Qualmi

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"If I were to change my face, would it alter what I am? Appearances are deceiving, my brother; the heart sees better than the eyes."
Bastet Breedbook pg.65

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Riddle Dancers

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Summary

** Pictures and Title all taken from Bastet Breedbook pg.# 63-65 **

Qualmi Gifts

PGttCB 72-73, Bastet 113-114

Level 1

  • Breakfast of Stones
  • Turned Fur

Level 2

  • No Hidden Thing
  • Wind from the West

Level 3

  • Drop of Sea
  • Nighttime Web
  • Wisdom of the Ancient Ways

Level 4

  • Chill of Early Frost
  • Dancing on Air
  • Still Breeze Blowing

Level 5

  • Call Down the Stars
  • Water's Vision

Qualmi Gift Details
Rank 1

Breakfast of Stones - As the Level 1 Pumonca gift Wanderer's Boon. Travel is hard, especially given the Spartan ways of the Pumonca. This Gift allows a cougar to adapt to changing climates quickly, or to ignore the pangs of hunger or thirst for some time. Bird and Bear spirits pass this Gift along.

System: By rolling Stamina + Survival and spending a Willpower point, the player allows her werecat to do one of the following things: ignore the worst effects of normal heat and cold for a week; go one day without water; or go three days without food. The difficulty for the roll is 6, although harsh conditions (blizzards, droughts, heat waves, etc.) can raise it by two or more. The Gift can be repeated, but the difficulty rises by one each time it's performed in succession.

(PGttCB p72, Bastet BB p114)


Turned Fur - As the Wendigo Gift Camouflage, save the cat must discard any clothing or gear before the Gift takes effect -- the Lynx is the only thing that changes color.

System: The difficulties to spot the Qualmi increase by three, provided that he is in the woods. The bastet invokes the effects at whim.

(PGttCB p72, Bastet BB p114)

Rank 2

No Hidden Thing - By reading the riddles of the world as mystic patterns, a Qualmi can discover answers that aren't immediately obvious to mortals. It's hard to hide things from a lynx!

System: This gift combines the level One Common Gifts: Spirits' Sight, Dowsing, Pathfinder's Pride, Sense the Truth, Sense Unmaker's Hand, and Cat Sight. The roll is Perception + Enigmas, and the difficulty ranges from 5 to 9, depending on what the lynx is looking for and how well it's hidden. The Qualmi must spend one Gnosis, but retains the use of this Gift for the entire scene.

(Bastet BB p114)


Wind from the West - This Gift takes the form of a series of high-speed riddles designed to tie a victim's mind into knots. Most Qualmi are rather pleased if this Gift fails; it's not often they find someone clever enough to keep up with them.

System: The Qualmi rolls Manipulation + Enigmas (difficulty equals the target's Willpower). Success scrambles the target's sense of direction and relationship. Three or more successes send the target into a panic; Changing Breeds must check for Frenzy, and normal humans flee in terror. The Gift's effects last for about 15 minutes, then fade.

If the target is clever enough, he may try to figure out the puzzle (Wits + Enigmas, difficulty equals the Qualmi's Willpower) before it takes effect. If the players and storyteller wish, this can be simulated using the rules of Gamecraft, wherein the difficulty for each party increases by 1 until someone fails a roll. As mentioned above, Qualmi tend to be gracious losers when opponents prove to be clever enough to outwit the lynx.

(Bastet BB p114, PGttCB p73)

Rank 3

Bayou Slumber - Deserts and mountains aren't the only places Pumonca roam. So-called "swamp cats" know the Southern wetlands well. By crooning to the spirits of the bayous and calling upon any favors owed, a Pumonca can call forth a swamp elemental, dropping with plants and ooze, to assist her. While the creature retains its own free will, a Shambler is disposed to be friendly to the cat and hostile towards anyone in her way.

System: The player spends two points each of Rage and Gnosis to animate the Shambler, and rolls Willpower against difficulty 7. The resulting creature is semi-intelligent at best, but smells terrible, and lasts for three turns per success. Suggested Shambler traits are:

Attributes: Strength 4, Dexterity 2, Stamina 5, Wits 1

Abilities: Alertness 1, Brawl 3, Stealth 3

Health Levels: Two per success, and no penalties apply. Once its health levels are gone, the Shambler falls apart.

