By Matthew Rohr (angel13@innocent.com)
"We're just getting started."
First of all, let me give credit where credit is due. Anything listed below from White Wolf, and from the Highlander movies (and any other source) does not belong to me, nor am I claiming credit for it. I claim credit only for the presentation and organization of that information, and for the extra work done on these rules by myself. Also, my good friend Roland edited this work for me, and my brother Tim proofed it as well. So they should get just a little credit.
Many people have created systems for playing immortals like Connor MacLeod in the World of Darkness system. My work borrows heavily from them in some areas, because they had some pretty good ideas. However, I could not bring myself to use any one of these systems because they had small flaws in them. They were annoying little problems, inconsistencies, etc. that I probably could have ignored, but I decided instead to try to do better. For those (like me) who wish there was a way to make the second movie, The Quickening, make sense, these rules are for you. By the way, try the Director's Cut of The Quickening. It makes much more sense, though you do have to put up with a few badly acted scenes.
Oh, to avoid trouble for everyone involved, when you make copies of these rules and give them away, keep them together in their entirety. Thanks.
Long ago, certainly before the age when Vampires first ruled, there was another society of men, The Kingdom of Man. Their knowledge was far advanced, and had allowed them to alter their genetics until they had achieved the defeat of the genetic fault commonly called aging. This effect was called "Quickening". It could be disrupted by decapitation, but not much else could kill a person who had undergone a Quickening. However, this technology and the rest of the knowledge was hoarded by the iron-fisted ruling government of the Kingdom of Man. Immortality was given only to a few, and their reign was supreme.
An underground began to develop. A rebel force bent on destroying the ruling caste and securing the benefits of the advanced technology for everyone started to make small, but effective, attacks on various installations. A unit of this resistance force actually captured a shipment of the material that altered the genetics of men to create immortal men. Without hesitation, they used the material and became legendary in their exploits against the government. They were known simply as, The Immortals.
This group was lured into an ambush, and were captured by General Katana, one of the blessed few immortals in the ruling caste. Their punishment was decided in the religious/military court. The dominant Traditions of magick in this time were nothing like the ones known today. They practiced a strange blend of religion, science, and magick without the interference of Paradox, but with strange limitations that were self-imposed and semi-religious.
This court decided on a fantastic punishment. The Immortals would be exiled in time, their memories faded. They would be reborn to mortals and eventually realize their immortality. They would be ignorant of their true history, but they would have several rules ingrained in their pattern. They would be drawn toward each other, and driven to combat. Each successive winner would be healed as a reward. They would fight until only one was left. That one would gain the Prize: he would be imbued with all of his lost memories, and the lost memories of his slain comrades, and would be able to either return to the time of his origin as an example of what happens to the enemies of the state, or to simply grow old and die in exile.
The last laugh was had on the rulers of the Kingdom of Man. After the exile of The Immortals (and the subsequent pursuit by Katana into the future), a resistance group stormed a research facility and accidentally activated a complex new weapon which involved the magick of time. The resultant explosion was multidimensional, tearing apart space and time, and causing it to reform. The Kingdom of Man was sundered from reality and became a Paradox Realm. Due to this, those who have gone forward cannot go back. The Kingdom of Man was ripped from history as well. It is as though it never existed.
The nature of reality had changed, and the magick that had created the Immortals was alien to this new reality. The rules ingrained in each Immortal underwent changes, as did the powers that made them what they were. They arrived in the new world staggered in time, a result of the temporal displacement. Their memories were indeed faded, but from time to time, flashes of their true history would flit across their minds. They found that they had incredible powers. They were drawn to each other, and knew that they had to fight, but the death of the opponent caused a specific Paradox backlash that drove the alien power that created them to find the nearest appropriate container. Usually that was the victor. It has been presumed that the nature of the Prize has also changed.
Immortals are sterile, probably as a result of Paradox attempting to minimize their effect on this reality.
