BRAG

By Eric Burns (eburns41@PORTLAND.CAPS.MAINE.EDU) (10 September 1995)

Description

Hated and feared because of their shapeshifting abilities, these kithain are perhaps the most distrusted in fae society. Able to duplicate the forms of other kithain and mortals, Brags are quite often used as spies by more powerful beings, fae and otherwise.

Mortal legends also speak of the Brags. Tales of cruel, shapeshifting beings, including dark tales of "otherselves": the Fetch and the Dopplegangers, all refer to these beings. The Brags' dark reputation has been earned, however, at least in part. Unseelie Brag have been known to replace mortals, tying up the originals, or killing them, just to get a taste of mortal society first hand. Brags are also known for their cruel tricks. Many Brags have taken pleasure in driving people to insanity or methodically ruinning their lives.

And if that weren't enough, there is a highly suspect tradition in Brag society known as "Turnabout." Brags delight in making things, in at least one respect, the opposite as they once were. Sometimes a situation may become reversed: a rich slumlord may lose all his wealth to a poor tenant that he has exploited. Other times, actual people will be "reversed": a drug addicted hedonist might become a a devoted man of the cloth, or vice versa. The latter is considered the greatest of victories. Seelie Brags often use Turnabout to give people their just desserts, or to accomplish the greatest good. Unseelie usually use Turnabout for the greatest amount of humor or to exact revenge.

As Turnabout shows, Brags crave change more than anything. Brags refer to mortals as "statics," and seek to inspire change in mortal (and fae) society as much as possible. Brags also seek change within themselves as well. Most Brags bounce rapidly between the two fae courts, Seelie one week, Unseelie the next. Political and philosophical opinions change as rapidly, as do tastes in music, clothing, and food. Brags often travel a great deal, becoming bored easily. The only constant with Brags is their inconsistency.

Appearance

In their natural (and rarely taken) form, Brags are tall, willowy, and featureless. A Brag's skin is pale and colorless. Brags have empty slabs for faces, a slit for a mouth and lack even eyes. Brags have difficulty talking in their natural forms and tend to mumble. While in their natural forms, Brags' seemings can only be described as amazingly nondescript. They appear as "normal" as one can resonably appear without drawing suspicion.

Seemings

Childlings mind their manners and do as they're told...while adults are around. When alone with other children, they are capable of any number of things. When the other children tell the adults about the childling's behavior though, they are instantly disbelieved. ("Why are you trying to get Johnny in trouble, Billy? Look, he's crying. Now apologize and play nice. I'll be back in a few minutes.")

Wilders are megalomaniacs, one and all. The see humanity as one great collection of toys to play with. Even the more well-behaved wilders tend to leave a trail of ruined lives.

Grumps are very rare. As easily jaded as Brags are, very few fight off banality into their old age. Typically, a Brag will "replace" someone for some entertainment, and then forget that he really isn't that person. The few self-aware grumps that do survive generally play such bizarre and complex games that they are best avoided.

Lifestyles

Brag lifestyles vary by the week, day, or sometimes the hour. Brags will generally try anything for a little entertainment.

Affinity

Actor

Birthrights

Fetch-Form: Brags are best known for their ability to "fetch" the form of mortal and fae, becoming an exact physical duplicate. The Brag gains her target's Strength, Dexterity, Stamina, and Appearance, as well as any intrinsic physical benefits and weaknesses (such as a Sluagh's Heightened Senses and Whisper but not a Nocker's ability to create chimera, for instance). The Brag's wound level is not affected, nor is her clothing. Brags may only fetch the forms of mortal and fae and cannot duplicate a non-fae supernatural (like garou and magi), a chimera, or an animal. A Brag may not take the form of an Autumn Person, or a mortal "touched" by non-fey supernatural forces (such as vampric ghouls, mortals with numina, and kinfolk). Before changing her form, the Brag must meet certain conditions (often refered to as "The Rule of Three"):
1. The Brag must know the True Name of her target.
2. The Brag's target must be in plain sight of the Brag (Television doesn't count, nor do scrying devices, but the Soothsay cantrip "Tattletale" does)
3. The Brag must not be seen by any non-enchanted mortal except her target.

If all the above conditions are met, the Brag may try to fetch her target's form. She must spend a point of Glamour and roll empathy + manipulation against a difficulty of 8 (or 6 if the Brag has either fetched the target's form before, or has somehow gained glamour from the target before). A net success of 1 or more means that the Brag successfully takes her target's form. A normal failure means that the Brag keeps her old form (but still loses a point of Glamour), and the Brag may not attempt to take that target's form for another 24 hours. A Botch means that the Brag also gains a temporary point of Banality, and may never attempt to take that target's form again.

When a brag fetches a fae's form, both her seeming and dreaming forms change to match. When a brag fetches a mortal's form, her seeming changes to match and her dreaming form becomes a pale, grey shadow of her new seeming.

It is important to note that, while theoretically, a Brag can keep her form for as long as she likes, Brags who keep their forms the same for too long run the risk of gaining banality. For each week past the first without changing forms must roll willpower vs a difficulty of 8 to avoid gaining a temporary point of banality. A Brag who falls out of the dreaming this way will think she is who she pretends to be.

Inborn Manipulation: Brags have the natural ability to say exactly the right thing without even thinking about it. A Brag will never botch an empathy roll, and the difficulty on all rolls involving persuasion and/or getting on people's "good side" are reduced by 2.

Frailties

Fluid Psyche: Brags have little in the way of a core personality and are therefore weak-willed and easily manipulated. No Brag may have a willpower higher than 5. In addition, the difficulty for all rolls made to resist any sort of mind control (including anything from vampiric presence and domination to normal post-hypnotic suggestion and brainwashing) are increased by 2. It is because of this that many Brags are controlled by Greater Powers (Sidhe politiques, various Magi, the occasional Tremere, etc.)

Pariah: Because of their long, dark history of Questionable Activites, Brags are generally treated as Pariahs in the fey community. Many kithain of any kith would kill a Brag to avoid future trouble, and few would mind.

Quote

"Turnabout's fair play, eh?"