LeviathanTempest:ChapterTwo

[[PICTURE: Full page. A young man sits in the bed of a parked pickup truck. He is surrounded by a half-dozen jugs of water, office water-cooler size. The young man is tan and shirtless, with black patches of skin – stripes - crossing his chest, forearms, and shoulders. His head is bowed, hair, obscuring his eyes, but a plume of fog or smoke rises from his mouth. His hands are curled into fists. Black blood leaks from one, in which is visible what appear to be shards of a crushed cellular phone. In the background, the road descends towards the coast, where a city is half-visible through the fog. The license plate of the truck is visible – Louisiana, 007-981.]]

Chapter 2 : Character Creation

It seemed to be a sort of monster, or symbol representing a monster, of a form which only a diseased fancy could conceive. If I say that my somewhat extravagant imagination yielded simultaneous pictures of an octopus, a dragon, and a human caricature, I shall not be unfaithful to the spirit of the thing. A pulpy, tentacled head surmounted a grotesque and scaly body with rudimentary wings; but it was the general outline of the whole which made it most shockingly frightful.

• H.P. Lovecraft, “The Call of Cthulhu”

Character Creation

Creating a member of the Tribe is, in certain ways, relatively straightforward, and in other ways somewhat difficult. The primary thing that differentiates creating a Leviathan from most of the World of Darkness' other supernatural entities is the nature of entering into the Tribe's unusual world. There's no “Ah-ha!” moment, no changeover, that marks the transition between human and Leviathan, and no great social system into which the fledgling Leviathan is entered. In certain ways, this is the point – the Tribe doesn't really belong anywhere. This means that, in terms of concept, Leviathans are mostly defined by what they intend to do about this – even the guidelines of a chosen School's focus are left purposefully broad, as each Leviathan opts for a personal interpretation of the search for self-acceptance.

The difficulty of not having a “moment of change” as a stepping-off point is contrasted to the relatively simplicity of Leviathan “society,” such as it is – a Leviathan does not really need to concern him or herself with his kinfolk in a structured fashion. They may approach their family as they see fit, and this approach is one of the ways in which a member of the Tribe determines his School. As such, every Trait that you select during creation can be seen as a way of defining what sort of person the character is or wishes to be – every skill that a Leviathan focuses on is, in certain ways, a part of the self-definitional process. Learning and changing and adapting are all coping mechanisms for a Leviathan, and the consideration of of traits in this light may well enhance your character's concept – even mundane things, like career choices, take on considerable significance for a member of the Tribe.

A starting Leviathan isn't yet a walking deity, as much as the Tribe might take on the air of neglected demigods. The limitations of their powers, as well as their relative inexperience, mean that they simply haven't “grown into” their power yet. Hopefully, this won't be too frustrating – especially considering that even the eldest and most establishes Leviathans are secretly still at sea about their place in life. That's the nature of the game for the Tribe – no matter how much they develop and solidify their place around them, they can't return to the world that spawned them. The lack of a solid foundation is a thematic element of the hardships of change and uncertainty – hopefully a starting Leviathan's weak points will serve as fodder for his story, rather than a hardship for his player.

It's advisable to consider your character alongside those being made by your fellow players, both to prevent a frustrating scenario in which the concepts of multiple characters overlap in such a way as to vex their players, and to consider your Leviathan in light of his Cohort. Members of the Tribe, subject to two sets of instinctual impulses and considerable psychological hardships, tend to have tempestuous relationships to one another, and this possibility can open up a good deal of opportunities for players that want to collaborate. A convoluted and conflict-ridden “familial” relationship is, after all, in-theme.

Step One: Concept

Your concept can serve as a framework onto which Traits can be hung – or merely as an easy shorthand to explain your character to fellow players and your Storyteller. In general, it should not be so binding as to serve as a straightjacket – like every other choice, it's meant to open doors, not close them. A concept can be as brief as a pair of words or as long as a complex statement, but at the very least some of it's utility is as a brief, defining statement – an idea of what sort of person the Leviathan is and what things he finds important.

At the start of a chronicle, most Leviathans are young and new to their lineage – generally, hints begin to pop up between the ages of sixteen and one's early twenties, and a starting Leviathan has had two years or less to make sense of the realities of his unnatural bloodline. This means that the Leviathan will have made many of his or her early life choices with at least some understanding of the situation – possibly serving as a guide for these choices, or restricting their options.