The Watchers and the Hunters are groups of mortals (and the occasional supernatural) that know about the Immortals. The first group is chronicling the events and lifetimes of the Immortals; the second is trying to destroy them. Some have speculated that the energy of the Immortals cannot be destroyed. They believe that when the last Immortal dies, the cycle will begin again, a new age of Immortals with the same souls being reborn. Some are adamant that there could be only one . . . age of Immortals, that is.
The Gathering is a persistent legend that has gained new life. It has been handed down from mentor to pupil that there would come a time when all remaining Immortals would feel an irresistible pull towards a faraway land to fight for the Prize. As the number of Immortals has grown smaller, the drive to seek each other out has grown stronger, and has resulted in an impromptu assemblage of Immortals in North America. Some say this is the beginning of the Gathering. (If Storytellers want to have the Gathering impact the environment, make all attempts to avoid fighting more difficult, etc.)
[Author's note: This is my best attempt to reconcile the all of the movies and the series to date. Basically, it allows the player to understand that the events in The Quickening did happen, but for the purposes of present reality, they have no meaning.]
The rules that each Immortal feels within himself underwent some basic change when the Kingdom of Man was sundered. The first rule is that Immortals battle only one on one. The second rule is that no Immortal may be killed on Holy Ground. The third rule is that there can be only one. The fourth rule is the rule of Paradox.
Rule 1: This rule has several aspects to it. There is no restriction that makes Immortals battle honorably. Some use poison gas, some use guns, etc. What does exist is a driving impulse to stop fighting when anyone else is present. This impulse takes the form of a Willpower roll with a difficulty of 7. Each success is a turn during which no further roll is necessary. If there are no successes, the Immortal must leave the scene as quickly as possible. If there is a botch, the Immortal loses a point of Quickening and leaves as quickly as possible. An Immortal who is tied to a spot because of loyalty to a thing or person may roll his Willpower with a difficulty of 5 for the purpose of defending that thing or person only. By spending a point of Willpower, an Immortal may dispense with these rolls and continue the battle indefinitely.
Rule 2: This rule is for the protection of the Immortals involved. The structure of reality in the universe is tolerant of Immortals so long as they remain coincidental. When they fight on normal ground, Paradox intervenes to keep the energy of the Immortals from escaping into the universe to wreak havoc. When an Immortal is killed on Holy Ground, the aggressor is immediately destroyed as well. The power is absorbed and destroyed by the ground. Holy Ground equates to nodes in the World of Darkness. During a fight on Holy Ground, Paradox events will try to separate the combatants if possible (i.e., weapons will break, the opponents will lose each other in a maze of hallways)
Rule 3: This rule is as deeply ingrained as the second rule. Immortals feel drawn to each other, and driven to combat when faced with each other. They can set aside this killing impulse by paying 1 permanent Willpower per Immortal. From then on, they will not be driven to combat the Immortal (ever) unless the only Immortals left are those who have been set aside that way or if they are under the effect of a Dark Quickening. In the first case, a point of Willpower must be spent in each meeting to keep from attacking the other Immortal. In the second case, the Dark Immortal will always try to engage another Immortal in combat. Immortals who have not yet discovered their Quickening (through their first "death") are considered immune from this rule. They do not provoke the killing response from other Immortals, and they do not feel it. However, once they are quickened, they must spend the point of Willpower immediately.
Rule 4: This is what keeps Immortals secret. Immortals carry within themselves the secret for eternal life for any man. When someone discovers that an immortal person is walking around, there is always the risk that they will try to capture that person and extract that secret through magical or scientific means. If this were to happen, more Immortals could be created from regular men. Eventually this could unbalance reality and cause another sundering as Paradox and reality once more asserted their dominance. Immortals go to great lengths to keep their existence secret. They feel this need deeply.
