By James G. Hitt (jghst15+@pitt.edu) (28 Wednesday 1996)
Words from the Author
This is the introduction for my brand spanking new Highlander-based Immortal: The Gathering rules system for the WoD! Okay, I know what you are thinking: What is this, like, the seventeenth one of these things out there? What's so different about this one? I'll tell you what's different. This is mine. It's mine. The rules that belong to me. But seriously, I think I've read most of the Immortal rules systems out there and with one notable exception the all have one thing in common: they are not so much systems in and of themselves as they are basic conversions from Vampire to Immortal. This is not a bad thing. I just wanted more. The one person I have seen who has given us more is Hank Driskill. His is the only full-fledged games system I have seen. So what makes this different from his? Well, let me put it this way, and I hope I don't offended anyone by saying this:
What Mr. Driskill has done is take to World of Darkness and its established concepts and systems and bent them to fit the presentation of Immortals we see in Highlander. I would like to add he did an excellent job and I am not trying to compete with him. Again, I just wanted something different. What I have done is taken the Highlander version of Immortals and bent it to fit the Worlds of Darkness. For example, I gave Immortals powers and I tried to make it more depressing. If you think this may be what you have been looking for, then read on.
Okay, what else do I need to say? Right! Highlander was created by Gregory Widen who is the guy who wrote the movie. It's probably owned by somebody else so I appeal to them not to sue me. These pepole also own the Watchers, the Gathering and the Quickening (and maybe even the Prize). WoD, Vampire: the Masquerade, Werewolf: the Apocalypse, Mage: the Ascension, Wraith: the Oblivion, Changeling: the Dreaming, Halls of the Arcanum, and Project Twilight are owned by White Wolf Games. I didn't ask permission to use any of this stuff, so don't go saying I did. If you want to make copies of this and give them to your friends (or horde themin your room, or collect and trade or whatever) I think that's just skippy. However, you must not change any of it from it's original format (even the really obvious typos). Like I said, this is mine. Mine. Not yours, mine. Don't think less of me for stressing this point. I'm just making a legal statement to protect what is mine. All mine. Not belonging to anyone but me. You must also always keep this introduction with the rules. Otherwise I may get sued and people will take away what should be . . . you know.
If any of this bothers you just remember one thing. I don't care. If it really bothers you and you feel you must complain, write me at jghst15@pitt.edu.
If you have some constructive criticism you may also write me. If you see a really obvious typo, don't write to me about it. It's obvious. I must have seen it and decided I didn't care. By the way, I'm not sure how all of the charts and stuff are going to translate when I rip this document out of it's happy home in Word Perfect. If you don't understand some thing please tell me. I will try to explain it to you and I may even write a second edition.
Basically, what I'm trying to say here is: Write to me! I'm a lonely little man. I spent months of free time writing this just so you would pay attention to me. Oh! I almost forgot. If you need a character sheet write me. It may be that i can send them out through the mail. I'll only bother if enough people respond.
That's all I can think of for now. If anybody sees something I've forgotten that might get me sued, please write me immediately and I will fix it. If you feel the need to sue me then I'm sorry. You are right and I am wrong. Do you fell better now? I knew you would. Bu-bye. James Hitt:)
What spirit haunts my heart
Who rips my facade of happiness
And drops me into cold truth
Will the tears come tonight
My lost friends
Come to me tonight
Let me feel my hurt, my screams in the warm darkness
My companions in my trek of sadness
I'm alone with my thoughts and there she is
My ethereal beauty, out of reach
As my soul cries to meet her I'm gone
Alone again to cry inside
There's no chance for us,
It's all decided for us,
This world has only one sweet moment set aside for us.
Who wants to live forever.
Who dares to live forever,
When love must die.
Jeremy felt the cold wet earth through the knee of his pants as he knelt again at her grave. This was his yearly ritual now. He knew that if he lived to be a thousand he would never find another one like her. So, every year he visited Beth's grave and thought about what might have been and shed one tear and went home, wherever that might be at the time.
