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Milo v3
2013-09-23, 04:06 AM
I was making a race for my new system Darkness: The Sworn called Lemures. I know it has rather dark flavour, but someone said that I should put a disclaimer with it. I'm unsure whether such a disclaimer would be required.

Here is a direct copy of the text from that section of the PDF:

Lemure
There have been thousands of debates on when life starts, when the individual is born, when they’re brain is finished developing, when originally conceived. The fiend has an answer to this question, much to the chagrin of Grigori and Hunters.

There is a tiny chance that an baby in the womb that dies might be able to have enough sentience to make a pact with the fiend. If it does so, then the child doesn’t appear to die and is born normally, but having been brought back from the dead as through the pact, it will eternally be an undead.

They appear to be normal humans, but there are several physical and mental changes that separate them from Cattle. They’re bodies are fragile and easily sicken, yet the world won’t let them die. They’re minds are sensitive, and prone to disorder, especially depression.

In addition to their eldritch physical and mental states, they also have an innate bond to Imps and through committing traumatic acts they can seal and conjure them without the use of external runes.

Because of their unnatural clinging to life (even if they don’t want to live), they are often referred to as Zombies.

Lemure
[Racial][Class]
Capabilities
Static
Effect: Lemure have their Capabilities modified to have +1 Power, and +1 Burrow or +1 Levitate (chosen at character creation).
Skills
Static
Effect: Lemure start with the following skills ranked up: Intimidate, Education Occult, and Focus.
Suicide Immunity
Static
Effect: Lemures survive their direct attempts at suicide. This doesn’t stop the damage, or injury, or anything unless it would kill them (eg. they can’t get a 10th injury from suicide). But they won’t die from that directly. This doesn’t function if anyone physically causes the act of suicide. A Lemure can survive shooting themselves in the head, but they still die if get someone else to do it. Obviously a large amount of GM to Player communication is required whenever this “benefit” would come into play.
Unwanted Survival
Static
Effect: For the purpose of Determination, the Lemure doubles their Focus Rank. Also, if they would die and they possess at least 3 Determination, they must spend it regardless of if they want to or not.

Ghost
[+Sp. Def][+Spd]
Prerequisites: Lemure
Static
Effect: You gain the Blender Capability. Also, you can touch Phantom typed Imps as if they were corporeal. Treating them as if they aren’t solid (like everyone else does), requires conscious decision to do so and by default they are solid.

I Must Scream
[+2 Sp. Def][Ranked 3]
Rank 1 Prerequisites: Lemure
Rank 2 Prerequisites: Three Lemure Features
Rank 3 Prerequisites: Five Lemure Features
Static
Rank 1 Effect: At the start of their turn, the Lemure regains one Hit Point.
Rank 2 Effect: At the start of their turn, the Lemure regains two Hit Points.
Rank 3 Effect: At the start of their turn, the Lemure regains three Hit Points.

Seal Imp
[+2 Sp. Def]
Prerequisites: Lemure
AP 1 – Standard Action
Effect: By committing an act of self-inflicted trauma as a Standard Action, they may Bind an Imp within 10 meters as if they possessed a Rune. The modifier for this is +0 (same as a Basic Rune). An Imp can bound this way can only be Summoned by committing an act of self-inflicted trauma as part of a Move Action (though they can be returned like normal).
Special: A Lemure can only have a number of Imps bound into its mind equal to its Focus rank. Unlike with Runes, you cannot release Imps bound into your mind normally, they may only be lost if the Imp itself dies.

Twisted Mind
[+2 Sp. Def]
Prerequisites: Lemure
Static
Effect: You gain the Mindlock Capability. Also lie detectors and abilities which discern lies never detect your falsehoods.

Watcher in the Dark
[+2 Sp. Def]
Prerequisites: Lemure
Static
Effect: You gain the Darkvision Capability. Also individuals that you target, gain no benefits from the Bender capability.

