Editing LeviathanTempest:ChapterFive (section)

== Dezinens of the Deep ==

===== Sidebar: Swarms =====

Some of the creatures in this section are Swarms. In play a Swarm is treated as one individual creature. A Swarm's Size represents how many creatures are present and functions normally with the rules for exceptional size in combat. Swarms do not have health, instead damage reduces their Size: one point of Size is equal to two Bashing, one Lethal or half a point of Aggravated damage. To represent the combined effectiveness of what may be thousands of creatures Swarms may use the Exceptional Size rules as normal. 

Swarms also have double defence against most attacks. If the Swarm makes a Dodge action triple their unmodified Defence, do not double their doubled Defence. However against bombs, flamethrowers or other weapons that do damage in a wide area Swarms have no Defence at all.

=== Rift Creatures ===

==== Hoard ====

The Rift dwellers known as hoards are believed to be the echoes of greed and jealousy; the desire to possess something not just because you value it but also to prevent another from enjoying it. These creatures are not exceptionally strong and are always found guarding a memory with value, something worth denying to others. Consequently spotting one normally heralds a successful trip into the Rift.

In appearance hoards resemble many tentacled octopuses.

Power 3 Finesse 2 Resistance 6<br>
Size Varies with the size of it's treasure<br>
Health Varies<br>
Willpower 9<br>
Speed 5<br>
Initiative 8<br>
Defence 3

Compulsion: A Hoard cannot abandon its treasure, so long as it possesses its treasure it's immobile. This also prevents it benefiting from its Defence.

Weapons:<br>
Tentacle 2(b). Roll 5 dice.<br>
Poison spray: Roll Power + Finesse to hit. On a hit this is a Toxicity 5 poison.

==== Pilot Fish ====

Its not known exactly what creates Pilot Fish, but conflicting instincts to defer to a stronger Leviathan and to overthrow it forms a popular theory. Another proposes that Lemashu cultists are the ultimate source. Whatever the cause Pilot Fish – which are not actually fish, they're a form of barnacle – are found at the second Depth; the first a Leviathan is likely to notice is the feeling of a good hard massage when a colony starts growing from their body from this point Pilot Fish begin their unusual symbiosis.

Pilot Fish are associated with a skill, usually something timeless and grant a +2 bonus to that skill however they also offer “advice”. When they spot an opportunity for the Leviathan to acquire power, be it monetary, knowledge or the death of a rival, they'll point it out. Sometimes this is just genuinely good advice but often this is self destructive. A short term gain based on betrayal that loses a long term ally or a violation of Tranquillity. When this happens ignoring the Pilot Fish requires a successful Resolve roll or a point of willpower.

Fortunately getting rid of Pilot Fish is exceptionally easy, physically they're laughable and are entirely powerless to resist a Leviathan who wishes to remove them.

Power 0 Finesse 3 Resistance 1<br>
Size 1<br>
Health 2<br>
Willpower 1<br>
Speed 0<br>
Initiative 4<br>
Defence 0

Compulsion: Pilot fish cannot betray their host, though its a matter of constant debate whether they actually want to harm their host or just give bad advice they cannot actually act against a Leviathan. Their only tactic is poisoned advice.

==== Idols ====

Idols are found in the second depth; formed of a contradictory mixture of pride and self loathing. Idols resemble a free floating rock, every inch covered with barnacles. The patterning of the barnacles give the impression of religious imagery without ever giving a clear form. Each Idol however is run through with flesh filled cracks leaking puss, squirming maggots or sinuous tentacles.

Idols are reasonably intelligent and usually know a thing or two about the local area which they're willing to share with anyone who appeases them with sufficient flattery. This isn't so simple as an Idol broadcasts its emotions around it leaving visitors both disgusted at the idol and too proud to praise it. A Resolve + Sheol roll or a point of willpower can overcome this effect.

Power 3 Finesse 3 Resistance 5<br>
Size variable<br>
Health variable<br>
Willpower 8<br>
Speed 6<br>
Initiative 8<br>
Defence 3

Compulsion: An idol cannot refuse a request from one who sufficiently praises it.

Weapons: Psychic assault. 6 - Resolve dice. Successes remove points of willpower before causing bashing damage.

