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This origin is for characters who are intrinsically Supernatural. As there are no
complex magic systems to learn or "spells" to fumble with, this affords a much more
straightforward play experience than the Mystic Origin. However, an Innati's abilities
tend to be much more narrowly defined than a Mystic, and also it can be difficult
for an Innati to differentiate themselves from other Innati of the same type.
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Characters that have innate Supernatural aspects and abilities should choose the
Innatus Origin, which unlocks the Innate Special Resource Pool for free.
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INNATE ABILITIES
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Innately Supernatural people are quite varied in their backgrounds and specifics.
What they all have in common is that as not-entirely-human persons they are all
subject (whether they like it or not) to the Esoteric Accords of Secrecy and Abeyance
and should they be found guilty of violations they can be Sanctioned for Hunting
with a price upon their head.
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A number of allowable innately Superhuman character types are provided. Players
are free to attempt to talk the GM into allowing other types, and GM's are free
to say no. Some types of Supernaturals exist in the Here There Be Monsters setting
but are never intended to be permissable for player characters, such as Vampires.
Such types of Supernaturals are always considered to be monsters and are permanently
Sanctioned as valid Hunting targets categorically.
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Players and GM's should also keep in mind that the Esoteric Accords of Secrecy and
Abeyance are heavy on the "Secrecy" concern. Cooperative non-Sanctioned Supernaturals
are expected to do their absolute best to stay on the low-down and to exert all
reasonable efforts to avoid any sort of scenario where their Supernatural nature
is revealed publically. Players with ideas for Innati who are blatantly or obviously
Supernatural and lack reliable ways to blend in or pass amongst the norms without
arousing alarm are probably headed in the wrong direction.
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RESTRICTIONS
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Each different type of Innatus category or individual have their own particulars
of what they are about and self-define what is and is not allowed. However collectively
Innatus abilities are, as the name indicates, innate; which is to say part of who
and what a character is. Innati may be "mostly human" or they might be entirely
inhuman, but either way they are Supernatural creatures and their abilties stem
from this fact.
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ARCHETYPES
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The following are common Archetypes among those of an Innatus Origin.
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Some rare characters are Possessed by a Daemon, but have managed to retain or regain
their free will. Such characters are an odd blend of Daemon and mortal, bending
the mystical potency of their Daemon to their own ends and becoming intertwined
in a symbiotic relationship, perhaps inextricably.
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Typically possessing superhuman physicality, and often various personalized abilities
reflective of the personality of the human half of the equation, Daemonsouls are
quite probably Damned in the hereafter but can be quite powerful here on earth.
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Whether they know it or not (and most don't) some characters are the descendants
of powerful beings that visited the world in the distant past that were often worshipped
as gods, and might display traits associated with such a being.
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Thus a distant descendent of the Norse "god" Thor might have unusual strength and
an affinity for storms, while a descendent of the Egyptian "god" Thoth might have
unusual magical abilities or great natural resistance to magic, and so forth. A
player should work with the GM to identify an appropriate being for their character
to be descended from and what thematic powers and abilities the chosen being justifies.
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Mankind is not the only people to walk the Earth, in antiquity or now. Some departed
this dimension long ago, others went extinct, but yet still some remain. Some of
the Eld Folk are so bizarre or obvious that they must hide themselves, but others
can pass as human and live among us. Some kinds of Eld Folk are related to humanity
and some can even interbreed.
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Some characters are either hereditary Lycanthropes or have been infected by being
bitten themselves. Many Lycanthropes cannot control their urges and bestial natures,
but particularly strong willed characters can through force of will maintain their
human intelligence, sense of self, and self control. A player should work with the
GM to determine what sort of Lycanthrope their character is and the nature of their
powers.
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If a player character ever loses control (of which there should always be a small
chance) and commits some act that would warrant it, they will likely have a bounty
placed on their head and become Hunted. Lycanthropic player characters generally
should have unusually high EGO and PRE to indicate the abnormal strength of will
that allows them to control their state.
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Some characters are the subjects of a prophesy; players should work with the GM
to construct a suitable prophesy, inject it into a historical and / or mythological
context, and determine what sort of special abilities or benefits it might justify
the character to have. Prophesized characters are often quite difficult to kill
or permanently harm and often benefit from unusual luck, at least until their prophesy
has been fulfilled.
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Some (very rare) characters have long life or even true immortality stemming from
some source. Perhaps a curse, a blessing, a powerful spell or potion, as a side
effect of a mystical event, or even just from birth.
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Some Immortals regenerate, others ressurect, others reincarnate, and still others
simply respawn from some source or phylactery. Regardless of the source or explanation,
the practical effect is very long life. Though grouped together for convenience
sake, very few Immortals have anything in common other than the fact that they are
very difficult or impossible to permanently kill.
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Some characters are among a very rare few who have been infected by vampirism, either
in the womb, by exposure to vampiric blood, or by being deliberately infected by
a vampire but not fully turned, but have not actually died and risen again.
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Until such a time as they are slain, such characters gain some benefits from their
infection, consisting of watered-down versions of typical vampiric physical and
mental abilities but not the full-blown Supernatural powers of a true Vampire. Sunlight,
vessels of upper planar power (such as Faith), and garlic make a Vampyrii uncomfortable
(they suffer a -1 to all resolutions while exposed), but are not directly harmful
to them.
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Vampyrii feel the attraction to blood, though nowhere near as strongly or as frequently
as a full Vampire and feeding on blood does energize them somewhat, but animal blood
and chemically produced surrogates are sufficient to slake their thrist. Once a
Vampyrii is slain and rises again as a Vampire, they generally should no longer
be considered a playable character, as Vampires are on the permanent Hunted list.
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