Attributes: 7/5/3
Abilities: 13/9/5
Backgrounds: 5 points (Age, Allies, Arcane, Artifact, Contacts, Fame/Legend, Influence, Mentor/Companion, Notoriety, Resources)
Willpower: 5
Sanity: 10
Power: 0
Quickening: 1
Dark Quickening: 0
Freebies: 15
| Trait | Freebie cost per dot | Experience cost per dot |
| Attributes | 2 points | Current rating x2 |
| Abilities | 2 points | Current rating |
| Backgrounds | 1 point | Current rating |
| Willpower | 1 point | NA |
| Sanity | NA | NA |
| Quickening | NA | NA |
| Dark Quickening | NA | 1 to remove 1 dot, 3 to remove 2 dots |
| Power | 3 points | 3 points for the first dot, then current rating x 3 |
| New "Power" | 3 points | 3 points for the first dot, then current rating x 3 |
Beginning characters start with a Quickening rating of one which may not be raised with freebies. This helps to explain why young Immortals are sought out by older Immortals, both for training and for swift elimination. Those wishing to obtain the secrets of the Immortals would have the easiest time with a young Immortal. A young Immortal must always be on guard. There are many reasons why everyone wants them dead.
Quickening, like Willpower, comes in two varieties: permanent and temporary. There is no limit to Permanent Quickening. Temporary Quickening may be used to perform a variety of effects. Temporary Quickening is recovered at a normal rate of one point per day. It can be recovered more quickly on Holy Ground, where one point is received every hour.
The effects of the Quickening are spectacular. When Quickening is used during a fight between Immortals, it often manifests as sparks, lightning strikes, sudden kinetic bursts of energy and the like.
| Rank | Description | Derangements |
| ********** | Completely stable | 0 |
| ********* | Mostly stable | 0 |
| ******** | Somewhat compulsive -- driven | 0 |
| ******* | Slightly neurotic -- very compulsive | 0 |
| ****** | Sort of eccentric | 0 |
| ***** | Pretty eccentric | 1 |
| **** | Downright mad -- extremely eccentric | 2 |
| *** | Mildly delusional -- schizophrenic | 3 |
| ** | Clinically insane -- schizophrenic -- delusional -- mildly psychotic | 4 |
| * | Totally psychotic | 5 |
| 0 | Look at the purple elephants | All |
This new background costs no points to purchase; instead, the cost is taken into account in what the Immortal gains. The Sanity loss which occurs may not be repurchased with freebie points; they are gone for good and may only be regained through role-playing and the good graces of the Storyteller. The Storyteller has the right to restrict this background in his chronicles, limiting either the maximum amount this background may be purchased, or banning it altogether.
| Rank | Age (years) | Sanity loss | Additional Quickening | Extra Freebies |
| * | 50-100 | -1 | +1 | +15 |
| ** | 100-250 | -2 | +2 | +30 |
| *** | 250-400 | -3 | +3 | +45 |
| **** | 400-600 | -4 | +4 | +55 |
| ***** | 600-1000 | -5 | +5 | +60 |
The Immortal owns a supernatural artifact of some sort. Regardless of its origin, it is very valuable and often powerful.
| * | Very Minor Artifact: gives a very small bonus to traits. |
| ** | Minor Artifact: gives a small trait bonus. |
| *** | Major Artifact: seriously affects one trait or performs some miscellaneous effect. |
| **** | Powerful Artifact: serious affects a number of traits or performs a number of miscellaneous effects. |
| ***** | Legendary Artifact: Excalibur, The Holy Grail, Poseidon's Trident, stuff like that. |
| * | Obscure, recent or not well-known: William Burroughs. |
| ** | Fairly recent and strong influence: Malcolm X. |
| *** | Students study about you in high school: Benjamin Franklin. |
| **** | National hero: George Washington. |
| ***** | A myth or god known across the world: Hercules. |
You were trained in the etiquette of the Immortals and in fighting by an Immortal mentor. If your mentor is dead, do not take this background. This is for live mentors only. Your mentor is considered to have already spent the Willpower to associate with you, and you are considered to have done the same. Companions are the same as Mentors, except that the Immortal was not trained by the Companion, but has merely developed a deep friendship with him.
| * | Obscure or very young mentor, relatively unknown. Richie. |
| ** | A known Immortal. Still young, but good. |
| *** | A well known Immortal. Middle-aged and respected. Amanda. |
| **** | An Immortal with Notoriety of 5. Old and very good. Nakano, Kastagir, Kane. |
| ***** | Connor MacLeod, Kurgan, Ramirez, Duncan MacLeod, Methos. |
You are well-known and either feared or respected among other Immortals for your deeds. You are not necessarily a bad person or made a large number of kills, yet the perception of you is one of a skilled Immortal.