==== Hierarchs ====

A Hierarch is found at the first depth. Physically they resemble a mixture of tropical fish and shark. Each hierarch stakes out a territory which may be a few miles to a mere hundred feet in diameter. Within their territories they play out an eternal metaphor of the Tribe's instinctual drive to procure worship: They brutally attack any passing creature in their territory. As the Hierarch wounds it's prey it becomes more fanatical in it's worship. Eventually the Hierarch or another cultist will kill them outright and the cycle begins anew.

Power 4 Finesse 2 Resistance 5<br>
Size 7<br>
Health 12<br>
Willpower 9<br>
Speed 6<br>
Initiative 7<br>
Defence 4

Weapon: Teeth 2 (L), a Hierach's attack causes obsessions, the target must roll Resolve + Composure and exceed the total damage done. If they loose the roll they have no drive except to follow the Hierarch around in awe. The effects last until the Hierach attacks again whereupon an additional contested roll is made. Anyone with a Supernatural Advantage is immune, as are Ahabs and Atolls. 

Compulsion: A Hierach is compelled to attack any intruders, which is to say anyone, in its territory. Hierachs are not compelled to attack their worshipers, but they tend to do so anyway.

==== The Sacrificed ====

Some things that call the Rift home are not simply relics of a time before time or the dreams of Leviathans, some living, others long dead; no, some things where once human. The Sacrificed are one example of these creatures.

All Sacrificed share one thing in common: they were all Beloved who where sacrificed against their will at the behest of their Leviathan. Although many Beloved would gladly jump at the chance to die for their god, sometimes a moment of clarity will come to a Beloved at their moment of death. The pain and regret felt would usually lead to the formation of a ghost, but such a kind fate is not meant for one of the Sacrificed. No one knows for sure what makes this transition different, though many theorize that a combination of lingering devotion and the power of the ritual itself may weigh the nascent ghost down and force them to sink into the Rift.

Most Sacrificed are found in the Shallows; these are also the youngest. At this level, they all show the cause of their death along with a drowned or waterlogged appearance, but as they get older and sink deeper, they begin to become… stranger. 

a Sacrificed is a ghost and built similarly with the following exceptions:

A Sacrificed lacks anchors. Sacrificed have no need to manifest in the Rift as they are already physical and are only bound in their movement by their depth. A Sacrificed does gain a point of essence every 24 hours and may consume ichor to regain essence if they have the opportunity. As a Sacrificed may interact normally with other things in the Rift, they may physically attack anything else they come across.

A Sacrificed cannot be freed from their fate through having their unfinished business taken care of, only through destruction. Mercifully, a Sacrificed can be destroyed through the loss of Corpus.

A Sacrificed may not change the Depth they are at, although they will sink deeper as time passes.

The Sacrificed are immune to the effects of the Wake, although they do seem to be drawn to it. Usually when confronted by a Leviathan, a Sacrificed will scream prayers and praise towards the Leviathan as they attack it. These words usually come out as an incoherent gurgling noise unless the Sacrificed possesses the Ghost Speech numen.

A Sacrificed will slowly take on the qualities of other beings native to the Rift as he drifts to a deeper Depth and grows in insanity. This can be represented by granting them the Aspects of a Hybrid.

===== Sample Sacrificed =====
''Glub, glub, gurgle''

Power 1 Finesse 2 Resistance 2<br>
Size 5<br>
Corpus 7<br>
Willpower 2<br>
Speed 13<br>
Initiative 3<br>
Defense 2<br>
Virtue: Faith<br>
Vice: Wrath<br>
Morality: 2<br>
Numina: Animal Control (Dice Pool 3), Phantasm (Dice Pool 3), Terrify (Dice Pool 3)

Weapons: Ceremonial dagger – Power + 1(l) (Dice Pool 2)

Note: Almost all Sacrificed are violently insane, and this become truer the older they get.

==== Molluskin ====

''Thank you for giving me life.''

Molluskin are an interesting lot. There aren’t very many of them, but where you find one, you're bound to find dozens more. These Rift creatures are spawned from an emotion rarely felt by Leviathans, genuine gratitude. Bright and colorful, these creatures hold a vaguely humanoid form, but most resemble the offspring of a cuttlefish and a crab. They are often seen as easy prey by the predators of the Shallows, so they tend to hide in whatever nooks and crannies they can squeeze themselves into. Social and intelligent, if a bit simple, it is not unknown for different groups of molluskin to have different traditions, if not exactly cultures.

