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Polymorphine
Written by Viktor
Polymorphine
is the drug used by the assassins of the Callidus to alter their
features. The assassins inject this drug to restructure their facial
look, as well as their body shape.
Polymorphine:
Cost: Up to GM. It’d be pretty hard to get this stuff though. Availability: Unique Duration: Until another dose is issued.
Effect: Successful use of
this drug allows an individual to take on the shape of any other
humanoid creature. Note that this will not work on non-human entities
such as Genestealers or Tau. Another injection will cause the
individual to return to their original shape.
If the user of the
drug does not have the Empathy skill, they must pass a -30 willpower test,
or lose control of their form change. Their bones and flesh will warp
and shift, becoming more and more twisted until their skin splits and
their organs spill out onto the ground in a heap or steaming entrails.
It’s not pretty. The character is then dead.
Polymorphonium:
Cost: Normally about 500 thrones a dose, but dealers may vary widely. Availability: Very rare Duration: Until another dose is issued.
Polymorhponium is the black market counterpart for Polymorphine. While
easier to get, it is alot less stable, and can result in far worse
consequences.
Effect: Successful use of
this drug allows an individual to take on the shape of any other
humanoid creature. Note that this will not work on non-human entities
such as Genestealers or Grots. Another injection will cause the
individual to return to their original shape.
If the user of the
drug does not have the Empathy skill, they must pass two -30 willpower tests,
or lose control of their form change. Their bones and flesh will warp
and shift, becoming more and more twisted until their skin splits and
their organs spill out onto the ground in a heap or steaming entrails. The character is then dead.
Skill: Empathy (Will)
The assassin puts
themselves in the mindsets of their targets to structure their changes.
Without this skill, their changes would run rampant and they would be
reduced to a quivering sack of flesh. It also allows the assassin to
correctly mimic their intended target’s personality.
Effect:
When a person injects Polymorphine that has the Empathy skill, they
must pass an Empathy test. Failure by two or less degrees indicates
that their form is not perfect. They may have forgotten a small mole, a
scar, or something equally small.
If using Polymorphonium, failure by three to four degrees will not only
show an imperfect change, but the user must also pass a toughness test
or roll once on the "Minor Mutations" table.
Failure by five degrees or more
results in the user becoming a sack of flesh. (See above)
Also,
once
in their selected form, they person may have to use this skill to mimic
personality. For example, an assassin has disguised herself as the wife
of a crime boss. The boss asks his wife about her day, which would not
require a test. Then the boss asks her what she would think about
having another child. An Empathy test would be required to reply as the
wife would. Or if an alcoloyte wanted to mimic a xenos. Most citizens
of the Imperium don't see xenos every day, so interaction would not
require a test/. However, if said alcoloyte was posing as an Eldar to
another Eldar, he would have to past a test to act like a member of the
race would.
Example difficulties:
Mimicking a nobody, an unknown hired ganger = +30
Becoming a regular at a bar = +10
Impersonating a trusted bodyguard = -10
Acting as an age old friend = -20
Resisting psychic interrogation = -20
Turning into a member of a far fetched race, such as an Eldar, or acting ike an Eldar to another Eldar = -30
Note
that studying a target adds to the roll. If Philinidus was to study a
gang leader for a week, he might get +10 to his role. If Susanah is an
expert on Jokaero, she might also get +10 to het roll.
Cool idea. I love the Callidus assassins and I'd love to know the source material you got the mechanics of polymorphine from. Is polymorphonium of your own design? Is empathy a made up skill? because I've never encountered it, however I am new to this system.
