Requesting Feedback for Contramonstrum

[Coinage]

Hey everyone. I have been making a ruleset that can be applied to any Urban Fantasy setting with a Masquerade. For some time I have been working on a ruleset to for creating something like "Paradox" for Mage: The Ascension, except for all supernatural creations.

I have called this the "Contramonstrum", from the Latin "Contra-", meaning "against", and "Monstrum", meaning "marvel" or "monster".

Here are the rules I decided. Please let me know what you think.

Below is the use of a Contramonstrum using the rules for Reactive Reality (Th193-194) and the rules for a Reality Quake (HTMD58; IW78).
The Contramonstrum is triggered when the GM decides that Mundanes can sense a Paranormal event. Usually this is a Sense Roll (B358). If necessary, this may be a Sense Roll with a Comprehension Roll.

HERE WE GO:

Here are the various steps to the Contramonstrum


[1]
Question 1: Is there a Passive Façade a.k.a. the “Veil” or the “Mist”, stable?

A "Passive Façade", (a.k.a. Mist or Veil) refers to any effect that automatically, successfully covers up any paranormal or extraordinary event. Any evidence is automatically erased, and memories of mundane observers is altered so that they think something mundane happened.

If YES, then END. The Mist is strong enough to automatically cover-up the paranormal-event.

If NO, then that means the Mist was not stable. This often usually happens only due to a Reality Quake. The characters are then forced to use their own techniques and skills to disguise themselves.



[2]
Question 2: Does the endangered paranormal entity have a “Shrouding Skill”?

The Shrouding Skill is the equivalent of the Shrouding Skill (Pyramid 3-97, p. 20) as a Passive Ability (Powers, p. 153). Each paranormal entity should have at least one level in this skill for free, although more levels can be purchased.

If YES, the paranormal entity has a Shrouding Skill or some other skill or advantage which can hide from detection, then move on to Question 3.

If NO, then a Palimpsest occurs. A Palimpsest is a Reality Quake which erases any and all evidence of the supernatural. The type of consequences depend on whether or not the affected creatures have an alternate form that is considered “Mundane” or “Normal”. For more details, see "[4] Question 4".

1. FIRST, if the affected creatures do have a Mundane Alternate form, then they are forced into that Mundane form until they successfully leave mundane observations. It is highly recommended that GM’s allow players to have one for free.

2. SECOND, those without Mundane alternate form is effectively destroyed in a manner identical to the Forbidden Wisdom spell from Magic: Death Spells, p. 15 (M:DS15). Phenomena erased in such a manner can only be restored by some divine, higher powers.

(continued below)

[Coinage]

[3]
Question 3: Does the Sense Roll overcome the character’s Shrouding Skill?

The Mundane observer (whether a camera, a person, etc.) must make a Sense Roll (B358) to detect the paranormal entity. This is treated as a Quick Contest (B348) against the paranormal entities’ Shrouding Skill. If the paranormal entity wins the Quick Contest roll, then he has successfully veiled himself. If the paranormal has lost the Quick Contest roll, then his attempt to veil himself has failed.

If the Shrouding IS A SUCCESS, then the process ends.

If the Shrouding IS A FAILURE, then the Mundane has sensed that something paranormal is going on. The deadly force of the Contramonstrum, or the “Mug”, has struck the offending paranormal entity. There are a number of consequences if the Shrouding is a failure:

1. FIRST, the Contramonstrum increases the possibility of an Ontoclysm, also known as a Reality Quake (IW 75, 78; H:TMD 58). This is represented by an increase in the local Reality Stress Level (IW 75, 78; H:TMD 58). Normally, the local Reality Stress Level is 0. Whenever, the paranormal entity failed its Shrouding skill roll, then the local Reality Stress Level is raised by the margin of victory that the Mundane won the Quick Contest roll. For example, if a Mundane Observer won the Quick Contest roll by 3, then the local Reality Stress Level increased by 3.

