Templar Powers/Saints
Charles Fort, Saint of the Strange by Kirt "Loki" Dankmyer
Charles Fort was born in 1874, eleven years after the start of the Reckoning. He was firmly a child of the new age, as it were, an age when the supernatural was streaming back into the world.
He married young and lived in poverty, working as a journalist and ficton-writer for quite some time. He must have seen many things during this time, because when he came into a modest inheritance at the age of forty- two, he set down to write his life's work, four books, gigantic tomes that, in retrospect, exposed a whole new generation to the supernatural.
Fort's specialty was the "damned", data that the science of the day rejected, would not and could not accept. He spoke of rains of blood, fish falling from the sky, the dead jumping out of the grave in locations remote as Riobamba, giants, little people, and people enganging in witchcraft as late as 1924. He worked from conventional sources, sitting at a table in the New York Public Library or the British Museum every day for twenty-seven years, reading and rereading the back issues of every available scientific journal, magazine, and newspaper, looking for any datum that did not fit the mainstream, the signs of the Reckoners that was hidden right under the noses of the conventional scientific community. He made a note of every one, and eventually he had thousands of such notes, on tiny slips of paper, stored in shoeboxes.
Though he never saw the whole truth, his unrelenting compilation of the strange and the unusual gave members of the Fortean Society (formed in his honor) the ammunition to convince others that something strange was going on, that there was more than what most would admit to operating in the world. The sheer weight of Fort's data is enormous. Together, all his books make over a thousand pages of "damned" data, published for all to see. His books recieved rave reviews in the "Tombstone Epitath", and some of the data from the "Epitath" found their way into his later books.
And though he did not know the world was being sold to the Reckoners, Charles Fort seemed to sense it, deep down in his bones. He wrote, in his first book, The Book of the Damned:
"I think we're property. I should say we belong to something: That once upon a time, this earth was No-man's Land, that other worlds explored and colonized here, and fought among themselves for possession, but that now it's owned by something: That something owns this earth -- all others warned off.'
Charles Fort died in 1932, under mysterious circumstances (he had been visited the day before by someone claiming to be part of an unspecified government agency), having never learned the full truth. Being something of a scientist himself, he tended to attribute all of the "damned" to things extraterrestrial in origin. Later Fortean scholars were sure that the "other worlds" he spoke of (especially the so-called "Super-Sargasso Sea") existed mainly in the Hunting Grounds, thus advancing the "science" of "Super-Geography" that Fort proposed in his books.
Any Templar visited by Saint Fort can expect to see into the mysteries of the universe, and with the help of the Saint, remain sane while doing so.
Charles Fort, Saint of the Strange
Charles Fort was not an exciting man, yet the things he uncovered inspired generations of people to examine what was going on around them.Many of them ended up fighting the Reckoners, and though the Agency worked to make sure his datum remained "damned", he was required reading before the War for both the Agency and the more scholarly subsections of the Rangers.
Deed: Charles Fort appears to those Templars who have discovered something truely strange and brought it to the attention of others. Now, since the bombs have dropped, the bar for what's "strange" is higher. In Fort's day, a rain of blood was strange. After the War, that's a pretty mild weather pattern, and nearly everyone's at least heard of the Reckoning. For something to catch the attention of the Saint, a Templar has to find something no one's ever heard of, cannot easily explain, and is unrelated to the Reckoners. Or, if it's related to the Reckoners, it must be in some way that no one, not even someone as paranoid as Grand Master Simon, would expect. But finding such things out is not enough, one has to let others know about it, or set it down for posterity. (Bringing the datum to Biletnikoff or directly to the Library is a good way of doing so. Recording the event, either by writing it down or using a palmcorder would work.)
White: Charles Fort, though he did not come directly into the contact with the supernatural, was not easily disturbed, even when the weight of his data would have sent a lesser man screaming. He brings his dry sense of humor and his unflappable spirit to the Templars he favors. The Templar may add +4 to any Guts check, even after the roll has been made.
Red: While performing research, the Templar can automatically find the data he's looking for -- if it's there Obviously, this power is more useful in, say, the Library than it is elsewhere.