As the single strand of warm water ran down his cheek and over his chin, he stood dropped the rose and moved on. He walked swiftly away, so he almost didn't see the letter. It had been leant against the grave of another woman who had died long before her time. For the second time that day he knelt at a woman's grave. He thought that it didn't make a difference really which one it was. Not really. They were all the same at this point. All the dead young girls might as well be the same girl. Their packaging was all the same. He opened the letter. It said:
My dearest Sarah,
I'm writing down all the things I meant to tell you but couldn't, or didn't. I'm not who you thought I was. I'm not who I thought I was.
I'm sorry.
I hope that you are somewhere where you will hear this. I guess I should start where it started for me. I woke up after the accident and I looked for you. I couldn't see anything. I had been asleep. I felt like I was in bed, but the last thing I remembered was being in the car with you when it went off the road. I reached for you and my hand hit something hard. I tried to sit up but I couldn't. My arms were stuck at my sides. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe and I knew. I knew I was dead. I knew you were dead. I thought I would spend forever in this coffin without you. I guess I was half right. I don't know how long I had been awake when someone finally found me. I felt him there above me. I wanted to scream. My ears exploded. My head pounded. I heard the pounding above me. I felt my coffin being pulled from the ground. My eyes watered. The chamber opened and I tumbled out. The air was cold. It hurt my face. I realized I hadn't been breathing and I tried to. Instead I felt sick in my throat. I blew it out . . . chemicals. It kept coming, from everywhere in my body. And when I was empty just a little air seeped inside and I fell back asleep. When I woke up I hurt all over. I found I could move, but now I didn't want to. I kept thinking of you.
Eventually someone came into the room. The room was very big. I think it was in a hotel. When the man approached, incredible pressure seeped into my head, behind my eyes and my ears and in the back of my neck. I couldn't hear anything. He sat on the bed and he was talking to me but all I could hear was the buzzing in my mind. Very slowly, it wore away and it left a tingling all over me, like static. I felt like liquid electricity was running through me. I guess I said something about it because the man said a word that I knew described the feeling. He said, "Quickening". He told me that I was an Immortal. He told me not to worry. He said he would take care of me. I think I screamed again.
I woke up in the room again. I called for someone. I was horribly lonely. I wanted you but I remembered that you had died when I did. I couldn't be Immortal. I was dead and this hotel room was my hell. It was then that I knew that the man who came to see me was the devil. He came when I called him. I knew he was there before I heard his steps from the pressure on my skull. He smiled. I told him I knew what he was. He told me he wasn't what I thought he was. He said he was like me. I asked him if he was dead. He smiled again.
He started saying again the thing he had told me the last time. This time I listened and cried and thought of you. He told me about people living forever, cutting off each other's heads with swords. He told me it was time for us all to die soon. Good, I thought, I want to be dead now. He said he would teach me things. I asked him what things. He talked for a very long time.
I don't remember every thing he told me, but I remember everything that was important. He told me that people like us could do special things. He said he could heal others. He said that if he really tried, he could take the life of one of our kind and give it to a mortal. That was his word for you. Mortal. He told me that when one of us killed another, he gets the power of the one he kills.
Then he gave me a sword. He told me to use it well. I did. He seemed very surprised when my sword sliced through the back of his neck. The pain was almost unbearable, but I did it for you, darling. Now I must find another of my kind and bring him to you. I can't wait to see you again. I love you.
Jeremy felt the familiar buzz. He bowed his head and cried. He knew he wouldn't have to make his tears for her enough to last for centuries. Now was his time. One of the tears may even have been for himself.
He felt the cold blade in the back of his throat. He felt he tears and his head fall to the ground. Jeremy's tears and his blood mixed in a puddle on the ground and stained the grass on Emily's grave and letter and Michael laughed through all the pain and dreamed of kissing her again.