One thing all molluskin have in common is they are extremely grateful to any Leviathan that passes by. One of the few things that can reliably get a tribe of Molluskin to come out of hiding is the Wake of a Leviathan. They have trouble telling leviathans apart, so they treat each one with respect and kindness because any leviathan could be the one that spawned them. The thing about molluskin, is while they want to be helpful, their is very little they can do. They can sometimes describe items of interest that they have seen in their search for food, or give directions to places they have been, but beyond that, most Leviathans find them little more then nuisances. Some Leviathans have found them useful as watchdogs or even guardians against the inhabitants of the Rift, because despite their kind and cowardly nature, they will give anything, even their own lives, to defend a Leviathan in need. Of course this behavior makes them less then ideal for dealing with other Leviathans as they will treat them with the same love and gratitude as their master.

Power 1 Finesse 2 Resistance 1<br>
Size 2<br>
Health 3<br>
Willpower 2<br>
Speed 3<br>
Initiative 3<br>
Defense 2

Compulsion: Molluskin must always obey a Leviathan; and they will even go out of their way to provide services that they think the Leviathan wants even when not asked.

Weapon: Crab claws 1(l). Roll 2 dice.

==== Carnival Jellies and Reverians ====

The carnival jelly is an interesting being. Born from the curiosity that leads to the first hit of a powerful narcotic, these jellyfish-like creatures get their name from the circus tent appearance they have. Long tentacles extend out, shining with spectacular neon light. Any who approach one of these lures finds themselves compelled to follow it wherever it goes; and it always goes into one of the carnival jelly’s door-like mouths. Once inside, the visitors quickly find themselves stung with tentacles filled with a powerful narcotic. Most things that wander into carnival jelly never leave, not because they are forced to stay, but because they want to. These poor visitors usually starve to death. At this point, the carnival jelly cares little for what happens to the remains as it feeds off the ecstatic feelings of its ‘visitors’. Those not affected by the drugs or entertained by the actions of those dwelling there are free to leave, if they can get past the gastropodean reverians who feast on the refuse the carnival jelly leaves behind.

===== Carnival Jelly =====

'' A musical humming ''

Power 2 Finesse 5 Resistance 5<br>
Size 30<br>
Health 35<br>
Willpower 7<br>
Speed 1<br>
Initiative 10<br>
Defense 5

Compulsion: A carnival jelly is compelled to cause no physical harm to its guests as long as it is not attacked first.

Weapons: Stingers. Causes no damage, but if hit the target must make a Resolve + Stamina roll penalized by the carnival jelly's successes on the attack or lose 1 willpower. Once the target has 0 willpower they must make a Resolve + Composure roll at a penalty of -2 to try and leave the inside of the jelly. (Dice Pool 5)

Lure bash* 1b. Roll 3 dice.

Flashing lure*. The target must make a Resolve + Composure roll or follow the lure to the best of there abilities for one round. Physical damage to the target will break this effect. This attack has a range of 10 yards.

*Special: A lure is Size 3, has 3 Health levels and may be targeted by attacks. A lure has a Speed of 5 and can extend out 25 yards. Any damage dealt to the lure is also dealt to the carnival jelly. A standard carnival jelly has five lures. Once destroyed, the carnival jelly loses the ability to use them.

===== Reverian =====

Born from the failed urge to quit using hard drugs, Reverians look like large sea slugs with long, spiraled, comically small shells on what would be a human’s neck. They somehow look less ridiculous when rotated forward and brandished as spears. When surrounded by compliant company, they enjoy playing games with unfathomable rules and performing strange dances. They seem to communicate through body language.

Power 3 Finesse 1 Resistance 2<br>
Size 5<br>
Health 7<br>
Willpower 5<br>
Speed 2<br>
Initiative 3<br>
Defense 2

Compulsion: Cannot allow anyone who has entered a carnival jelly leave unless appeased with an offering. Large quantities of meat, hallucinogenic substances, or toys tend to work best.