Who Wants to Live Forever
[+2 Sp. Def][Ranked 2]
Rank 1 Prerequisites: Two Lemure Features
Rank 2 Prerequisites: Four Lemure Features
Static
Rank 1 Effect: When you commit an act that would be affected by Suicide Immunity, you don’t take damage from the act, though you still take an appropriate amount of injuries if you would normally gain them as if you took the damage.
Rank 2 Effect: When you commit an act that would be affected by Suicide Immunity, you don’t take damage or injuries from the act.


Milo v3: While this feature stops the mechanical results of the suicide, the damage actually still occurs. This can be very…. Disturbing to witness… Especially if you have characters with burning flesh walking around or with bits of their brain still dripping from their head.

Restricted Classes
Lemure may enter the following Restricted Classes:

Clairvoyant
Eternal
Phantom
Telekinesis
Warper


Physical Notes

Lemures eats and requires the same foods and drinks as humans, having a near identical digestive system, but they only require a third the amount a living human would.

Lemures age at the same rate as humans, and die just as quickly. Though considering how sick they get, they probably should die earlier.

Lemure can breed with mortals, though the result is always a normal untainted Human (aka. Cattle).

The Healing factor of a Lemure is much more powerful than any other, but it’s not actually comfortable. It quickly repairs any form of wound they have to keep their body alive, but the process is painful as their body warps to restore bones, limbs, and even their brains (Healing injuries in a third the time with one rank, a fourth of the time with two ranks and a fifth of the time with three ranks).


Obviously since this is many mechanics I may need to answer a question or two, but I'm not sure which information would be important (the system is mainly based on Pokemon Tabletop United if your familiar with it). But my main question is flavour based so I don't think it'll be too much of an issue.

HoodyC17
2013-09-24, 03:22 AM
I don't see a disclaimer being necessary as long as the descriptions aren't too graphical. If you think its too much then use implications instead such as "unborn baby" rather than actually saying it was a "baby in the womb".

Milo v3
2013-09-24, 03:27 AM
I don't see a disclaimer being necessary as long as the descriptions aren't too graphical. If you think its too much then use implications instead such as "unborn baby" rather than actually saying it was a "baby in the womb".

Those descriptions are the the ones in book so whether they are too graphical could be determined with this.

Though unborn babyness wasn't the main issue with the two people who have said that it should have a disclaimer, it was the suicide and self-harm.

HoodyC17
2013-09-24, 03:49 AM
Those descriptions are the the ones in book so whether they are too graphical could be determined with this.

Though unborn babyness wasn't the main issue with the two people who have said that it should have a disclaimer, it was the suicide and self-harm.

Such things should be fine as long as they are contextually appropriate. Since the lemure is described as a being that suffers both physically and mentally then it is understandable why they're suicidal (especially since they can't self terminate). However, I am unfamiliar with the lore around it.

Why can't they self-terminate? And why are they required to inflict self harm to spawn and banish imps? If there's reasoning behind them (especially if the reasons distance them from social issues) then I won't see a disclaimer as being necessary.

If you do emulate something close to modern day depression, mental disorders, and/or masochism then I will believe a disclaimer will be necessary.

Milo v3
2013-09-24, 04:11 AM
Why can't they self-terminate?
Because that would be breaking the pact they made with The Fiend in their creation.


And why are they required to inflict self harm to spawn and banish imps?
To bind (capture like Pokemon) and later summon an Imp without a rune requires three things:

A certain state of mind that can generally only be produced through mental anguish.
The reason it must be self-inflicted is because of the mental aspect of control, if another inflicted the pain then you have no control over it thus it grants you no control over Imps.
And finally, you physically need a brain that has been tainted and molded by The Fiend to imprison the imp. Runes were later designed by others based on and to mimic the brains of the Lemures.



If you do emulate something close to modern day depression, mental disorders, and/or masochism then I will believe a disclaimer will be necessary.
The Lemures in this setting do often have mental disorders, it's not a prerequisite or anything. They don't need them. But doing things you have been taught are impossible, acting as a beacon for Ghost-like beings (it's not an ability so it's not in that section of the book), and having no apparent ability to die can have negative affects on an individuals psyche. Though a fair amount of individuals never even realise they are different aside from getting sick much more often than normal people.