Becoming an Immortal shatters your world into a thousand tiny pieces. Imagine that later today you are killed. You are hit by a car, or you catch a stray bullet, or maybe you just fall down the stairs. Whatever way it happens, there's a brief moment of pain, fear, and surprise. Your entire life flashes before your eyes, and then nothing. Everything goes black and that's it. Except for you. You wake up from the blackness. Your head explodes and you see someone hovering over you. He tells you that you can never see your family and friends again, that you are dead and now you have to move on. He tells you that you must learn to use a sword because strangers will be coming to cut off your head. He tells you that you should be glad for the fires burning in your head, because they will tell you when enemies are approaching to kill you. He tells you that this is the end of time for your kind, and you will spend the rest of your life in battle or on the run, until you are either killed or until there is nobody left in the world like you. And you only get told all of this if you're one of the lucky ones. So, cast off all of your happy notions about playing an Immortal character. This is the World of Darkness and if you think the real world is bad, wait till you play the game.
Immortals have existed almost as long as humans. They are born from Human mothers and fathers, but something makes them different. The spark of life in them is too strong to be extinguished by all but the most violent blows. So, that's exactly what it's come down to. The Immortals have always known that someday every one of them would begin to feel a pull to some place on earth. There, all the remaining Immortals would enter into a final conflict until only one remained. That one Immortal would receive power beyond imagination. That power is called the Prize, and the time of the Gathering is now. Immortals throughout the world can feel an invisible force tugging at their backs, pulling them towards the New World. Like the countless immigrants of the last few centuries, Immortals pour into the great melting pot, where all but one of them will meet with death. All over New York, swords clash and an era ends. As dozens of bodies are discovered, reports of headless corpses are kept out of the news by a secret, powerful society of Watchers who conceal the Immortals' existence. As the ancients continue to flock, the end draws nearer and the lid comes closer to being lifted. Soon, humanity may discover the truth, but will it be soon enough? Will the world learn of the danger it is in before a being of incomparable evil becomes the most powerful presence on the planet? Is the Prize even worth fighting for? The only thing you know is that it's all going to happen. So many are gone already, and you don't know how much longer you can resist the call to join them. The game has begun. It's winner take all and there's no going back. This is the end.
They got a file on me and it's a mile long
And they say that they got all of the proof
That I'm just another case of arrested development
And I'm just another wasted youth
They say that I'm in need of some radical discipline
They say I gotta face the truth
Immortals have no defined society. For a few years at a time, a small group of immortals may travel together, but they will always be separated eventually. The only tie that truly binds all immortals are the rules. There are three:
One: All immortal battles must be one on one. There is no interference allowed.
Two: Immortals must never fight on holy ground. It is their only sanctuary.
Three: In the end, there can be only one.
These rules are enforced by the natural laws (or supernatural laws) governing the Quickening. The enforcement of the rules is as follows:
If two immortals gang up on another, all three must meet the requirements for combat. If the pair of immortals fighting together win the battle, only one of them can actually deliver the killing blow. The immortal who did the actual beheading receives all of the Quickening, from both parties. The Quickening released from the beheaded immortal passes through the victor's partner (the gut who is still alive but didn't personally kill anybody) taking his Quickening with it. The victor (the guy who personally killed the loser) receives Quickening from both parties. He benefits from the slaying the loser the same way described in the Combat chapter. In addition to gaining traits and Quickening from the loser, he gets all his partner's Quickening and can choose to buy any of his partner's traits for half the normal experience cost.
His partner falls unconscious for 10d10 rounds. When he wakes up, he has one point of temporary Quickening and is incapacitated. He will heal normally from that point. He does not lose any Quickening points stored in his Sword and can reabsorb them as soon as he can put his hands on his weapon. (This does not apply to immortals who use the Body of War proficiency as their Sword. They lose their stored Quickening with everything else.) The partner loses any traits bought by the victor. Also, two randomly determined points are lost into the earth. Roll 1d10 to decide from which traits the points are lost.
| Die roll | Trait group affected |
| 1-2 | Attributes |
| 3-4 | Abilities |
| 5 | Backgrounds |
| 6 | Willpower |
| 7 | Sword |
| 8 | Quickening |
| 9-0 | Proficiencies |
If Attributes, Abilities, Backgrounds or Proficiencies are rolled, the Storyteller decides which specific dots are lost. The two random dots are determined only after the victor has chosen which traits he will buy. If there are any other immortals involved in the battle, they are treated like the victor's partner. You are only considered involved in the battle if you spent the Quickening to engage in combat. You can be present at the beheading and not suffer.