Weapons: Spiral lances 3(l). (Dice Pool 6)

==== The Kids ====

'' Where am I? ''

Creatures birthed from Leviathans who are nostalgic for their human lives. Even kids born from Leviathans who didn't change until they were very old seem to take the form of a five to twelve year old child. While completely human at first glance, closer inspection reveals their is always something wrong with a kid. Some have fish eyes while others have web hands, or scales. Regardless of their appearance, they all seem unaware that something is wrong. While they may be lost or even frightened, it does not so much seem like it is the environment that bothers them, but were they are in it. Despite their human appearances and memories, kids are Rift creatures and the Tempest is their home. Kids can be useful for digging up dirt on a Leviathan's past, but any information they give should be taken with a grain of salt as they tend to sugarcoat it.

Power 1 Finesse 4 Resistance 1<br>
Size 4<br>
Health 5<br>
Willpower 2<br>
Speed 8<br>
Initiative 5<br>
Defense 4

Compulsion: Kids must always seek "home." Very few Leviathans have ever bothered to figure out where "home" is.

Weapon: Fists 0(b). Roll 1 die.

==== Filcher ====

'' Can I have just a little taste? ''

Sometimes known as a "catfish burglar," these fish-like creatures look more like a dragonfish with four sets of eyes then anything. They picked up their nickname from the two long whiskers that they use to detect treasured memories. Filchers are usually spawned from lazy Leviathans who live vicariously through their cult-members rather then living a life of their own. Those inexperienced explorers that think these small creatures harmless quickly learn different or nothing ever again.

Power 2 Finesse 6 Resistance 2<br>
Size 1<br>
Health 3<br>
Willpower 4<br>
Speed 10<br>
Initiative 6<br>
Defense 6

Compulsion: The promise of easy memories is irresistible to filchers. For one willpower, a character can surrender one good memory to a flicher who will help its employer track down any memory for one scene. Of course the filcher also expects one good memory in payment for finding the target.

Weapons: Bite Size(l). Roll 3 dice. If a filcher gets a critical success on a target the same size or smaller then it, it may swallow them and devour their memories. Treat this as a grapple for the purposes of escaping from the filchers stomach. Each round spent in a filchers stomach causes the target to lose one willpower as their treasured memories are digested. This willpower is transferred to the filcher. If a filcher collects more then 10 willpower, they lose any excess after the end of the scene.

Eyes Bigger Then Their Stomach: Filcher's seek to consume treasured memories, even those that are much, much bigger then them. A Flicher may spend a point of willpower to increase its size by 3 and its speed by 5 for a scene. This abillity may be used multiple times to reach truly gargantuan sizes and amazing speeds.

Memory Thief: A Filcher may roll Power + Finesse. They may detect any memory in successes x 10 yards. They automatically know the type of memory they detect, but not its details.

==== Glimmershrimp ====

Not so much an individual creature as a swarm of smaller ones. Glimmershrimp are formed from dreams. If you watch a swarm of glimmershrimp closely, you can make out hazy images and scenes from the conglomerated dreams of dozens of different Leviathans. Glimmershrimp can be broken down in various sub-categories based off the dreams that spawned them. Swarms of glimmershrimp seem to eat anything they can bring down, especially different swarms of glimmershrimp.

Power 1 Finesse 1 Resistance 1 <br>
Size Swarm <br>
Willpower 2 <br>
Speed 15 <br>
Initiative 1 <br>
Defense 1 <br>

Compulsion: Glimmershrimp must group together with other glimmer shrimp of a similar type.

Weapons: Psychic assault. 2 - Resolve dice. Successes remove points of willpower before causing bashing damage. A critical failure brought on by a chance die causes a swarm of glimmershrimp to lose one willpower.

==== Missionaries ====

A religious Leviathan will accumulate memories of lore, doctrinaire and theology. In the Rift the beliefs that give these meaning take life as the nautiloid missionaries. Their long tentacles are soft and nurturing, their shells carved with meaningless glyphs and their eyes bloody stumps so they can see no heresy (this does lead to some debate on how they navigate, some say they're guided by faith. Less romantic Leviathans assume they depend on their sense of smell).

The Missionaries are normally found lovingly caring to the memories that spawned them, but when their numbers are sufficient raiding parties depart to seek out memories compatible with their doctrine, they will lovingly tend to these memories with their long caress and corrupt it to their cause. In time it too will spawn Missionaries of it's own. In areas full of the right kind of memory whole routs of Missionaries engage in ceaseless silent jihads, warring with each other for the right to convert memories to the one true faith.

