchant for outdoorsmanship and love for the wilderness, to the extent that many become fascinated with it. Those with this condition should take seriously such seemingly impulsive actions to help reduce the chances that they fall into a want to hunt humans; activities such as free climbing, mountaineering, bow hunting, skiing and the like all provide safer, more natural outlets for the unnatural energy they experience in their human selves. Most require some sense of danger, risk, and skill to feel truly fulfilled and not fall into a regressing state.


• Level of Danger: ***/*****: In comparison to the lycanthrope, the werepuma is on even yet different footing; both, on their own, are roughly even, with the former being more fleet of foot and the latter being more generally athletic. Trained hunters capable of combating werewolves should find minimal difficulty in transitioning their skills toward this particular zoanthrope provided they can adjust to the often mountainous or remote terrain.

Now that you likely have a feeling for what this project is, I'd like a few simple things from you if you're willing to oblige. First, and foremost is that I ask you give me suggestions or topics to muse on for this, and by that I mean say something constructive like, "I think it would be a good idea if you shared with us more actual zoanthrope history for each strain.", not something like "WHY U NO LIEK MAKE WEREWOLFS GOOD. THEY TURN NTO WOLFS SO THAT GOOD< K?" - that's really not helpful... at all.

Other (helpful) posts would be along the lines of "I think this is a good idea." or "I want a section called X, because I want to read about Y."

Feel free to comment regardless - you're really not hurting anything by doing so.