Example: Xavier St.Cloud convinces Michael Richards, his new student to team up with him against Richie Ryan. When Xavier beheads Richie not only does he gain all of Richie's power, he also gains all the power he can harvest from young Michael. Michael falls unconscious. His player rolls 2d10. He gets a 2 and a 7. Michael loses one of his Sword points, and the Storyteller decides that he loses a point from his Wits rating for being so gullible.
The rules technically apply only to matters concerning two or more Immortals. This leaves Immortals on holy ground open to attack by any number of non-Immortals. This also means that Immortals can use any tactics they choose when dealing with non-Immortal enemies. There are Immortals who feel that the rules restrict them from committing any violent act on holy ground, but that is strictly a matter of personal choice (although they may not see it that way if you break their rule).
Sword combat is a part of Immortal as it is for none of the other Storyteller systems. A more complex, detailed system is required. However, too much detail makes the game sluggish and boring, so the storyteller will be called on to work even harder at being as descriptive as possible when it comes to duels to compensate for a lack of fine detail on the part of the system. This system does not alter the current rules in any way, it merely expands them. All of the old rules still apply, but in cases of melee combat, these rules apply also.
You will have an easier time understanding this if you try performing these actions in the mirror. Do this while you are alone.
Example: Duncan MacCleod is in a duel with Nefertiri. Both of them spend the necessary Quickening. They both roll Wits + Alertness for initiative. MacCleod wins so Nefertiri declares her actions first. Nefertiri declares that she will guard against an attack from Mac. Mac then declares that he will slash at Nefertiri's body. Nefertiri says that she will block this attack. Mac rolls Dexterity + Sword and gets five successes. Nefertiri rolls Dexterity + Sword (with her difficulty reduced by one) and gets six successes so her sword makes contact with Mac's before he strikes her body. Now Mac roll his normal damage pool minus one die and Nefertiri rolls her normal damage pool. They both get four successes so Nefertiri blocks. Mac's sword is now positioned in front of his body pointed upward. Nefertiri's is in front of her body pointing to the left.
Now they begin a new round. This time Nefertiri gains the initiative. Mac declares that he will thrust at Nefertiri's body. Nefertiri declares that she will slash at Mac's body. Since her sword was just pointing left that is the direction from which the attack comes (her left, Mac's right). Mac declares that he will split his dice pool to block her attack. She rolls Dexterity + Sword and gets three successes. Mac rolls his dice and scores three successes. His sword makes contact with hers. Nefertiri rolls damage -1 and Mac rolls normal damage. Again they both roll four so the attack is blocked. This leaves Mac's sword in front of his body pointing up and Nefertiri's sword pointing towards Mac's body. Now Mac rolls the rest of his dice pool to attack. Before he does, Nefertiri says she will parry. Mac gets three successes. Nefertiri moves her sword downward towards his. She gets four successes and parries. Now Mac's sword is pointing towards the ground leaving him open if Nefertiri gets initiative next round. Nefertir's weapon is on top of his. Nefertiri does get initiative. Mac declares that he will wait to see what she does so he doesn't commit any dice. Nefertiri says she will slash at Mac's torso from below. Mac says he will try to parry. She rolls to slash and gets five successes. Now Mac rolls Dexterity + Sword with an added difficulty of one because his sword was on the inside of the slash. He gets five successes and manages to knock Nef's sword out of the way, leaving both of their weapons extended up in the air.