2. SECOND, the offending paranormal entity is struck by the Contramonstrum, and acquires Disruption Points (Th 193-194). The amount of Disruption Points acquired is likewise equal to the margin of victory that the Mundane won the Quick Contest roll. For example, if a Mundane Observer won the Quick Contest roll by 3, then the Paranormal Entity gains 3 Disruption points.

If an entity gains Distortion Points that bring his new total to 3 or higher, there’s a danger that he’ll suffer a Distortion Crisis. Roll 3d. If the result is less than or equal to his total, then a Crisis threatens. The magician can choose be able to suppress this by rolling against an appropriate skill (for example, Magery, or something similar) but he still has the DP if he succeeds.

If he fails to suppress the Crisis, or chooses not to suppress it, then the Crisis normally resets his DP total to zero in addition to its other effects. Thus, sensible wizards usually take their punishment as soon as possible.

The form a Crisis takes depends on the setting meta-physics and how many Distortion Points are involved. Outcomes may be linked to the type of magic the wizard has been using, his behavior, or arbitrary divine laws. One easy suggestion is that the offending magician suffers HP loss equal to the DP total divided by 5, rounded up, in the form of injuries that magic can’t heal. Thus, the player will lose at least 1 HP.

Others suggestion are:
- FP loss equal to the DP total.
- Immediate Fright Check at a penalty equal to the DP total.
- Temporary physical deformity, personality change, or “uncanny air” that causes a reaction penalty equal to half the DP total (round up). This penalty fades at a rate of -1 per day until it reaches zero.
- All magic the wizard works triggers a roll on the “Reality-Warping” Table (Th259-260), regardless of whether it succeeds. The result combines with that of a successful working as the GM sees fit. This lasts a day per DP.

3. THIRD, and an optional consequence, the offending paranormal entity’s breach of the masquerade runs the risk of being found out by other parties. This may not be applicable if this was authorized by a sufficiently large organization.

Events that are covered up do not influence the reputation score until they become public knowledge. The offending paranormal entities can attempt to cover-up their activities with the relevant skill, such as Housecleaning to erase physical evidence, such as Housekeeping to clean up physical evidence (200-201), using Electronics Operations (Media) to doctor electronic media (Action 2, p. 26; B189), and Propaganda to orchestrate and over-all cover-up (Action 2, p. 26; B216). However, unless the scene is meticulously scrubbed of evidence, all bodies destroyed (not merely hidden), all records and surveillance altered or erased, and all involved sworn to secrecy, word will get out eventually. A good rule of thumb is that word will get out after a day.

Every piece of evidence the players think to destroy will delay word getting out by another day. If the matter can stay hidden for long enough (three days for minor matters, a week for most, and a month for the most dramatic actions) then it will be forgotten entirely and doesn’t affect the party’s reputation at all. It is up to them to inventively think of evidence to wipe, and the more they come up with, the longer their actions will stay hidden.

If the attempt to erase evidence is SUCCESSFUL, then there is no negative consequence. The other paranormal groups and organizations have failed to discover those responsible.

However, if the attempt to erase evidence is a FAILURE, or they did not even try, then the offending paranormal entities have been discovered to be those responsible for the breach of the masquerade.

Breaching the masquerade is considered a “Illegal, Capital Crime (Pyramid #3-93, 10). Therefore, the offending characters acquires 15 Misconduct Points (MP) (Pyramid #3-93, 9-10). The offending character gains -1 to reaction rolls from other Nightwalker NPCs for every 5 MP (or fraction thereof) that person has, so 15 MP means -3 to reaction rolls. Those who can stay out of trouble lose 1 MP per week. This rate is doubled if they also “lay low” or leave town. If they do all three, then the rate is tripled instead! In very austere campaigns, MP are lost at a rate of one per month; in lenient campaigns, the rate is one per day! In high austerity campaigns, the GM might require a roll against Law, Streetwise, or another appropriate skill to lose MP in the first place.

If the GM feels that the situation is appropriate, then the MPs of offending paranormal character(s) can never fall below half the highest value it’s reached (IE if you get 12 MP, you can’t ever reduce it below 6 MP).