Blue: Saint Fort inspired many to fight the Reckoning, convincing others of the truth that others ignored. For the Templar's Faith in minutes, as long as he is telling the truth as he believes it to be, anyone who hears him will know he is not lying, will know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the Templar is telling the truth. Additionally, while this power is in effect, if the Templar is urging those within his hearing to investigate some strange phenomenon, anyone who hears him speak of it must make Hard (9) Spirit check to avoid investigating, though what they do next is up to them. The effect immediately ends, even if the time limit is not up yet, if the Templar attempts to lie, and lying while this power is in effect may annoy the Saint.
Legend: A major unnatural event occurs that saves the PCs from a danger that they're in, and/or points the Templar toward something he should be investigating. Sometimes both will happen. Marshals are encouraged to be creative, and if the Marshal is familiar with Fort's books, to use those as inspiration. Don't be afraid to annoy the characters in the process -- the Saint's blessings are kind but capricious. For example, if the Templar is surrounded by Black Hats and he uses this power, dried fish might fall from the sky, in large amounts and in a precise, circular radius, burying all the Black Hats but not even so much as touching the Templar or his companions, allowing them to escape. (The Black Hats may come after them later, of course.) However, these fish cannot be eaten, turning to blood when cooked or put in one's mouth, and the Templar and his companions are plagued with rains of such fish until they start moving in the direction of an ancient Abomination the group is unaware of.
Vexations: Charles Fort has no patience for the dogmatic or those who are not inquisitive. If the Templar refuses to investigate an unnatural event, or dismisses anything, no matter how ridiculous, as "impossible" or "unlikely", he will lose the blessing of this Saint. Also, destroying knowledge will cause Saint Fort to abandon the Templar. He may be regained, however, by bringing another strange datum to the light. Lastly, Charles Fort did not believe in joining organizations, even refusing to join the Charles Fort Society, which was formed during his lifetime. Any person who joins an organization (the Templars do not count, the Templar is already a member of that organization) loses the Saint's blessing for a week.
Carina Shen, Saint of Gunplay by Kirt "Loki" Dankmyer
Not much is known of Carina Shen, owing to the fact that she is not American, and since the bombs dropped, it is difficult to research people outside the US -- especially people, like Ms. Shen, whose fight against the Reckoners was a quiet one.
What can be pieced together from the visions are:
* Carina Shen was a police officer in 1980s Hong Kong. This comes from the first vision one always recieves from her: That of a plain-looking Chinese woman in a police uniform reading a English-language newspaper at night. The paper is the "Hong Kong Times" and is dated June 4, 1985. There is a scream, and she rushes into an alleyway, where a mugging seems to be going on... except the mugger is a rotting corpse. She only pauses for a moment before drawing two very large pistols and blowing the corpse away. She curses in Chinese and the would-be victim, a Chinese businessman, runs away.
* Carina was a fan of Hong Kong actions films. This can be gleaned from the fact that her visions are simulateously very realistic and very "cinematic", i.e. slow-motion action sequences and clever use of "camera angles" are used in imparting the information in the visions. Also, some of the visions she sends are *from* Hong Kong actions flicks, especially those directed by John Woo. Only at the end of such visions does Carina show up, as the vision "zooms out" and shows Carina watching the scene in a theatre.
* In the long run, Carina fought the Reckoners alone, and quietly. While the people she saved from hopping vampires, walking dead, and other horrors seem grateful, several visions show her steering other police officers away from the bodies of the things she killed. On the other hand, in the tradition of Hong Kong action films, temporary alliances abound: Several visions show her being aided by another person with a gun, but never the same person twice, although this may be because, in several of the visions, the person aiding her dies in the ensuing battle.
The Deed
One thing can be said for Carina, it's that no matter what she fought, she figured out a way to fight it using guns. She appears to those skilled in firearms, after an amazing display of gunplay against the forces of darkness.
Carina Shen, Saint of Gunplay
Though the Reckoners had reasons to concentrate on the American continent, their influence was felt everywhere, and Carina Shen was one of those unsung heroes that made a difference far from where the Reckoning occurred. And she looked cool while doing it.
Deed: The Templar must perform an amazing feat with a gun (or two), one that takes single-handedly takes out a fearmonger or other extremely dangerous threat, or takes out *several* lesser threats in a short amount of time (such as destroying an entire group of Black Hats in a single combat round with a gun in each hand).