Both of them are open to the next attack. This time Mac gains the initiative. Nefertiri declares that she will try to dodge whatever Mac throws at her. Mac says he will chop at her neck. Mac rolls his normal dice pool but with and added difficulty of two. He gets three successes. Nefertiri rolls Dexterity + Dodge to jump back. She botches and stumbles forward. Mac rolls his normal damage pool and gets six successes. Nefertiri rolls to soak but only gets three successes. She loses her head and Mac kneels to prepare for the Quickening.
Choose a character concept. Fill out the top portion of the character sheet.
Choose your primary, secondary, and tertiary Attributes. Spend seven, five, and three points on them respectively.
Choose primary, secondary, and tertiary Abilities. Spend twenty, fifteen, and five points on them respectively. The Sword skill is considered to be under the Skills heading for purposes of determining starting dots.
Choose Backgrounds. You get seven points to spend on them.
Choose Proficiencies. You get three points to spend on them.
Determine base Quickening and Willpower. Check off the boxes below the dots you have fill in. Do this in pencil. The parts of the Character sheet not explained in any of the system books are explained below.
Identify Concept: Who were you, what have you become? Name your character. What was he originally called? By what name does he currently go?
Choose Nature and Demeanor.
What was the name of the Immortal who trained you to fight and in the rules?
When were you first born? When did you first die and awaken to immortality?
Prioritize your three categories Primary 7, Secondary 5, Tertiary 3
Prioritize your three categories: Primary 15, Secondary 10, Tertiary 5
Choose Backgrounds: May be limited by chronicle. (7)
Choose Proficiencies: The powers gained from the Quickening. (3)
Record base Quickening: (Strength + Stamina + Perception + Intelligence) / 3 rounded down.
Record base Willpower:(Perception + Intelligence + Wits)/2 rounded down.
Spend your 20 Freebie points to raise any trait.
Pseudonym
Every human lifetime or so, it is necessary for an Immortal to change Identities to avoid having someone in the human population noticing that the same person has been around for several centuries. Your pseudonym is the name you are currently going by. When you introduce yourself in mortal society this is the name you will use. When introducing yourself to another Immortal you may use your real name. If you have just died for the first time your pseudonym may still be your real name.
Teacher
This is the name of the Immortal that first found you and taught you everything you know about being an Immortal. There is only room here for the Immortal's name. It is recommended that you write a paragraph or so about that immortal or at least discuss her history with the Storyteller when you are going over your own past. How old was she when she found you? Did she treat you as a student or as a servant? Was she open with information or did she keep you bound to her with mystery? Is she still alive or has she lost her head? Have you see her since or did you part for good?
Birth
This is the date of your birth.
Becoming
This is the date you first died and became Immortal. How old were you when this happened? How did those around you react to this? How long was it before you were found by another Immortal?
Flashback
Flash back is an important part of an Immortal campaign. Of course the Storyteller can choose to run a flashback at any time, but with this background you make him run one. If you need information about the adventure you are currently on, this Background rates your ability to draw on your experiences to help you understand the present. At any point during the chronicle you can roll your Intelligence + Flashback (difficulty 8) and for each two successes one pertinent fact about the chronicle must be released during the flashback. This trait does not restrict the information the Storyteller can give out, it just sets a minimum. The character must be at least one hundred years old for each dot in Flashbacks (at least 100 for one dot, at least 500 for five). It is up to individual Storytellers to decide whether or not to allow this background.
| * | You remember something similar |
| ** | You knew one of the minor players before |
| *** | You once met the major villain |
| **** | You were good friends with one of the minor players |
| ***** | You've fought with the major villain. You know his patterns and his motives. |
Teacher
This Background is the same as the Mentor Background in Vampire: The Masquerade except it applies to the Immortal who taught you. This can only be purchased during character creation and only if your teacher is still alive.
Sword
With my sword and head held high,
Got to pass the test first time.