| * | You are one to be watched. |
| ** | You are considered to be an accomplished headhunter. |
| *** | You are a truly formidable adversary. |
| **** | Your name strike fear into the hearts of other Immortals. |
| ***** | You are a legend among the Immortals, feared and reviled. |
In order to take the head of another Immortal, announce "There can be only one!" and make a normal attack roll. Use the following table to determine difficulty level. If at least 3 successes are not rolled, the attack is considered a complete failure. If three or more successes are not rolled against a target that the ST deems helpless, the attacker gains a point of Dark Quickening due to the ghastly nature of a missed headstrike. A disarmed opponent is considered one step up the table. Apply a -1 for a willing opponent who is disarmed. This roll may be opposed by the target if the target is aware of the attack. The attacker may spend 1 permanent Willpower for 1 success, but may spend no more than that.
| Dif | Situation |
| 6 | Your opponent has 10 levels of damage or more or is willing to die. |
| 7 | Your opponent is Incapacitated. |
| 8 | Your opponent is Mauled. |
| 9 | Your opponent is Injured. |
| 10 | Your opponent is uninjured. |
When one Immortal kills another, several things take place. First of all, the victor adds the permanent Quickening rating and Dark Quickening rating of the vanquished to his own ratings in each.
Then, the victor gains some of the knowledge of the vanquished. For every point of Temporary Willpower that the victor has, he may add one dot to any of his traits (except Quickening, Willpower, and Sanity) that the vanquished had a higher rating in, so long as doing so would not break any rules (i.e., Power restrictions). None of these additions should ever cause the victor to exceed the rating of the vanquished in that trait. Storytellers may assign derangements of the vanquished to the victor in a temporary fashion, or in rare instances, permanently. One option is to roll Willpower vs. 5, splitting the die pool for the derangements as desired.
Finally, the victor rolls for Sanity loss. Roll Willpower vs. the Dark Quickening of the vanquished. A failure indicates a loss of Sanity. A botch indicates an extra point of Dark Quickening. If the roll has any successes, the victor may ignore one point of Dark Quickening gained from the vanquished for each success.
The victor is immediately healed of from all wounds, has full Willpower and Quickening, but spends 10-Stamina turns disoriented and unable to act coherently.
Dark Quickening points can also be bought away with experience points at a cost of 1 for the first point, 2 for the second, 3 for the third, etc.
Botching any roll enhanced by Quickening grants a point of Dark Quickening.
Immortals tend to have weapons specifically designed to their needs, or conversely, weapons that they mold themselves around. In either case, some freedom is in order. Here are a few rules regarding Weapons. Weapons have the following stats: Damage, Difficulty, Strength. They must be balanced in the following way.
Str maximum = 10
Dam maximum = 6
Dif = (Dam+Str)/2, minimum = 5, round up
Weapons can also have traits that they can pay for from their stats. Each weapon may only have one Weapon Trait assigned to it. Be sure to apply the bonus inversely to Dif (i.e., the botch on a 1 or 2 becomes a -1 Dif). Your Dif must not go below 4 in this stage.
| Bonus | Weapon Trait |
| +2 | This weapon botches on a 2 or a 1. |
| -2 | This weapon does half aggravated damage to one type of supernatural. |
| +2 | The victim of this weapon rolls 2 additional soak dice. |
| -2 | The victim of this weapon rolls 2 less soak dice. |
| -1 | Set aside one damage die as aggravated damage before rolling. |
| +2 | Add 2 dice to the victim's dodge attempt. |
| -1 | The weapon can be disassembled (do not apply bonus to DIF) |
| +1 | Remove one success from your initiative roll each turn. |
| +1 | For each botch, you take one level of damage. |
| +3 | You may only attack every other turn. |
| -3 | You may attack twice per turn without splitting your die pool. |
Some example weapons appear below, crafted according to these rules.