In addition, this also increases that the local efforts of the local people to find the perpetrators. The offenders will likely face the wrath of the offended party (Some suggestions: Paradox Spirits from GURPS: Mage: The Ascension, Men in Black from Horror, etc.)

(continued below)

[Coinage]

[4]
Question 4: Does the Reality Stress Level exceeds the local Palimpsest Threshold.

The next test is to see if Reality Stress Level is raised above the threshold for a Palimpsest Threshold (PT).

A Palimpsest occurs if and only if the amount of observed paranormal phenomena exceeds a certain threshold. That threshold can be measured on a scale of 0 (absent) to 20+ (amazingly strong). This is not a uniform score; it changes depending on the area. One suggestion is to make the local Palimpsest Threshold equivalent to the Façade level introduced in Pyramid 3-97, p. 14.

When the threshold has been crossed, the Contramonstrum has been aggravated to the point where the entire area is effectively purged of any and all magical or paranormal phenomena, literally rewriting reality to conform to a mundane existence. This is effectively a Reality Quake (B534, HTMD 58, IW 76-79) that erases anything and everything magical, leaving only the mundane behind.

If the Reality Stress Level is BELOW the Palimpsest Threshold, then nothing happens, and the effect ends.

If the Reality Stress Level is ABOVE the Palimpsest Threshold, then the Palimpsest is activated.

Anything that is hidden behind the Mist, or which is Veiled, or which is hidden behind some sort of Mundane Alternate form, or is otherwise able to disguise itself as mundane, is spared. The passive façade of the Mist is removed in a sphere with an area of 1 km cubed that is centered around the area that triggered the Palimpsest.

If the Palimpsest occurs in a magical plane of existence, then a sphere with an area of 1d6km cubed becomes completely unstable, as the Contramonstrum clashes with the physics of the magical plane in an effort to transform the area into something Mundane. The area becomes the supernatural equivalent Radioactive, with the effects similar to exposure to over 4,000 rads (B435) for roughly 1d6 days, after which the innate nature of the plane erases the Contramonstrum and returns to normal. However, this effect takes roughly 1d6 hours to come into full affect, so players will have time to evacuate.

Those without Mundane alternate form is effectively destroyed in a manner identical to the Forbidden Wisdom spell from Magic: Death Spells, p. 15 (M:DS15). Phenomena erased in such a manner can only be restored by some divine, higher powers. Those who can disguise themselves as Mundane will not be destroyed. However, they will be affected by the local radiation effect. This has damaging effects of the radiation will make almost certainly make maintaining any Mundane appearance more and more difficult. As such, Masqueraded entities are advised to leave the area as soon as possible.

The GM may want to add more Misconduct points for triggering a Palimpsest, especially from those magical factions who are affected by such a massive event.

THE END.

Hew. It took me a while to make these rules. Please, let me know what you think.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Not bad. How I would have probably done it if I wanted to include Reality Quakes and such.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by Coinage

[4]
Question 4: Does the Reality Stress Level exceeds the local Palimpsest Threshold.

The next test is to see if Reality Stress Level is raised above the threshold for a Palimpsest Threshold (PT).

A Palimpsest occurs if and only if the amount of observed paranormal phenomena exceeds a certain threshold. That threshold can be measured on a scale of 0 (absent) to 20+ (amazingly strong). This is not a uniform score; it changes depending on the area. One suggestion is to make the local Palimpsest Threshold equivalent to the Façade level introduced in Pyramid 3-97, p. 14.

When the threshold has been crossed, the Contramonstrum has been aggravated to the point where the entire area is effectively purged of any and all magical or paranormal phenomena, literally rewriting reality to conform to a mundane existence. This is effectively a Reality Quake (B534, HTMD 58, IW 76-79) that erases anything and everything magical, leaving only the mundane behind.

If the Reality Stress Level is BELOW the Palimpsest Threshold, then nothing happens, and the effect ends.

If the Reality Stress Level is ABOVE the Palimpsest Threshold, then the Palimpsest is activated, in a manner identical to

Anything that is hidden behind the Mist, or which is Veiled, or which is hidden behind some sort of Mundane Alternate form, or is otherwise able to disguise itself as mundane, is spared. The passive façade of the Mist is removed in a sphere with an area of 1 km cubed that is centered around the area that triggered the Palimpsest.