The sword trait is like a specialization for the melee trait. A character's sword rating is your ability to use her sword, the sword with which she has bonded. Initial sword rating is equal to melee plus one. Extra points in sword only cost 1.5 freebie points. This ability applies only to the weapon that is the Immortal's declared sword. This weapon must be briefly described in the lines underneath the dots. This weapon need not be an actual sword. It can be any bladed weapon capable of beheading someone. Any roll to strike or block with that one weapon is made using Dexterity + Sword (all other bladed weapons still use Dexterity + Melee).
The blocks underneath the dots represent stored Quickening. An Immortal makes her sword a part of her, so much so that she can infuse it with her own Quickening, using it like a sort of battery. These points can be spent the same as normal Quickening points, but they must first be reabsorbed into the Immortal's body. To reabsorb Quickening, roll Sword (difficulty 6). The number of successes indicates the number of points that can be reabsorbed that round. This requires concentration, so no other actions may be taken that round. If an attempt to reabsorb Quickening fails (zero successes) or is interrupted there is no penalty, the Quickening just remains in the sword. If a roll to reabsorb Quickening is botched a number of points equal to the number of ones rolled disperse into the atmosphere. No more Quickening can be lost in this manner than were in the sword when the attempt was made. If a character's weapon is lost, destroyed or thrown away during the chronicle, or the character starts with the No Sword flaw, a new weapon can be learned by the Immortal. First, the weapon must be acquired (stolen, bought received, found). Then, the character should make a record of the weapon in the lines under the Sword trait and fill in as many dots as you have in the Melee skill, but do not check off any boxes. To achieve the bonding that is necessary to store temporary Quickening points in the sword (and to use sword related Proficiencies with the weapon) one point of permanent Quickening must be spent. Doing this gives the character the ability to store one point of Quickening in the weapon. After that, experience points equal to five times the current number of points that can be stored in the sword must be spent. A character must be able to store a number of Quickening points equal to her current sword rating to be able to use the weapon with Proficiencies.
| Current amount Of Quickening that can be stored in weapon | Cost of one point |
| 0 | One point of permanent Quickening |
| 1 | 5 exp. |
| 2 | 10 exp. |
| n | 5n exp. |
A character may not have a Sword rating above ten. A character may never be bonded to more than two weapons. If an Immortal has two Swords his combined Sword rating may still never exceed ten. If a character has declared two weapons then either may be used with sword related Proficiencies. Unless the character starts with the Two Swords merit, the second weapon must be declared using the process described above. A character may remove dots from his rating for one sword to improve his rating in another so that their total does not exceed ten.
Improving a character's Sword rating costs the same as improving an Ability. When an Immortal buys a dot in Sword he can automatically store one more point of Quickening. When a character buys a point in Melee he also gains a dot in Sword, but not the ability to store another point of Quickening. This must be bought using the method described above. Example: Mike creates an Immortal character named Ivan. Ivan does not have the Two Swords merit, so he can only store Quickening in one weapon. Ivan has a Melee rating of three and a Sword rating of five. Later, Ivan finds a magic sword that he would like to use in conjunction with his current weapon. Ivan writes down a description of this sword below that of his other weapon. He fills in three dots on the right hand side of his Sword rating space. He sacrifices one point of permanent Quickening to be able to store one point of temporary Quickening in his new sword and puts a check in the first box. He then spends fifteen experience points to be able to store two more points and he puts checks in those boxes. Then he spends fifteen more experience to raise his rating with the new sword and can check off the box below that dot for free.
Quickening is the mystical energy that makes an Immortal, well. . . immortal. In terms of the WoD, Quickening is a super refined form of Quintessence. The Immortal body absorbs the low levels of Quintessence present everywhere on Earth and converts it into Quickening. Immortals can only make use of Quickening, never Quintessence. Raw, unconverted Quintessence is much too impure for the Immortal system to digest. It can only be absorbed at very low levels (about a quarter point per week), but that low amount of Quintessence is purified into massive amounts of Quickening. An Immortal cannot increase the amount of Quintessence his body absorbs. There is absolutely no way. An Immortal body produces one point of Quickening per day which can only be awarded while she is sleeping. If an Immortal stays up all night, she does not get a point of Quickening for that day. Only one point is still awarded the next time the Immortal sleeps. If an Immortal sleeps for more than ten hours then two points may be awarded, but this may only be done once per week. The ten hours must be consecutive. No more than eight points may be awarded in any given week (one per normal day and two for a lazy day). Since Quickening is a more powerful form of Quintessence, a mage who can somehow siphon Quickening from an Immortal will get two points of Quintessence for every one of Quickening. An Immortal can never absorb Quintessence except as noted above. It is just too raw. In fact, even the Quickening of another Immortal is difficult to take in, which is the reason the Quickening hurts and why not all knowledge and power is transferred by it.