| Weapon | Dam | Dif | Str | Special Notes |
| Foil | Str+2 | 4 | 6 | |
| Long sword | Str+4 | 6 | 8 | |
| Katana | Str+4 | 7 | 9 (10) | -1 One die of aggravated damage to Immortals. |
| Claymore | Str+6 (4) | 6 | 8 | +3 Attack only every other turn. |
| Mang | Str+2 | 4 (5) | 7 | +1 Remove one success from initiative. |
The parentheses show the original values before the weapon trait modification. The Claymore maxes out at 6. Yes, the Mang could have already been built 2/5/8 originally and then bonused down to a 2/4/8, but in constructing it, 2/5/8 fit better. Build for style, too, not just numbers. By the way, notice the bonus applied in reverse to the DIF in the Mang.
Disarms are attempted in the same way, but when disarming, use Character Dex instead of Str and Melee Skill instead of Weapon Str. Botches indicate that character attempting the disarm loses his weapon.
Vampires: Caught up in their eternal Jyhad, the Kindred know next to nothing of Immortals. Some few Elders know of their existence. The blood of an Immortal is charged with power, so it is strongly coveted by those who know its power. For this reason, Immortals tend to steer clear of the Kindred, despite their relatively similar states of being. In game terms, each blood point of an Immortal counts as 2 blood points. Furthermore, a vampire drinking Immortal blood gains one level of Potence, Celerity and Fortitude for every 5 points of permanent Quickening that Immortal has. This lasts so long as there is Immortal blood in the vampire's system. Immortals cannot be Embraced. In order for mortals to be Embraced, they must die first. To kill an Immortal, decapitation is necessary. Unfortunately, headlessness is also a state which prevents undeath. Immortals cannot be made into ghouls, either. Their system rejects the blood as if it were a virus. Vampire blood causes flu-like symptoms when ingested by an Immortal. Vampires and Immortals usually avoid each other.
Changelings: Except for the odd personal contact or family member, these have little to do with the Immortals.
Garou: Immortals probably socialize best with Garou. They have similar outlooks on the world. Friendships between an Immortal and a Garou are not frequent, but not unheard of.
Wraiths: The vitality inherent in Immortals shines through the Shroud like a miniature sun. Using Lifesight, Wraiths can immediately recognize an Immortal as unusual, though they may not understand exactly what they are. On another note, Immortals never become wraiths. Their souls are tied to their Quickening. Immortals can sense the presence of Wraiths in areas where the Shroud is thin, like Holy Ground, and may go there seeking the presence of specific Wraiths without consciously realizing it. They just feel as though their dearly departed are "with them" in some way.
Mages: Mages know of Immortals, but the reactions to them vary. Some see them as hedge magicians or other sorts of unusual mortals. Some mages want to study them to see how they might be related to Ascension. Some want to reproduce the immortality effect, and will stop at nothing to discover its secret. Friendships between Mages and Immortals is not impossible, though ground rules frequently have to be established regarding personal space.
Mummies: Mummies make ideal counterparts and companions for the Immortals. Unlike other Immortals, one does not have to worry about being immediately attacked when around them. They, too are beyond the ravages of time and have some understanding how to deal with the passing centuries. Unfortunately, they often leave for the Underworld for long periods of time after their deaths in the physical world.
Demons: Any Demon in Hell would love to get its hands on the soul of an Immortal. Those souls, besides having great power in their own right, are like soul banks, containing the souls of many other deceased Immortals. It would be like a buy-one-get-thirty-free sale. However, the bizarre nature of Quickening prevents the soul-stealing and psychic lobotomies that Demons need to perform in order to harvest souls. Immortals may never sell their souls, but they may still become infernalists by performing favors for demons and making deals to get the souls of others for their demon masters. Demons may only attempt to use effects rated equal to or lower than the Dark Quickening rating of the target Immortal.
Angels: Angels see Immortals as a curiosity. They, too, recognize that in one final soul, all of the Immortals will be saved or lost. They view the Prize as almost a messiah-like state, implicating the salvation of many more people than even the collected Immortals. They interfere, at times, to balance Demon interference in the lives of Immortals.