If the Palimpsest occurs in a magical plane of existence, then the 1km cubed becomes completely unstable, as the Contramonstrum works to erase the area from existence, similar to a Forbidden Wisdom spell from Magic: Death Spells, p. 15 (M:DS15). Players have 1d6 hours to evacuate to an unaffected area before they too are erased from existence.

The GM may want to add more Misconduct points for triggering a Palimpsest, especially from those magical factions who are affected by such a massive event.

THE END.

Hew. It took me a while to make these rules. Please, let me know what you think.

Having the Contramonstrum erase an area from existence on a magical plane of existence seems too powerful. Instead perhaps the whole idea works on a path of least resistance. It reasserts the Mundane where the Mundane is the norm, but where Magic is the norm, it reasserts Magic, so on a magical plane of existence those normally protected by a Masquerade in your broad sense or by the use of Shrouding are not at risk. Instead, the Contramonstrum acts to erase the effects of the mundane and those mundanes caught in the effect are at risk of non-existence as the Magic reasserts itself.

[Coinage]

Originally Posted by Christopher R. Rice

Not bad. How I would have probably done it if I wanted to include Reality Quakes and such.

Thanks. Now I just need an opportunity to playtest this. But thanks again.

[Coinage]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

Having the Contramonstrum erase an area from existence on a magical plane of existence seems too powerful. Instead perhaps the whole idea works on a path of least resistance. It reasserts the Mundane where the Mundane is the norm, but where Magic is the norm, it reasserts Magic, so on a magical plane of existence those normally protected by a Masquerade in your broad sense or by the use of Shrouding are not at risk. Instead, the Contramonstrum acts to erase the effects of the mundane and those mundanes caught in the effect are at risk of non-existence as the Magic reasserts itself.

How about a radiation approach. The area effectively becomes Radioactive (B435) for a period of time, after which the plane returns to normal.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Coinage

Thanks. Now I just need an opportunity to playtest this. But thanks again.

No worries. :-)

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Coinage

How about a radiation approach. The area effectively becomes Radioactive (B435) for a period of time, after which the plane returns to normal.

Typically, the purpose of things like this is to avoid anyone noticing anything odd about the area/event/etc (in extreme cases where things get erased from existence, people's minds - or history itself - change to accommodate this, perhaps making it so those things never existed, or making up some other reason why it's now gone). An area becoming literally radioactive - or, if just using those mechanics for some other effect, causing those in the area to become dangerously ill - would accomplish the opposite of that. I suppose if it's only anti-Other radiation, that could work, although it runs the risk of a sort of cascade failure for Other entities that are masquerading as mundane, as it draws attention to them when they become ill (risking them being discovered, which may create another radiation hazard, which leads to another, and another, and so forth).

[Coinage]

Originally Posted by Varyon

Typically, the purpose of things like this is to avoid anyone noticing anything odd about the area/event/etc (in extreme cases where things get erased from existence, people's minds - or history itself - change to accommodate this, perhaps making it so those things never existed, or making up some other reason why it's now gone). An area becoming literally radioactive - or, if just using those mechanics for some other effect, causing those in the area to become dangerously ill - would accomplish the opposite of that. I suppose if it's only anti-Other radiation, that could work, although it runs the risk of a sort of cascade failure for Other entities that are masquerading as mundane, as it draws attention to them when they become ill (risking them being discovered, which may create another radiation hazard, which leads to another, and another, and so forth).

Excellent point. I could make the "anti-Other radiation" (as you call it) affect only Non-Masqueraded "Other" entities. Masqueraded entities would not be effected. Non-Masqueraded "Other" entities would probably face the possibility of being erased in a manner similar to the Forbidden Wisdom spell described above. However, the deleterious effects of the radiation in the area will make maintaining a Masquerade more and more difficult. As such, the Masqueraded entities are advised to leave the area as soon as possible.