All Quickening is attracted to itself. If two Immortals are near each other, they will sense each other's Quickening and be slightly drawn to one another. An Immortal character has two Quickening ratings, permanent and temporary. Permanent Quickening is found by adding Strength + Dexterity + Intelligence + Perception divided by three. Initial Temporary Quickening is a little trickier. For the first and second dots a character has in permanent Quickening he gets one point each in temporary. For the third and fourth he gets two each . . . For the ninth and tenth he gets five each.
| Dots in Permanent Quickening | Points under dot | Total Temporary Quickening |
| 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 3 | 2 | 4 |
| 4 | 2 | 6 |
| 5 | 3 | 9 |
| 6 | 3 | 12 |
| 7 | 4 | 16 |
| 8 | 4 | 20 |
| 9 | 5 | 25 |
| 10 | 5 | 30 |
Quickening rating can be increased above ten even though there is no room for it on the character sheet. Just write it down under other skills or on the back of the sheet. To figure out how many points of temporary Quickening a character receives for each new dot, use this formula: For the nth dot the number of Temporary Quickenning is n + 1 divided by 2 and rounded down.
Temporary Quickening can be spent to use Proficiencies (as described in the Proficiencies chapter). It can also be used to accelerate "normal" healing. Immortals already heal non-aggravated damage at an accelerated rate, but sometimes this just isn't fast enough. For every point of Quickening spent an Immortal can heal one extra health level that round. Nor more than two points may be spent during a round in this manner. No other actions may be taken in that round. Immortals heal aggravated damage without the aid of Quickening like a normal human. An Immortal may choose to spend two points of Quickening and spend the next two rounds concentrating to heal one level of aggravated damage. If his concentration is interrupted while he is healing, the two points spent are lost and the process must be begun again if he still wishes to heal the damage.
An Immortal must always keep at least one point of temporary Quickening in her body. If she does not, her vital functions will cease and she will "die." She will not wake up for 1d10 hours and will then start with one point. An Immortal who takes her head while she is "dead" will still get her Quickening. Temporary Quickening is just a small part of the energy actually boiling inside the Immortal system. Immortals must also keep at least one point of Quickening stored in their swords at all times or they will loose one dot from their Sword ratings. This is the only way in which the Sword rating may decrease below the Melee rating.
There are several other super-human abilities that Immortals possess. These are possessed by all Immortals from the moment they first die and their Quickening is released. Some Immortals have shown some capability in these areas, but this is not fully understood. Healing
Immortals heal much faster and more completely than ordinary humans. Non-aggravated damage heals at the rate of one Health level per round if the Immortal is at rest. If the character does not rest, one health level will heal in five rounds. This acceleration applies only to wounds below the neck. Damage to the head and neck area heal as normal. Also, this is the only area of the Immortal body that will scar. Aggravated damage heals at a normal rate unless a specific attempt is made to heal. Aggravated damage is caused by anything of supernatural origin, such as vampire fangs, magical spells, and werewolf claws. Silver does not cause aggravated damage.
Accelerated healing does not work in the same way for damage done by ingestion of harmful substances. The expenditure of one point of Quickening will heal three levels of damage done this way. Otherwise it will heal as aggravated damage. One must also consider that because drugs cannot kill an Immortal, they have a much better chance of developing a tolerance. This is usually a blessing, but it can also lead to addiction more severe than any mortal's.