Strain may be a factor in one's concept – a bloodline that has hosted Leviathans previously might well be, wittingly or not, warped by the hand of your character's predecessors. Families that are aware of their lineage might well have their own notions of what the newly-arisen Leviathan ought to do – ideas that could clash with the fledgling's own desires. The Leviathan's School is generally a decision shaped by his actions after becoming aware, but these choices may be directed by what the Leviathan valued or believed before they changed. The inclusion of Strain or School shouldn't be considered a necessity, however – a Leviathan's nature and personality aren't defined by his bloodline.

Step Two: Select Attributes

Your Leviathan's Attributes reflect his raw ability – his natural inclinations and talents, supplemented by the skills he learns and practices. These talents may well influence his personality – his Attributes suggest how, in a vacuum, he's likeliest to solve problems. All Attributes begin with one dot, and you assign an additional five dots to one category, four to a second, and three to the remaining group. The fifth dot of an Attribute requires two dots to purchase.

The rigors of Leviathan life and the nature of their lack of control mean that they often have a great need for the Resistance attributes – Resolve, Stamina, and Composure. It is a marker of the problems of the Tribe that most Leviathans actually don't notably excel in these vital arenas, however – their unbalanced lives simply don't lend themselves to the development of Resolve and the Wake often means that a member of the Tribe doesn't face the conflicts and challenges that would lead to improving his Composure.

Power attributes are common for Leviathans that operate more openly – they permit an insecure Leviathan to impose their will on others (an aggressive stance can often serve as a replacement for actual self-mastery.) Those that actively oppose the enemies of the Tribe often cultivate the Intelligence for tactics, and most prefer Strength, using it alongside their natural weapons to attack in a way that uniquely displays their divine heritage.

Leviathans that attempt more introspective methods of control will generally cultivate their Resolve – they focus out the distracting difficulties of the day-to-day and aim themselves, like rockets, at the achievement of Tranquility. Most fail, but a high Resolve insulates the Leviathan against many of the problems of their imperfect control of their own bodies. It is also common among Leviathans that try desperately to “blend in” with mortals, as it is a factor in resisting Outbursts.

Step Three: Select Skills

Prioritize the three categories of skill – Mental, Physical, and Social. Divide eleven points between skills in the primary category, seven in the secondary, and four in the tertiary. Leviathans on the front lines of the day-to-day struggles of the Tribe tend to favor Physical skills, especially Brawl, making the most of their innate advantages. Those that are more concerned with exploring the legacy of their ancestors tend towards the Mental, especially Occult and Academics. Social skills are somewhat rarer – the Wake can often counteract social awkwardness with brute force. Intimidation is by far the most common of the Social skills. These categorical tendencies aren't binding, however, and those Leviathans that cultivate followers often do begin to seriously consider the manipulation of others.

School can influence skill selection, and vice versa – the tactics of a given School in exploring the nature of the Leviathan's ancestry will general privilege certain approaches. A Leviathan from a military background is likely to end up seriously considering the viewpoint of the School of the Reef, for instance.

Step Four: Select Skill Specialties

Narrow areas of study are something of an obsession among the Tribe – most settle into comfortable routines or get set into tried-and-true methods of addressing their problems. As such, specialties are quite common. An area of focus is often comforting and familiar.

A starting Leviathan selects three skill specialties. They will gain an additional specialty when selecting their School, but this “bonus” will be limited to one of three Skills, whereas these first three are unrestricted.

Step Five: Assign the Leviathan Template

Until this point, the traits that have been assigned have been primarily the markers of the natural responses and tendencies of the Leviathan. While the distinction between “before” and “after” transformation is unreliable for the Tribe, the line between the markers of their normal and monstrous lives is a touch more distinct. The Leviathan template provides those elements of the character that are unique to his experiences as a member of the Tribe.

Templates cannot overlap, and the inherent nature of the blood of the Tribe is such that most supernatural templates won't even take hold of a Leviathan that has begun undergoing his transformation. A Leviathan is considered to have the template as soon as the change begins – additional supernatural influence on his life at this point will not change the course of his life, and may prove fatal, even for the intercessor. Especially if a protective family of Lahmasu are grooming their new demigod for his ascension.