Please note that when a "gun" is referred to, we're talking a weapon that fires bullets. "Ammunition" means bullets. A plasma weapon, or a Junker device that fires warheads, for example, do not count for earning the Saint or most of her powers.
White: The hero adds +4 to any *shootin'* roll. This power may be used even after the roll has been made.
Red: The Templar never runs out of ammunition for the duration of the scene, for a single gun of her choosing.
Blue: The Templar may shift the hit location of every shot she makes during one combat round either to the gizzards or head, whichever is closer to the actual hit location rolled. If the creature being shot at doesn't have gizzards or a head, just add 1 die of damage. If the Templar is firing bursts, he can only do this on the first shot of each burst.
Legend: The character can shoot as many people as she wants in a single action. She has to roll for each shot (or burst), but other than that, if the character can see it, she can shoot it. The limitations of the gun do not matter -- it is as if the character has as many actions as she needs, and she cannot run out of ammo while performing this operation. Alternately, for one round, the character do damage to supernatural creatures (especially the undead) with her bullets as if they were mundane, i.e. they take full damage, both in wounds and Wind.
Vexation: Carina Shen was quietly modest about her abilities. If the character performs a *tale tellin'* roll, he must de-emphasise his or her role in the victory, or lose the saint's blessing for 1d6 days. *Other* characters are welcome to play up the Templar's role, of course. A Templar who becomes arrogant and actually *brags* about his accomplishments will lose the Saint. Also, Carina Shen was unusually loyal to the British Commonwealth... anyone who badmouths the British loses this Saint.
Lame Deer, Saint of the Badlands by Kirt "Loki" Dankmyer
That Lame Deer was a powerful Indian warrior, an Old Wayer, and a man who hunted Mojave Rattlers by stampeding them off cliffs, that much is known. As for his tribe and further background, that remains a mystery. The best people to talk to nowadays about such a thing is the Sioux, and they don't like talking to white men.
Lame Deer was not quite so unfriendly to white men, but then again, his was a simpler time. Several of the visions that feature him show him hunting Rattlers with the help of white men, and from the looks of their clothing, Lame Deer dates from the Old West. He and his companions moved throughout the Badlands, looking for Rattlers to kill, and destroying other abominations on the way. He is invaluable for surviving in such harsh environments.
The Deed
It is simultanously very simple and very difficult to acquire Lame Deer as a Saint. Kill a Mojave Rattler.
Lame Deer, Saint of the Badlands
Lame Deer was a deeply spritual man, but not a shaman. He believed in the Old Ways, but he did not preach to the white men who helped him against the Rattlers. Their ways were different. His hatred for the Rattlers was deep and very personal, which may explain why he's willing to visit Templars who oppose them.
Deed: Kill a Mojave Rattler. This including killing the queen of a Wormling nest.
White: The character is immune to the damage or ill effects of hunger or hunger-related attacks for 24 hours. He reduces the damage of heat or heat-based attacks by half.
Red: The character may ignore one level of armor, or all light armor, for one attack. The chip may be spent after the attack has succeeded, but before damage is rolled.
Blue: The Templar may ignore all armor for one attack. Also, if whatever (or whoever) the Templar is attacking is larger than size 6, treat the creature as being size 6. The chip may be spent after the attack has succeeded, but before damage is rolled.
Legend: The Templar is imbued with the strength and power of the Mojave Rattler for his *faith* in rounds. His *Strength* and *Vigor* go up 4 steps, with an appropriate rise in Wind as well. Wind damage caused during this time come off these "temporary" points first. Also, while the character does not grow, during this time he is considered to 3 sizes larger larger than normal for damage purposes, e.g. a Size 6 Templar would take damage as a Size 9 creature during this time.
Vexation: While Lame Deer does not expect the Templar to follow the Old Ways, he does expect the character to respect them. Insulting Old Wayers, or harming any Native Americans, is a sure way to lose this Saint.
Joey Stocken, Patron Saint of Squires by Kirt "Loki" Dankmyer
Joey Stocken was a model Templar, only he never become one.
Joey was a squire. He came to Boise at the age of eighteen, having walked and fought his way from his native town of Springfield, TX. Tall, wiry, and blond, he had already impressed several Templars on the way to Boise, and he had already memorized the Templar code and the deeds of the Martyrs.