(Bastet BB p113)


Thunderbolt - A pact with the spirits of the storm allows some Pumonca to call down a thunderbolt. So long as at least one cloud hangs in the air, the cougar can call down lightning. Most cougars learn this mighty spell from Thunderbird himself.

System: The cougar's player spends a point of Rage to summon a bolt of lightning, and rolls Dexterity + Survival to hit the target. Under normal conditions (partly cloudy skies, human-sized target), the roll's difficulty is 8; large targets or stormy skies can decrease it to 7 or 6, while dry conditions or unusually small targets can raise the difficulty to 9 or even 10. The bolt inflicts two health levels worth of fire damage for every point of the werecat's Gnosis. Even if the Thunderbolt misses its victim, it's still a terrifying experience to be on the receiving end of a lightning strike. Wound-be victims roll their Willpower against a difficulty 8 to avoid running in fear.

(PGttCB p72, Bastet BB p113)

Rank 4

Call Elemental - As the Garou Uktena Gift.

(PGttCB p72)


Element-Folk Favor - Old Stone Face made many allies among the elemental spirits, and performed many favors for their kind before passing on. The ageless spirits remember his good deeds by aiding those who invoke their ancient ancestor. A Pumonca who performs this Gift can call up an elemental spirit for help. Once it arrives, the spirit will do what it can to assist the cat; after it finishes one task, the spirit departs.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Enigmas and spends a Gnosis point to summon the elemental. The roll's difficulty is that of the local Gauntlet. The spirit, if it appears, will be friendly toward the cat, so long as she reminds him of her blood-link to Old Stone Face. No other tribe warrants the same kindness; in fact, Bubasti who have tried to swipe this Gift have been destroyed by the angry elemental spirits they called up. When the first service named has been finished or when one hour has elapsed, the elemental departs peacefully.

(Bastet BB p113)


The Hungry Earth - The Mother is not at peace. Some Pumonca know how to rouse her enough to show her displeasure. When this Gift is employed, the ground shakes, opens or gives way, covering tracks, sealing passages or burying the cat's opponents alive.

System: Depending on the cat's environment, this Gift takes many different forms; among hills or mountains, it causes an avalanche; in the swamps it begets quicksand; in deserts and plains, it causes the ground to open up beneath a target. To invoke these disasters, the cat's player rolls Manipulation + Survival, with the difficulty being the area's Gauntlet +2 (maximum 10) and spends a Rage point. The exact effects are up to the Storyteller, but often affect a 100 foot radius for each success rolled. If the attack causes damage, assume that the victim takes two or three normal health levels for each success. Some attacks, like falling rocks, are more deadly, but may allow the target a Dexterity + Athletics roll (difficulty 6 - 8) to get clear.

(Bastet BB p114)

Rank 5

Earthspeaking - By sifting dirt and calling on the spirits within the ground, a puma receives visions of things that have happened in the area. These insights can help her follow trails, "witness" past events, or learn where things came from or went. Bird spirits often pass this Gift along, but some worm and elemental chaya do their part too, especially if the Bastet's questions serve the spirit's ends.

System: The Pumonca concentrates while chanting a single question and a plea. While she does, the player rolls Perception + Enigmas to see into the past. Success reveals the answer. The more distant the event, the higher the difficulty, unless it left impressions so vivid that they never fade (like the Trail of Tears), which might reduce the difficulty by one or two. Events that occurred more than a year ago require a Gnosis point to "see". The vision comes from the perspective of the ground nearby, whichc might make details hard to read (imagine a worm's-eye view of a murder); some dreams pass emotional impressions, too, leaving moods that can last for hours.

Time Elapsed Difficulty
A week 4
A month 5
Six months 6
A year 7
10 years 8
50 years 9
100+ years 10

(Bastet BB p114)


Thunderbird's Cry - As the Bastet Metis Gift: Wrath of Nala, except that the storm may last for up to an hour if the player's roll is five or more successes. This Gift is taught by Thunderbird himself.

(PGttCB p72, Bastet BB p114)


Helpful Sources