Sanctuaries

[Tobias Blackburn]

Protect Outcasts

The longer an outcast spends hiding in a single place, the more he comes to see it as a sanctuary. It is the only place where he is safe from the world and those that would harm him. He learns it’s every nook and cranny, discovering more about the area than even its builder or inhabitants ever knew. It bears witness to his suffering, desires, and the anger he feel towards the outside world. The sanctuary becomes charged with an ethereal resonance that reflects the outcast’s emotions and, over time, a bond may form.

The bond between an outcast and his sanctuary is unique. His emotions provide the area with a resonance that only his presence can sustain. As he shuns the outside world for his sanctuary, he gains the ability to draw strength from it in was that enhance his natural abilities. A caliban who has spent years climbing the walls of his shadowy clock tower home might find that he is never at a loss for a handhold, while a half-vistani girl who wishes that she were a fairytale princess discovers that the mice obey her commands. Few actually notice these gifts, seeing them instead as the side effects of knowing their home so intimately.

Another result of this bonding is further alienation. By not interacting with the world, the outcast becomes a legendary figure and all kinds of dark tales begin to gather around him. His reputation worsens, and when he tries to reach out, he finds the reaction to be worse than he ever remembered. He also has a sense of uneasy outside his home, a feeling of vulnerability that he just can’t shake. He quickly retreats back into his sanctuary and the bond between them strengthens.

Outcasts with sanctuaries live like ghosts, unseen and unheard. Unless they want to make their presence known, they are almost impossible to find. They know their homes down to the tiniest detail, and will fight savagely to protect the safety they have found and the only place that they belong.

Sanctuaries

A sanctuary is an area with defined borders, and can provide a person with shelter and a place to hide. They can vary in form, but are usually no smaller than a building. Typical sanctuaries include old theaters, towers, cathedrals and abandoned houses. There have also been cases in which outcasts have bonded with sewer systems, forests, and even sparsely populated towns. Anywhere that an outcast can live peacefully with minimal contact with other people can become a sanctuary.

There are no cases of multiple outcasts sharing the same sanctuary. If an outcast gains the kind of interpersonal connection to live peacefully with another person, the ethereal resonance of his sanctuary begins to die away. For every month that the outcast spends in full, peaceful contact with another person, they make opposed charisma checks. Every time the outcast’s check is beaten by 5 or more points, the ethereal resonance of his sanctuary drops by one, removing all benefits and penalties that went with it. When the ethereal resonance has been reduced to zero, he must spend one full year alone in the sanctuary to empower it again. On the other hand, if the outcast comes to think that the person making the charisma checks has betrayed him before the ethereal resonance has reached zero, he may make an OR check (d20 + current OR rating) against DC 15 + current ethereal resonance. If the check succeeds, he returns to the highest point of ethereal resonance he had obtained. If he beats the DC by 10 points, he automatically gains an extra level of resonance.

An outcast gains a sanctuary by spending one full year in the place without talking to anyone. He may leave short notes, set traps or even fight if necessary, but each day spent in peaceful interaction with someone else adds another month onto the time he must spend alone. After this time, the sanctuary has been charged with one level of ethereal resonance and he gains the Protected Outcast template.

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I'm just finishing up the template, levels of resonance and the abilities that the outcast gains. These vary from being able to increase their skills and abilities to magical effects like animating objects, commanding small creatures, and the ability to disappear at a moments notice.

I should note that deformity is not a prerequisite to being an outcast. Any character who has an outcast rating can qualify for the template.

If anyone wants to seriously playtest these rules, could they send me a PM.

[The Lesser Evil]

A good idea. My favorite part is threat companionship can bring to a sancturary. What if, though, a sanctuary could some how gain a semblance of intelligence and get "jealous" of an outcast formerly living inside of it reaching out to other people? Would it go crazy and try to prevent this? Another idea might be to have addiction rules for being in a sancturary.

[Tobias Blackburn]

A good idea. My favorite part is threat companionship can bring to a sancturary. What if, though, a sanctuary could some how gain a semblance of intelligence and get "jealous" of an outcast formerly living inside of it reaching out to other people? Would it go crazy and try to prevent this? Another idea might be to have addiction rules for being in a sancturary.

It could happen, but sanctuaries aren't like Phantasmagoriums, and one that hasn't reached that level would ce rather unique (and probably the result of an over abundence of magical energies). They aren't sentient in and of themselves, and there would be no "addiction" per say. It all comes down to is the outcast.

Another thing that I'm adding is rules for claiming sanctuary in places that already have resonance.

Pre-existing Resonance
In cases of normal resonance, the outcast's emotions overwhelms and causes it to drop to level 1. While you might be able to catch pockets where the original resonance is still stronger in certain areas, only for extremely important events.

Bonding to Sinkholes of Evil
Sinkholes of evil are a different case. An outcast who can stand the area long enough to bond with it must make a will save (20 + the sinkholes rank) once a year or become evil. The bonded sinkhole keeps it's rank and may rise higher according to the rules of strengthing the outcast's bond (presented in the full rules). The outcast becomes immune to any effects of the sinkholes and is rarely threatened by any creatures that might also try to take up residence in the sinkhole. If something else does move in, the outcast either makes an uneasy peace to be left alone or stays out of sight.

Sinkholes with bonded outcasts that rise to Phantasmagoriums rarely act against the outcast. The outcast is used as a puppet, either to perform dark and vile acts or as a tool of protection. The Phantasmagorium is able to speak directly into the mind of the bonded outcast, and never allows it to break the bond, except through death (and possibly not even then).

[cure]

this makes so much sense