Experienced Rift divers can usually recognize when a memory has been converted and most consider such specimens worthless. Some destroy them on sight to prevent the corruption from spreading.

Power 2, Finesse 4, Resistance 4<br>
Size 4<br>
Health 8<br>
Willpower 6<br>
Speed 6<br>
Imitative 6<br>
Defence 4<br>
Armour 2

Compulsion: Missionaries must spread the true faith, either by protecting converted memories or seeking new memories for the flock.

Weapons:
Tentacles (2)b, requires a grapple to do damage. Roll 4 dice.
Beak (-1)l, requires a grapple. Roll 1 die.

Converting a memory is an extended Finesse roll, it requires a grapple and Size + Resistance successes. Multiple Missionaries can convert as a teamwork action.

=== Maritime Hazards ===

From powerful yet mundane marine life to far stranger things the threats that Leviathans face while swimming Earth's waters as diverse as anything under the sun. Below are fully statted theats that your Cohort may encounter. 

====Saltwater Crocodile====

Intelligence Neg., Wits 2, Resolve 1, Strength 4, Dexterity 2, Stamina 5, Presence 4, Manipulation 1, Composure 2 

Skills: Athletics 2 (swimming), Brawl 2 (Grapple), Survival 3, Stealth 2 (Camouflage), Intimidate 2 

Merits:<br>
Strong Lungs (As per book)<br>
Specialized Heart: Due to their (possibly unique) circulatory system, Crocodiles can hold their breath for the listed duration even while in combat. Out side of combat, Crocodiles can hold their breath for up to 8 times the listed duration. <br>
Strong Jaws: Crocodiles double their strength on any test involving closing or keeping their jaws closed. <br>
Grappling Jaws: If a Crocodile scores more successes with a bite than their opponent’s defence they can reflexively roll to grapple. <br>
A Burst of Speed. For the first turn of a chase a crocodile may triple its speed. 

Armor 1/0 (thick hide) <br>
Defense: 2 <br>
Health: 12 <br>
Initiative: 4 <br>
Size: 7 <br>
Speed: 2 on land, 6 in water. <br>
Willpower: 3 <br>

Weapons/Attacks: <br>
Bite 2 (L) roll 12 dice<br>
Deathroll 4(L) roll 14 dice. Stun. Requires that a target is in a grapple. <br>

Special: If a crocodile does enough damage to cripple a limb, then at Storyteller discretion , there is a chance the limb has been torn free, and what is left prey is now free to run (or crawl or hop or whatever it can still manage to do) away.

==== Ghost Ships====

Those sailors and Leviathans who spend their lives at sea will hear stories of the rare few ships who sail on with tattered decks and patchwork sales run by a literal skeleton crew. These are ghost ships, forever doomed to sail the salty seas until they can fulfil their ancient charter.

Ghost Ships can cause an interesting dilemma to a storyteller for they have no special relationship to the Tribe. It's only through coincidence that the Tribe's attraction to the sea and coastal communities can cause the two to interact. Tying a Ghost Ship to the themes of an ongoing chronicle as anything more than a speed bump while swimming the ocean can be hard, but sometimes this disconnect can be an advantage. When the ongoing story has become mired in politics or self pity, a brief interlude of fun light-hearted silliness brought to you by the rum swilling, timber shivering ghost of Captain Blackbeard can be just the thing.


A Ghost Ship is an Anchor to a large amount of ghosts. Like all Anchors it can be destroyed or resolved. Typically a Ghost Ship originally set sail with a goal, weather that goal was piracy, war, or trade. Ships that lack such a goal rarely have a large amount of ghosts with the same unresolved business to create a shared Anchor. And it is the shared anchor that lets the crew combine their talents, much as they did in life, to run a powerful Ghost Ship and unlock Numina such as Fortify Anchor. That's not to say it must be the only Anchor on board. The crew might be Anchored to the ship itself while a passenger is anchored to something in his cabin.

As a Ghost Ship ages general wear and tear or the occasional bout of combat will gradually destroy it's Structure. The crew can use the Fortify Anchor Numina to replace lost points of Structure with Corpus. However if the ship looses it's last point of structure it no longer functions as an Anchor and is destroyed. A Ghost Ship which is mostly Corpus may have only a few, or only one, treasured pieces of the actual structure remaining.