Worried that the young lad would turn out too good to be true, Simon assigned him to a rough taskmaster -- a rebellous old Templar by the name of Joseph "Red" Yates, a red-skinned mutant who had been blackballed once for being a touch too soft on members of the Cult of Doom. He had only backslid on rank-and-file members, not actual green-robe priests, mutants who arguably knew no better, and Simon had excused him after hearing all the extenuating circumstances, not to mention Red had several confirmed green-robe kills.
According to some of Red's acquaintances, every time he was in Boise, he would simultanously complain about and complement Joey, saying he "was so goddamned perfect, and so goddamned humble." It seems that while Joey never hogged the limelight or interfered, his quiet support of Red's actions saved Red's life more than once. His organization, foresight, and preparation was a Godsend, even Red had to admit. The boy carried around an amazing array of junk, from batteries to picture frames, all of which came in useful from time to time, much to Red's consternation.
However, even Joey's good inflence couldn't help Red in the end. Joey always did as he was told, and that included when Red told him to wait somewhere while he handled business alone. However, as he was ordered to do this more and more often, he became curious and secretly followed Red out on one of those missions.
What he saw shocked and horrified him. Red was speaking to a green-robed Doomsayer, only a few miles from Boise. And it did not seem to be a ruse... Red was talking openly about betraying the Templars to the Cult of Doom. It was obvious the Doomsayer knew who Red was.
Joey snuck back to where he was supposed to meet Red, and when Red returned, he gave him a chance to explain himself. Rather than explain, Red attacked Joey with his claymore.
Joey won, but just barely, and staggered into Boise, bleeding to death, choking out a warning the first person he met, a local vendor by the name of Sam Hinkelman, who then told his story to the first Templar he could get ahold of. Simon was able to organize a defense, and the Doomsayers were repelled. Unfortunately, by the time a Templar got to Joey, he was already dead.
Joey Stocken, Saint of Squires
Joey excelled at support. Even the traitorous Red did a lot of good for the Wasted West while Joey Stocken was at his side. He seemed to bring out the best in people. His efforts earned him the attentions of several Saints, even without being a Templar.
Deed: You don't have to be a squire to earn Joey's attention, but it helps. A squire earns Joey if something he does saves his Templar's life. Also, the Marshal can choose to award Joey to someone who excels in a support role, whose forethought, planning, and organization aids the posse in doing good. For example, a character who doesn't always mix it up with the bad guys, but is always there to tend the wounds of the other characters, could eventually earn Joey's attention.
White: The hero can add +4 to any roll made by another person, including a damage roll. This power may be used once per day per person, and can be used after the roll has been made.
Red: The character can activate the White Chip power of any Saint currently documented in the Templar's Book of Martyrs.
Blue: The Templar can pull a single small, useful non-weapon item -- like a battery, a pair of handcuffs, a bag of salt, or some instant foodstuffs -- out of his pack or pocket. If need be, he can find it under a rock -- the point is, whatever he needs, it's there. Anything one could get at a grocery store, an S-Mart, or hardware store before the war is fair game, as long as its post-war value is $100 or less.
Legend: Within the next week, the hero will meet someone worthy of becoming a Companion, gaining them as a Sidekick. If the hero is a Templar, and does not have a squire, he meets someone ready, willing, and able to become a Squire. Only one Sidekick can be gained at a time this way.
Alternately, the Templar can use a Legend chip to activate 5 "points" worth Saint powers that the Templar has available to him, including Saint Stocken. (For example, if a Templar has Saint Clark and Saint Stocken, he could spend a Legend chip to activate the Red chip power for Saint Clark and the Blue chip power for Saint Stocken, pull out a first aid kit and get to work...)
Vexation: Speaking ill of and/or mistreating a Squire or a Companion is a sure way to lose this Saint. Another way to lose this saint is to speak ill of any Saint recorded in the Book of Martyrs, except Saint Stocken. Also, if the person who has the Saint's favor is a Squire, if the Templar who is training him speaks ill of him to his face, no matter how unjustified, he loses the Saint for a day, as Saint Stocken was so good even Red had no cause to complain, except behind his back.
You can find a copy of all four of Loki's Saints without the bricks and pretty colors here.