If an Immortal is reduced in health past incapacitated (and is not beheaded), he "dies." After five rounds of being dead, he can move up to incapacitated. After that he heals as described above. If he chooses, an Immortal can spend up to three points of Quickening to speed up his recovery. Each point decreases by one the number of rounds the character must stay "dead."
Sense Quickening
Because of Quickening's mystical attraction to itself, Immortals can sense its presence. If two Immortals approach each other they both feel a buzzing sensation in their heads. This feeling will subside after a few moments. This sense is not very accurate. If two Immortals are together and they both approach another Immortal, he will not know there are two of them, only that he has come near another source of Quickening. If one Immortal goes near another Immortal who has not yet died, he will sense the unawakened Immortal but will not be sensed himself. He will not know that the other Immortal has not yet become until they meet and it is evident that the other has no idea what's going on.
Immortals can also sense Quintessence, but it is much more difficult to detect this polluted version. To detect the presence of Quintessence in someone, an Immortal must roll Perception + Quickening (difficulty 6) and spend one Quickening point. One success will allow him to detect Quintessence if it is there. No roll is needed to detect holy ground (nodes). There is so much Quintessence present there that it cannot escape an Immortal's notice.
Quintessence is at least a small part of every living being on earth. So, Immortals can sometimes sense the thoughts, feelings or just the presence of other creatures. To do this roll Perception + Quickening and spend one point of temporary Quickening. The difficulty to sense the specific thoughts of something is three times the target's Willpower (so it is usually impossible to sense human thoughts). The difficulty to sense emotions is two times the target's Willpower. The difficulty to sense just the presence of life is equal to the target's Willpower. Sentient beings can resist this by rolling their Willpower (difficulty 6). Every success they get adds one to the difficulty of the Immortal's roll.
Breath Underwater
Immortal's can breath underwater. They absorb negligible amounts of oxygen through their skin and multiply it from within their systems the same way they do Quickening. The Oxygen ends up in their lungs, so they still have to exhale. This can be done indefinitely. This does not mean that Immortal does not have to breathe. It only works underwater, because only water allows Oxygen to be transferred through their skin. If an Immortal holds his breath long enough she passes out just like everybody else (she just gets back up faster). An immortal in a vacuum will "die", but will not suffer permanent death unless the pressure blows her head off.
Taking this Flaw just means that the Immortal does not start the game with a sword. Either he has lost or broken it or just never had one. This in no way restricts the character from getting a sword through the course of the game. A character with this flaw must start with zero in the Sword skill (duh) and should probably go about fixing that pretty quick.
Two Swords: 2pt. Merit
The character starts the game with two swords. He may increase his rating for only one of them at the 1.5 points per dot rate. The other costs 2 points per dot. He may store Quickening in both of them. He must keep one point of Quickening in each of them or suffer the penalties described above. This merit does not grant an extra attack. However, it is possible to attack with both weapons at once. This attack does twice the damage of the weaker weapon or the full damage of the stronger one (whichever is greater).
No Teacher: 2pt. Flaw
Nobody ever taught you about being an Immortal. You have no conception of what you are. You may think you are cursed or a god. You have no clue about the rules and you probably can't use a sword. If you aren't found by another Immortal soon you will probably die.
No Buzz: 4pt. Flaw
In the same way a person can be born blind, an Immortal can be born without the ability to sense Quickening. Other Immortals can still sense you, but you cannot sense them. You can be snuck up on like a normal human. Your only defense is that they don't necessarily know this. You also cannot sense holy ground, so you must be careful where you fight.
Sense Quintessence: 3pt. Merit
An Immortal with this merit does not have to make a special roll to sense Quintessence. She can detect it as easily she detects Quickening. This does not mean she can use Quintessence at all, she can just sense its presence. Needless to say, this Merit can't be possessed by a character with the No Buzz Flaw.
Scarring: 1pt. Flaw
You heal as rapidly as any other Immortal, but for some reason your tissue does not heal perfectly. Anytime a normal person would be scarred, you are too.