For simplicity the Storyteller may wish to assign the ship a Power, Finesse, Resistance and Essence value rather than giving attributes to the crew members. Since each ghost serving as crew can store Essence a large Ghost Sip often has a lot of Essence.

If Ghost Ship contained weapons carries then it can still use them. If the weapons are still in good repair with supplies of ammunition then they function as normal. Otherwise they can be recreated out of Corpus with the Fortify Anchor Numina and fired with a point of essence for ammunition. The Essence cost of a full broadside can be huge, but such ships typically have a large ghostly crew and therefore the ability to store large amounts of Essence.

=====New Numina=====

'''Anchor Mastery'''

A Ghost with Anchor Mastery may interact with their anchor as though they were still solid. All crew on a Ghost Ship have it and use it to sail the ship. No Essence or roll is required for Anchor Mastery. 

'''Fortify Anchor'''

Every Ghost would like the ability to repair their Anchors but the fact is that only when many Ghosts share the same Anchor and combine their powers can they unlock this potent ability. To repair an Anchor a ghost rolls extended Power + Finesse check. The target is twice the amount of structure to be repaired.

Dramatic Failure: The ghosts attempts to repair the Anchor causes even more damage, a point of structure and essence are lost.

Failure: The Ghost makes no progress.

Success: The Ghost makes progress on repairing the Anchor. It takes two successes and a Dot of Essence to replace a point of Structure with Corpus but only a point of Essence to repair a point of Corpus. This essence can be regained by reducing the Anchors maximum Corpus by one.

Exceptional Success: No extra benefit. 

'''Twist Anchor'''

As more ghosts are linked to the same Anchor it becomes saturated with deathly energies. Becoming mailable and pilable in the ghosts will. A Ghost can roll Power + Finesse as an Instant action to warp their shared Anchor. A purely cosmetic change like blood dripping down the walls requires one Success. A moderate change like increasenig Durability by a point requires three Successes. A significant change, like turning a door into a wall requires five Successes. A ghost cannot create recognisable messages (without Ghost Sign) or affect anything not directly part of the Anchor. Twist Anchor may be used to Grapple.

'''Call Fog''' 

Ghost Ships are often reported travelling within a thick fog, this Numina is responsible. By focusing their combined power in an extended Power + Finesse roll on the waters through which they sail the crew can cause it to release a thick fog. To hide, to hunt, or in the case of more self aware ghosts just because they think it's kinda neat. Call Fog can be used as a teamwork action, up to the Primary Actor's Finesse members of the same crew can join in.

Cost: 5 Essence.

Dramatic Failure: The water recedes from the ship, for the next hour it will appear float high in the water, regular people won't notice but any experienced sailor will have little trouble knowing something isn't right. For Ghost Ships which are more structure than corpus this can cause a serious hazard to staying afloat: -1 on Drive checks per 5 points of Structure. There is a maximum of -5 but with 30 or more structure the Captain must Succeed on a Drive roll every five minuets or capsize.

Failure: Nothing happens.

Success: A thick fog surrounds the ship. This fog has a radius equal to the ships Size in meters and lasts for one hour per dot of Power. Perception checks for the living are at -Power, but no worse than -5.

Exceptional Success: Treat power as one point higher, maximum of 5.

'''Press Gang'''

Attrition can wear down the crew of a Ghost Ship as much as anywhere else. From ghosts destroyed in combat, caught at one of their other Anchors and exorcised or just worn down by time until useless to the ship, after a while there might be a need to give someone the King's Shilling. To Press someone requires that they are physically on-board the Ghost Ship and restrained. The Ghost rolls an Extended Power + Finesse vs Resolve + Composure. If the Ghost gets Willpower Successes before the mortal gains Power + Resistance Successes then upon death the mortal will find himself Anchored to the ship. This Numina does not last long, so most crews who use this Numina will kill the Mortal immediately.

Because the Anchor is in a sense artificial, then assuming no other Anchors destroying the ship will free Pressed Ghosts rather than trap them in the Underworld. It is also worth noting that if the mortal agrees to join the crew then the Numina succeeds without rolling.