Strain

Of all the traits of a starting Leviathan, his Strain is the factor that is most out of his control. A Leviathan's Strain is a function of his bloodline, and a given family line of humans is likely to only produce a single Strain of Leviathans (Fringe cases exist in which closely-related Strains may arise in the same family tree, however). A Leviathan's Strain determines which of the primary Progenitor bloodlines expresses itself in his being, and which of the traits of the Tribe that he is most naturally inclined to exhibit. A family that is aware of its Tribe blood will likely have been shaped by the interference of previous generations of Leviathan – its structure and beliefs might well be reinforced with hazy understandings of the Primordial Seas, and family members might be marked with the taint of Leviathan blood, potentially even Lahmasu. Some Leviathans are born in lines that are far removed from the original exposure to the blood of the Tribe, however, and must find their own way into the world of the Tribe.

Strain determines which Echoes a character favors. The focus on specific Echoes is a function of genetics, and it is possible to trace the “relationship” between Strains by marking the closeness of their preferred Echoes. The ability to favor certain Echoes does have a slight effect on how the Tribe views a given Strain – each group is stereotyped as the users of their preferred Echo, as most Leviathans take a “I have a hammer” approach to problem-solving.

School

Schools are the modes of thought that direct a Leviathan's exploration of their inhuman lineage. With their history loss and their lack of control of their own divine bloodlines, members of the Tribe are faced with a hostile world and an inability to conduct a normal human life. The focus on some method of making sense of their changing world, and of defining a place for themselves, determines a Leviathan's School. They are not formal associations, but modes of thought – not unlike “critical methods” in academic discourse. A Leviathan's choice of School is perhaps the most meaningful decision he will make regarding how his life will be conducted from that point forward. A Leviathan's choice of School provides him with a free Specialty in one of three Skills linked to that School, and provides him with a discount when investing in Evolutions of certain Echoes.

Some Leviathans, especially those most new to their lineage, are without a School. Most do not maintain this position for long – while they do not suffer socially for this choice, the lack of at least a flimsy pretense of a life plan is extremely dangerous to the fragile psyches of a rootless member of the Tribe, and isolation and doubt are quick routes to the descent into madness. A School-less Leviathan may take a free Specialty in either Brawl, Stealth, or Survival – their focus is on the day-to-day struggle, not a long term plan. They do not favor the Evolutions of any Echo. A School-less Leviathan can move into a School later – this, and the possibility of changing one's School, is discussed later.

Sheol

Your character's refining of his Progenitor's bloodline, the degree to which he has delved into his ancestry, is measured by his Sheol. It represents the crackling potential of his immortal lineage, and his ability to manage and direct that blood – the divine Ichor. As Sheol grows more pronounced, the Leviathan's Wake becomes stronger – he casts a shadow of greater magnitude on the psychic landscape. High-Sheol Leviathans border on the status of god-kings that the Tribe once were, but find it impossible to live in the world of men – they distort the minds around them far too much to simply exist, and are inevitably going to be the subject of much unwanted attention from the Tribe's enemies. A low-Sheol character is fresh to the blood or simply uninterested in (or frightened of) pursuing a refinement of the lineage's power.

All Leviathans begin play with a single dot of Sheol. This rating may be increased at a cost of three merit points per dot, to a maximum of three dots.

Echoes

Echoes are just that – the lingering traces of the power of the Tribe's bloodline, markers of their demigod nature and the dominion they once held over the sea and perhaps all of creation. By exploring facets of this power, Leviathans exhibit powers as they change into more monstrous shapes. Each Echo is accompanied by a Birthright, a small exercise of the Echo's power that can be invoked without transformation – the markers of the divine mandate of the Tribe over their form and the power of their Ichor. Echoes are divided into branches that represent certain elements of that breed of power – these branches may be Ancestor branches, which are passive expressions of power and refined biology, or Descending branches, which channel Ichor to create more pronounced and amazing effects.

A Leviathan favors two Echoes. One of these is set by his Strain, and the other is selected from a pair that his Strain contains a predilection for. Once chosen, this selection is set in stone. A starting Leviathan then may select three branches to have knowledge of, at least one of which must be from a favored Echo. They must first grasp an Ancestor branch of a given Echo before they can explore its Descending branches, but mastery of any Ancestor branch also grants access to that Echo's Birthright.

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